China’s claims of hypersonic missiles: Real or hyperbole?

Is China really the leader in heat-seeking hypersonic missile technology? Claims so but…

January 2, 2022

China claims to have beaten the US to develop next-gen heat-seeking hypersonic missiles

China claims it has beaten the US to developing heat-seeking hypersonic missiles that could home in on targets including aircraft carriers and moving vehicles, Daily Mail reported.

The development, which is likely to add intensity to the ongoing arms race between China, the US, and Russia, comes after Beijing denied testing a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August.

The projectile, which circled the planet, sparked concerns among officials in the US, but China insisted the missile launch was for a spacecraft.

However, now researchers from the China’s National University of Defence Technology claim to have developed technology to allow a hypersonic missile to find a target based on its heat signature, the report said.

According to research cited by the South China Morning Post, lead scientist Professor Yi Shihe claimed in a scientific paper published last month that China had made a ‘series of core technology breakthroughs that were proven effective in tests’.

If true, it means China may have overcome the difficulty of developing a heat-seeking system that is capable of working at hypersonic speeds.

The feat is a challenge because the pace of the missile itself generates heat which can interfere with the detection systems.

Hypersonic missiles can reach speeds of up to 21,000 mph and can strike anywhere on earth from space within minutes.

The latest development comes amid experts’ fears that hypersonic missiles could be used to spark World War Three, with Russia, China, and the US all working on next-generation missiles, the report said.

There have been some murmurs in the United States Defence Establishment that the United States needs to play catchup with China in Hypersonic technology.

[With Inputs from IANS]

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