China secretly tested a hypersonic missile in August, reports the Financial Times. US intelligence sources tell the newspaper they are surprised by the test.
Although the missile failed to hit its target, the test does show that China has made “amazing progress” in developing a hypersonic missile, the sources say.
In fact, the Chinese turn out to be much further than the Americans had thought. “We have no idea how they managed this,” said one of the officials. According to the Financial Times, the US seems to underestimate China in this area.
More countries are developing new missile
In addition to China, the United States, Russia on possibly also North Korea working on the development of the new hypersonic missiles. Such projectiles reach more than five times the speed of sound, so about 6200 kilometers per hour. Unlike ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles fly in orbits low in the atmosphere. This allows them to reach their target faster and makes it more difficult for enemies to intercept the missile.
The Pentagon has not yet officially responded to the Financial Times reporting.
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