China this week conducted the fourth successful test of a new hypersonic vehicle which is capable of delivering nuclear strikes and may be able to render US anti-missile defense systems “obsolete.”
The test of the Wu-14 hypersonic strike vehicle was carried out Sunday, launched atop a ballistic missile fired from a test facility in western China, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
The vehicle executed “extreme maneuvers” that intelligence officials say are meant to test the ability to dodge US anti-missile defense systems.
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The Wu-14 travels high in the atmosphere on the edge of space while carrying nuclear or conventional warheads. The high-tech vehicle also can travel at speeds of up to 10 times the speed of sound or around 7,680 miles per hour.
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“Hypersonic glide vehicles could render existing US missile defense systems less effective and potentially obsolete,” the report said.
In addition to the glide vehicle, China is also developing a second hypersonic weapon that uses a high-technology scramjet engine.
“With four tests in about a year and a half, it is possible that China could conclude development of an early version for deployment in one to two years,” Rick Fisher, a China expert with the International Assessment and Strategy Center, said in an interview with the Free Beacon.
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To date, the US Army has conducted only two tests of its Advanced Hypersonic Weapon; the latest test resulted in the missile launcher blowing up shortly after liftoff.
Full article: China Conducts Fourth Test of Strategic Nuclear Delivery Vehicle (Sputnik News)
