Explained: What is hypersonic missile, the new thorn in China-US relations

SUMMARY

Various news agencies reported last week that China tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August. While officials in Beijing have said that the test was not of a missile but of a space vehicle, the new has further strained the relationship between the US and China. Here's why this potent weapon is important and has the Pentagon worried.

By CNBCTV18.comOct 19, 2021 1:42:58 PM IST (Published)

What makes hypersonic missiles so dangerous is the fact that their high speed makes them literally invisible on radar and thus more or less invisible in front of existing anti-missile defensive systems.

China had showcased advanced weaponry including its hypersonic missile, known as the DF-17 back in a 2019 military parade.

However, China said Monday it had launched a new spacecraft, merely as a test to see whether the vehicle could be reused, rather than a missile.

Ballistic missiles fly into outer space before returning on steep trajectories at higher speeds. Hypersonic weapons are difficult to defend against because they fly towards targets at lower altitudes but can achieve more than five times the speed of sound - or about 6,200 km per hour (3,850 mph).

The United States and Russia are also developing hypersonic missiles. Russia had stated in July that it had successfully tested a Tsirkon(Zircon) hypersonic cruise missile, a weapon President Vladimir Putin has touted as part of a new generation of missile systems without equal in the world. The United States announced in September that it had tested anair-breathing hypersonic weapon, marking the first successful test of that class of weapon since 2013.

Last month North Korea said it had test-fired a newly-developed hypersonic missile. The rogue nation led by its dictator Kim- Jong- Un has for a long time been concentrating on developing advanced weapons.

Last year, India too successfully flight-tested the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV), a move labelled by experts as a giant leap in indigenous defence technologies.