US Hypes China’s Hypervelocity Missiles, Still Far from Real Battle

The U.S. media revealed on Jan. 9th that for the first time, the People’s Republic of China’s armed forces had tested their superweapon’s [ability] to break through the U.S. defense system, a missile that can travel at 10 times the speed of sound. American forces confirmed the news and again requested transparency from the Chinese forces, to “avoid misjudgment.” The press in Hong Kong went along with the crowd, enthusiastically promoting China’s ability to effectively safeguard national interests, finally having attained “global high-speed attack weaponry.” It’s not that they are ignorant; they have a hidden agenda. What is so strange or new about a missile traveling at 10 times the speed of sound? China’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) easily travels at more than 20 times the speed of sound — as everyone knows — worldwide, America, Russia, France, Australia, Germany, England, India and others all are developing hypersonic air crafts. Among these, Russia, the American anti-missile system’s number-one adversary, is expected to be able to break through the U.S. missile defense system. Even this does not necessarily keep the Pentagon sleeping with one eye open.

Prompted by an earlier report that China was conducting hypervelocity missile experiments within its borders, the Ministry of National Defense News Bureau answered reporters’ questions; China stated that these trials are not directed at any country or for any particular objective. The West believes Beijing is conducting hypervelocity missile tests tacitly. But within China’s borders, the flight of supersonic aircraft is limited and cannot even reach the stage of testing for actual combat. So-called “Japanese netizens’ outcry over looming catastrophe” and such kinds of hype are simply part of the Western media’s habitual “boy who cried wolf” propaganda battle. One Beijing military expert responded by pointing out that the U.S. military has tested Mach 20 supersonic weaponry, in fact mocking the Pentagon’s failed attempts.

Some U.S. officials said that China’s goal in hypersonic weapons trials is to test out whether or not they can break the U.S. missile defense network. This is in direct disagreement with P.L.A. claims that these tests are not targeted at any state. Military and diplomatic war is fought in just this way. Both nations’ Internet users can get their fill by venting anger in a bout of curses, which should more than fulfill their cravings of pride. Both nations, as nuclear powers, are unlikely to battle; military expenditures would need some justification.

On [Jan.] 14, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon, Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee Chairman J. Randy Forbes and Strategic Forces Subcommittee Chairman Mike Rogers jointly expressed concern over China’s hypersonic missile tests, stating that repeated cuts to defense spending have caused devastating setbacks to American military superiority, while China and other adversaries come ever closer to matching American military strength, or even “appear to be leaping ahead of us.” This is not only targeted at China; the greater fear is that the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces have risen from the ashes. Russian-developed hypersonic experimental aircraft (Mach 6 to Mach 14) has already gone through a great number of ground and wind tunnel tests.

But deployment of these next-generation suborbital weapons in actual combat is still very far off on the horizon for every nation.