US President Joe Biden expressed concerns about China's hypersonic missiles yesterday, following a news report about Beijing testing a hypersonic weapon capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Biden answered "yes" when asked by reporters, as he prepared to board Air Force One for a trip to Pennsylvania, whether he felt concerned about the Chinese missiles that exceed the speed of sound, according to Reuters. Hypersonic missiles travel in the upper layers of the atmosphere at speeds exceeding five times the speed of sound, or about 6,200 kilometers per hour.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry denied the accuracy of a report published by the Financial Times earlier this week, which stated that China tested a weapon in August that made its way through space and orbited the Earth before descending towards a target it ultimately missed. The British newspaper cited five unnamed intelligence sources, stating that the Chinese military launched the "Long March" rocket carrying a "hypersonic glider that flew in low orbit around the world." The newspaper explained that "the glider circled the globe before descending towards its target, missing it by about 32 kilometers."
Sources revealed that the new system is capable of "overcoming US ballistic missile defense systems located in Alaska designed to intercept incoming projectiles over the Arctic - the Chinese system will be able to strike the United States from the south." The incident reportedly "stunned US intelligence officials, as it shows that China has made astonishing advancements in developing its hypersonic weapons."
