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The revelation that China has advanced in developing hypersonic weapons has renewed calls for the U.S. military to invest both in hypersonic weapons as well as the capability to combat such weapons.
The test of a Chinese hypersonic missile in August appeared to catch U.S. military officials by surprise, with one person allegedly saying the U.S. had "no idea how they did this."
What are hypersonic weapons, and how worried should the American military be by China’s recent test?
A Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapons Concept (HAWC) missile in seen in an artist's conception. Raytheon Missiles & Defense/Handout via REUTERS.
HYPERSONIC WEAPONS
Hypersonic weapons are broadly defined as any vehicle or missile that moves at Mach 5 – five times the speed of sound, or around 3,800 miles per hour. Intercontinental ballistic missiles, which have existed for some time: Russia, the United States, China and – most recently – North Korea have all tested ICBMs of this speed or greater, according to Popular Science.
The U.S. has actively pursued the development of such weapons since the 2000s. Joint Chiefs of Staff and former Commander of U.S. Strategic Command General John Hyten has stated, these weapons could enable "responsive, long-range, strike options against distant, defended, and/or time-critical threats [such as road-mobile missiles] when other forces are unavailable, denied access, or not preferred."
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These missiles fly up into space and travel some distance before re-entering the atmosphere as the missile aims for a target. Vehicles that follow this type of flight pattern are known as hypersonic glide vehicles.
The second version of such weapons would be the hypersonic cruise missile, which can fly through the atmosphere. The heat generated by Mach 5 flight, and the fuel required to propel at these sustained speeds, pose the greatest hurdle to development.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian speaks at a news conference in Beijing, China April 8, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
CHINA’S TEST
China has previously demonstrated the capability to deploy ICBM as early as 2014, John Venable of D.C.-based think-tank The Heritage Foundation told Fox News.
"The Chinese began this particular glide vehicle in 2014," Venable said. "They had nine successful tests since then, approximately. The idea that this is new, that this is a revelation that caught the U.S. government by surprise is a misnomer."
Reports following the test indicated that the concern is that the missile – reported as "nuclear capable" – was able to circle the Earth before heading for its target. The vehicle in question appears to deploy an orbital bombardment system, which would approach a target at a lower altitude than an ICBM, according to The Washington Post.
The components of this test are nothing new, but taken together, they pose a new challenge for the U.S. in developing countermeasures. The weapon provides China with a theoretically unlimited range of deployment.
"It was not a missile, it was a space vehicle," ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular press briefing in Beijing when asked about the report, according to Reuters.
A U.S. Air Force B-52 prepares to carry the X-51 Hypersonic Vehicle out to the range for a launch test from Edwards AFB, California in this handout photo provided by the U.S. Air Force on May 1, 2013. The X-51 achieved Mach 5.1 traveling 230 nautical miles in just over six minutes making this test the longest air-breathing hypersonic flight ever. REUTERS/Bobbi Zapka/USAF/Handout via Reuters
BUILDING TREND
Such weapons capabilities have understandably stirred concern among government officials. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., said last week that "China’s capabilities are extraordinary."
"I hope it never comes to that, but we need to make sure that we’ve got a strategy and approach to neutralize these threats as they arise," Bennet told Defense One.
Similarly, Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., argued that China’s test "underscored the important decision President Biden made to end our combat operations in Afghanistan" so the nation can focus on handling "the growing and the most evolving threats."
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The conversation around hypersonic weapons may be newer for the mainstream, but it is a topic that military officials have buzzed about for some time.
In 2019, an article by the nonpartisan Arms Control Association argued for the necessary focus on hypersonic weapons as the key to maintaining pace with China and keeping Russia at arm’s length.
"China’s hypersonic weapons development outpaces ours," Admiral Henry Harris, former commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, told Congress before leaving his post to assume his role as U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, which lasted from 2018 to 2021. "The United States is not yet doing all that we need to do to respond to hypersonic missile threats."
"I did not take this job to reach parity with adversaries," he said. "I want to make them worry about catching up with us again."
US Pentagon in Washington DC building looking down aerial view from above (iStock)
THE FUTURE OF DEFENSE
The Pentagon has already been working towards a new constellation of low-earth-orbit satellites, which would track the path of hypersonic weapons more closely to provide additional response options.
"There’s two big things [the government] needs to do," Venable explained. "The first thing is to have more satellites that have the ability to track these assets and increase the fidelity of the sensing."
"Any time you have a high flashpoint on the ground, there’s an array out there called the Space-Based Infrared System, and we can detect just about any major launch or explosion on the face of the Earth, but the ability to track those once they actually leave the atmosphere and start their trajectory is complicated by the movement of these vehicles," he said.
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Air Force Col. Kristopher Struve last week echoed similar concerns, saying "it’s that ability to provide a warning to our national leadership, what that threat is" that concerns officials the most.
China’s focus has thus far appeared to be regional: Michael Griffin, a former undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, told NPR that the new weapon "allows it to expand its influence in the region."
Griffin said such a weapon could potentially strike a U.S. ship anywhere on Earth, which is "a really big deal."
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"I'm not one to mince words — it is an arms race," Griffin said. "And critically, we didn't start it."
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