China Conducts First Test of New Ultra-High Speed Missile Vehicle

[jarves]

It is launched by rocket into space, and from space it will cruise to anywhere on Earth.

What?cruise missiles remain in earth's atmosphere this is what i read in wikipedia....

 

[GR!FF!N]

Range?

don't know about this one,but HTV-2(USA) test vehicles were supposed to travel some 7700 km.though it was launched via Peacekeeper SLV...

what rocket China used to test this one???

 

[jarves]

don't know about this one,but HTV-2(USA) test vehicles were supposed to travel some 7700 km.though it was launched via Peacekeeper SLV...

what rocket China used to test this one???

It is designed to be carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile. Once it reaches an undisclosed sub-orbital altitude, the vehicle jettisons from the rocket and nose-dives towards the target at a speed of Mach 10, or 12,359km/h.

 

[lcloo]

What?cruise missiles remain in earth's atmosphere this is what i read in wikipedia....

Yes, exactly, from space it will descend into the atmosphere, and instead of like a ballistic missile with a preditable trajectory, it can travel like a cruise missile with ramjet engine once it reaches the atmosphere. It will be something like a small space shutter with n-bomb in its cargo bay, travelling at hypersonic powered by ramjet, and can be vectored in any direction.

I bet it can even orbit around the Earth several times before descending but that is unnecessary as that will give away its presence to the enemy and lost the element of suprise.

 

[shuntmaster]

Is it rocket powered or air-breathing SCRAM jet engine?

 

[Cheetah786]

Two-sentence statement says high-speed experimental vehicle not targeting any country

China’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday confirmed that weapons designers recently conducted the first test of an ultra-high speed missile vehicle considered cutting edge military technology.

In a two-sentence statement faxed to news agencies and state-run media in Beijing, the ministry confirmed the flight test of a new hypersonic glide vehicle.

U.S. defense officials said the test of what the Pentagon is calling the WU-14 hypersonic glide vehicle took place Jan. 9 over China.

The ministry confirmed the test after it was first reported by the Washington Free Beacon Jan. 13.

“Our planned scientific research tests conducted in our territory are normal,” the ministry said in the statement. “These tests are not targeted at any country and at any specific goals.”

China military affairs analysts said the hypersonic vehicle test represents a major milestone in China’s military buildup of weapons it calls “assassin’s mace” arms—weaponry designed to allow a weaker power to defeat a stronger one.

Officials familiar with some details of the hypersonic glide vehicle test said the high-speed glider appears designed to fit on top of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Using that booster, the vehicle is lofted to a height of 62 miles or less and then released. It then maneuvers at speeds as high as Mach 10, or 7,680 miles per hour, to its target.

U.S. missile defenses are designed to counter hypersonic targets, namely ballistic missile warheads. What is different about the hypersonic vehicle is that its trajectory does not enter space, and that makes it more difficult to detect, track, and intercept with a missile defense interceptor.

Pentagon spokesman Marine Corps Lt. Col. Jeffrey Pool confirmed the test last week. “We routinely monitor foreign defense activities and we are aware of this test,” he said.

Spokeswoman Marie Harf at the State Department had no immediate comment on the test.

On Capitol Hill, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and two subcommittee chairman voiced concerns over what they said was a technological “leap” by the Chinese with the hypersonic vehicle test.

Chinese Defense Ministry Confirms Hypersonic Missile Test | Washington Free Beacon

 

[Mitro]

Imagine if multiple war head is replace by these Hybersonic Cruise missile in MIRV .
Wow total destruction of the enemy in minutes.

 

[Commander T]

Chinese military experts yesterday hailed the test as a breakthrough.

It makes China the second country after the US to have successfully tested a hypersonic delivery vehicle capable of carrying nuclear warheads at a speed above Mach 10.

Such a weapon has long been seen as a game-changer by security experts as it can hit a target before any of the existing missile defence systems can react. Once deployed, it could significantly boost China's strategic and conventional missile force.

It is designed to be carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile. Once it reaches an undisclosed sub-orbital altitude, the vehicle jettisons from the rocket and nose-dives towards the target at a speed of Mach 10, or 12,359km/h.

Russia and India are also known to be working on such a weapon.

In 2010, the US tested the Lockheed HTV-2 - a similar delivery vehicle capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 20.

Last week's test shows that China has managed to close the gaps with the US. Chinese scientists said China had put "enormous investment" into the project.

More than 100 teams from leading research institutes and universities have been involved in the project.

Purpose-built facilities test various parts of the weapons system. The Chinese Academy of Sciences, for instance, has recently built one of the world's largest and most advanced hypersonic wind tunnels to simulate flights at up to Mach 15 at the Institute of Mechanics in Beijing.

Professor Wang Yuhui , a researcher on hypersonic flight control at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, said she was not surprised by the test last week because China was technologically ready.

The objective of hypersonic vehicles was to outmanoeuvre and penetrate a missile defence system, she said.

"With a speed of Mach 10 or higher, it cannot be caught or tracked because defence systems don't have enough time to respond," Wang said.

She said the US remained the indisputable leader in the field but no country was ready to deploy the first practical hypersonic missile as many technological challenges remained. One outstanding issue was how to achieve precise flight control at such high speeds.

Scientists are also trying to develop a better "super material" that can withstand the high temperatures during hypersonic flights.

"I am sure many tests will be carried out after last week's flight to solve the problems," Wang said. "It's just the beginning."

Li Jie , a Beijing-based naval expert, said hypersonic weapons were of strategic and tactical importance to China.

"Many technical issues have not been solved and no country has made it ready for use in the field," he said.

"But it is a challenge we must surmount, and we are throwing everything we have at it."

Ni Lexiong , a Shanghai-based naval expert, said China might still need some time to catch up with the US but the day could arrive sooner than many expect. "Missiles will play a dominant role in warfare and China has a very clear idea of what is important."

but you should be proud that india has a missle that can travel on MACH 20-24 >>> AGNI 5 ......... ie 24,698 + km/h

 

[Basel]

Nice development, can someone put light on pros & cons of these type of systems can it penetrate US missile defense which will also have lasers to destroy incoming missiles?

a link on on this system

China's New Hypersonic Missile Can Scream Past US Air Defenses | Gizmodo India

 

[amoz_jc]

Due to its ultra high velocity and working environment, this vehicle is designed to withstand at least 2000 degree heat despite the fact that the density of air is low at that kind of attitude, which means the current and the laser weapon in the near future is not the solution to intercept such missile. rail cannon projectiles to hypersonic velocities of approximately 2.4 kilometres per second (5,400 mph), about Mach 7. However, it is still too slow and it won't improve much in the future. Search Google with key word "hypersonic missile 2000 degrees laser" if you want to learn more.

There is no reliable method to intercept the hypersonic missile at the moment and near future.

 

[Mitro]

Dump A$$ can not figure it out between Ballistic missile and Hybersonic Cruise Missile

but you should be proud that india has a missle that can travel on MACH 20-24 >>> AGNI 5 ......... ie 24,698 + km/h

 

[Speeder 2]

Nice development, can someone put light on pros & cons of these type of systems can it penetrate US missile defense which will also have lasers to destroy incoming missiles?

a link on on this system

China's New Hypersonic Missile Can Scream Past US Air Defenses | Gizmodo India

My understanding is that it is NOT a tranditional hypersonic missile, which has been quite regular since 1960's -any intercontinental ballistic missile.

It is more akin to some sort of near-space-based non-nuclear missile made by a traditionally regular mid-distance mssile such as DF-21 series that made somehow to be capable of precision-striking at any point of earth surface at hypersonic speed - a Star-War-alike fantacy comes true.

The hypersonic speed itself is NOT the killer-app because it's only about 10 mach ( any intercontinental ballistic missle can double that speed). Its killer-apps are more about the design (shape + materials, etc) and its varies highly sophisticated re-entry angles in its path. These, on top of 10mach, are enough to make US vastly expansive global anti-missile shield completely absolete.

This high tech of China, if proven to be true, is beyond USA's current level. This is why the Pantagon goes nuts.

 

[gambit]

My understanding is that it is NOT a tranditional hypersonic missile, which has been quite regular since 1960's -any intercontinental ballistic missile.

It is more akin to some sort of near-space-based non-nuclear missile made by a traditionally regular mid-distance mssile such as DF-21 series that made somehow to be capable of precision-striking at any point of earth surface at hypersonic speed - a Star-War-alike fantacy comes true.

The hypersonic speed itself is NOT the killer-app because it's only about 10 mach ( any intercontinental ballistic missle can double that speed). Its killer-apps are more about the design (shape + materials, etc) and its varies highly sophisticated re-entry angles in its path. These, on top of 10mach, are enough to make US vastly expansive global anti-missile shield completely absolete.

This high tech of China, if proven to be true, is beyond USA's current level. This is why the Pantagon goes nuts.

Bunk...You are delusional if you think so. The US is currently bound by several treaties with Russia that limits our DEPLOYMENT of new weapons systems. But deployment is not the same as development and if you think that a maneuverable descending warhead is 'beyond' US technological capability, the Pershing II had MARVs until the INF forced US to dismantle them. Essentially, China is playing catch up.

 

[cirr]

China will conduct another hypersonic missile test on Jan. 19th 2014：

Two tests in as many weeks。

Apparently China is in the midst of developing a family of Hypersonic InterContinental Cruise Missiles（HICCM）that combine ballistic missile's speed with cruise missile's accuracy。

The new missiles are said to have a range of 500km and 14000km+，all capable of hitting mobile target with precision。

 

[Genesis]

Bunk...You are delusional if you think so. The US is currently bound by several treaties with Russia that limits our DEPLOYMENT of new weapons systems. But deployment is not the same as development and if you think that a maneuverable descending warhead is 'beyond' US technological capability, the Pershing II had MARVs until the INF forced US to dismantle them. Essentially, China is playing catch up.

Various US sources I seen pretty much said the US has it, and is developing it, but it is not operational, and certainly not ready for deployment.

So China did test it after US, but it's anyone's game to see who fields it first.

US could do it, but from my understanding, by reading US news, this missile program is not high on the list of things to do.

Congress Voices Concerns About Chinese Hypersonic Missile Test | Washington Free Beacon