US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last week said China’s pursuit of hypersonic weapons “increases tensions in the region” and vowed the US would maintain its capability to deter potential threats. Austin made the remarks in Seoul following annual security talks with his South Korean counterpart that focused on challenges from China and North Korea and other issues facing the allies.
From the Associated Press: “China’s growing military muscle and its drive to end American predominance in Asia has triggered unease in Washington. The Chinese push was highlighted by its July test of a hypersonic weapon capable of partially orbiting Earth before reentering the atmosphere and gliding on a maneuverable path to its target. Experts say the weapons system is clearly designed with a purpose of evading US missile defenses, although China insisted it was testing a reusable space vehicle, not a missile.”
“We have concerns about the military capabilities that the PRC continues to pursue, and the pursuit of those capabilities increases tensions in the region,” Austin said.
China’s military modernization greatly worries the US because hypersonic weapons have the potential to nullify existing US missile defense systems, destabilize military balances abroad, and heavily alter deterrence strategies.
Rylie White wrote in a study that “hypersonic weapons are characterized by their capacity to travel at and maintain speeds higher than Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound. Two types of hypersonic weapons are currently in development: Hypersonic Cruise Missiles (HCMs), which operate similar to existing subsonic cruise missiles and are sustained by aerodynamic lift, and Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGVs) which are launched on a ballistic missile, but are released to quickly re-enter the atmosphere in order to “glide” at a flatter trajectory to their target. Both types of vehicles can be maneuvered during flight, and their targets and trajectory may be altered.
Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the US is also working on hypersonic weapons. But there is concern in Washington that it is lagging behind China and Russia in pursuing these types of weapons.
Russia last week said its navy had successfully tested a prospective hypersonic cruise missile, which could hit targets at sea and on land with a range of 1,000 kilometers and a speed of Mach 9.
Austin said he and South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook discussed a wide range of topics, including North Korea’s newly developed hypersonic missile that it test-fired in September. The two agreed that North Korea’s advancement of its missile and other weapons programs “is increasingly destabilizing for regional security.”
From AP: “Earlier this week, the Pentagon released the results of a global posture review that directs additional cooperation with allies and partners to deter “potential Chinese military aggression and threats from North Korea.” The review also informed Austin’s approval of the permanent stationing of a previously rotational attack helicopter squadron and artillery division headquarters in South Korea.”
China, Russia, and the US are the leading powers in hypersonic weapons technology research, but many other countries are reportedly pursuing similar capabilities. Defense experts said the US should work with China and Russia to regulate export and proliferation of hypersonic technology because of the destabilizing threat of hypersonic weapons.