.jpg)
Russia's repeated use of advanced hypersonic missiles as part of its bombardment of Ukraine may be getting the bulk of the West's attention, but United States defense officials say it is China that has the world's leading hypersonic arsenal.
"While both China and Russia have conducted numerous successful tests of hypersonic weapons and have likely fielded operational systems, China is leading Russia in both supporting infrastructure and numbers of systems," the Defense Intelligence Agency's chief scientist for science and technology told US lawmakers on Friday, quoting Voice of America (VOA), NDTV reported.
"Over the past two decades, China has dramatically advanced its development of conventional and nuclear-armed hypersonic missile technologies and capabilities through intense and focused investment, development, testing and deployment," said the DIA's Paul Freisthler, testifying in front of the House Armed Services Committee.
VOA reported that unlike ballistic missiles, which fly at hypersonic speeds but travel along a set trajectory, hypersonic weapons are highly maneuverable despite flying at Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound.
According to US defense officials, that high-speed maneuverability makes hypersonic weapons especially difficult to detect and, therefore, difficult to stop.
According to the DIA and information gathered by the Congressional Research Service, China operates two research sites for hypersonic weapons, with at least 21 wind tunnels.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
