BLUF
Travelling faster than Mach 5, the Chinese hypersonic vehicle released an unknown projectile above the South China Sea.Summary
This article makes the following points:
- A hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) spends only a short time in orbit before gliding back into the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds.
- The flight profile matched a Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS).
- China’s Foreign Ministry denied it was a missile, claiming it was a “space vehicle.”
There are differing theories on what may have been released. Some suggestions were:
- An air-to-air missile.
- A countermeasure designed to confuse enemy defences.
- A decoy to distract an interceptor missile.
- Something capable of attacking an interceptor missile.
- Something capable of evading U.S. ballistic missile defences (BMDs).
China is concerned about BMDs, fearing that a system designed to counter just a handful of incoming missiles could block the effectiveness of the country’s relatively small nuclear deterrent.
References
- Oct 2021 Reuters Top U.S. general confirms 'very concerning' Chinese hypersonic weapons test
- Oct 2021 Financial Times China tests new space capability with hypersonic missile
- Nov 2021 News.com.au China ‘fired missile from hypersonic weapon’ over South China Sea
- Nov 2021 CNN Top military leader says China's hypersonic missile test 'went around the world'
