Key Takeaways
- China has developed hypersonic missiles that can be launched from space, posing a significant threat to global security.
- The missiles can reach speeds up to Mach 20, evading conventional air defense systems.
- Countermeasures include targeting the satellites or platforms from which these missiles are launched.
China’s Hypersonic Missile Breakthrough
China has achieved a significant technological breakthrough with the development of hypersonic missiles that can be launched directly from space. This advancement raises major concerns for countries such as India and the United States. According to the South China Morning Post, these hypersonic missiles are capable of reaching speeds up to Mach 20, which is twenty times the speed of sound. This new capability allows China to launch missiles from space, including from existing or small space stations, enhancing its military might substantially.
The design of these space-launched missiles is highly advanced, making them difficult for conventional air defense systems to detect or intercept in time. By the time these systems can identify the missile’s trajectory, it is often too late, as the missile is already nearing its target.
The technology behind these missiles utilizes hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs) and operates in two stages. If deployed from Chinese space stations, these missiles can be remotely controlled by command centers based on Earth. Once launched, the glide vehicles will re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere and approach their targets, making their flight paths unpredictable and hard to intercept.
China’s hypersonic missile program began in 2010 and achieved its first successful test by 2017. The country has since focused on refining its technology to enable missile launches from space. An American scientific report confirmed that by 2021, China’s hypersonic missile capabilities had shifted from theoretical concepts to actual operational systems in space, demonstrating rapid advancement in just 15 years.
While this new threat is significant, some countermeasures do exist. For example, it is possible to destroy the satellites or orbital platforms from which the missile is launched. Along with the United States and Russia, India has also developed anti-satellite weapons aimed at neutralizing threats posed by enemy satellites in space.
This evolution of China’s military capabilities necessitates a reevaluation of strategic defense measures on a global scale.
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