PLA's hypersonic vehicle could be used against US: expert
Concept art of China's WU-14 hypersonic glide vehicle.
The new hypersonic glide vehicle of the People's Liberation Army — dubbed the WU-14 — is designed to strike large military targets including US aircraft carriers around the globe, according to the state-run China Central Television (CCTV), citing Chinese military expert Chen Hu.
Officials from the Pentagon stated that China had tested an ultra-high speed missile vehicle designed with cutting edge military technology in an unknown region of the country on Jan. 9. Following the report, the Chinese defense ministry officially confirmed its test of the WU-14 on Jan. 15.
Chen said that the new advanced weapon system is designed mainly to extend the range of the country's missile strike capability against potential enemy targets. Meanwhile, Pentagon officials told the Washington Freedom Beacon that "the hypersonic craft appears designed to be launched atop of intercontinental ballistic missiles, and then glides and maneuvers at speeds of up to 10 times the speed of sound from near space en route to its target."
The test of the ultra-high speed missile vehicle was not aim at any particular country, according to the Chinese defense ministry. However Chen stated that the weapon can surely be used against US carriers in any region around the globe.
Chen added that the US is designing various hypersonic vehicles including the X-51 and HTV-2, and China must have similar weapon systems to ensure its national security and maintain the balance of power in East Asia. Since a weapon system with a speed up to Mach 10 is impossible to intercept, the only way to prevent the United States from using its hypersonic vehicles against China is to develop its own, he said, adding it is a very similar to the doctrine of mutual assured destruction during the Cold War.
