Senior NASIC analyst: China has 'world's leading hypersonic arsenal'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
15 Mar 2024 15:29
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A senior analyst with the National Air and Space Intelligence Center said that China's progress is a result of its efforts over the past two decades to dramatically advance its capabilities.

Spectators wave Chinese flags as military vehicles carrying DF-41 nuclear ballistic missiles roll during a parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of Communist China in Beijing on October 1, 2019. (AP)

An intelligence analyst said that China is dominating the hypersonic weapons race and is advancing full speed ahead with plans to extend the reach of these weapons.

A senior analyst with the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, Jeffrey McCormick, announced in a statement for the House Armed Services Committee "China's missile programs are comparable to top-tier producers internationally, and China now has the world's leading hypersonic arsenal."

Hypersonic missiles move at speeds of Mach 5 or faster, using advanced thrust systems to conserve velocity while traveling through the upper atmosphere, and they are set up with highly maneuverable hypersonic glide vehicle payloads that can easily dodge traditional missile defense systems.

'Extensive and robust research and development infrastructure'

China's development of hypersonic "wave rider" technology, and thermal materials for enhancing the weapons' durability to the severe heat that comes with hypersonic speed, showcases its advancement in offensive capabilities.

"China's progress is resulting from its efforts over the past two decades to dramatically advance its capabilities and conventional and nuclear-armed hypersonic-missile technologies. This has been done through intense and focused investment, development, testing, and now deliveries to the [People's Liberation Army]," McCormick stated on Tuesday at the congressional hearing as Congress accepted the national budget for the 2025 fiscal year.

He added that China's "extensive and robust research and development infrastructure" has allowed it to dispatch medium-range missiles like the D-17 that leave US bases in Japan within reach.

McCormick warned that China's investments will permit it to put up a wide arsenal of weapons in line with the "strong and modernized rocket force" called for in a 2019 defense white paper.

Over the past decade, China has been making strides towards intercontinental hypersonic missiles, as demonstrated in 2021 when the country test-fired two that flew at least partway around the world.