The Chinese Army carried out an unprecedented test of a new hypersonic missile with nuclear capability that went around the world in August, in a test that surprised the United States intelligence services because of the advanced technology, according to sources close to the investigation to the ‘Financial Times’ .
The missile flew into space on a rocket before breaking apart and making a suborbital path toward its target. Although the projectile missed the target by more than 20 kilometers , the mere launch hinted to the US intelligence services that China has advanced much more than previously believed in its weapons technology.
“We have no idea how they have done it,” explained one of the five sources consulted in the information published this Sunday.
The United States and Russia have also been working on these hypersonic missiles, which fly at five times the speed of sound and can maneuver during flight, making them much more difficult to track.
The Chinese Government has not made any statements about the test in question, but the spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in the United States, Liu Pengyu, has assured the ‘Financial Times’ that China “does not have a global military strategy like the United States” and ” does not It is not at all interested in launching an arms race with other countries . ‘
However, experts consulted by the media consider that the complete development of such technology by China would affect the missile defense systems of the United States and Japan.
In fact, two of the people familiar with the Chinese test warned that the weapon could, in theory, fly over the South Pole, posing a huge problem for the US military because its missile defense systems are focused on the north polar route. .
In recent months, US military officials warned of China’s growing nuclear capabilities, particularly after the release of satellite images of the construction of more than 200 intercontinental missile silos.
China is not bound by any arms control agreements and has refused to enter into talks with the United States about its arsenal and nuclear policy.
