An artist's impression of the US Falcon Hypersonic
Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2). Photo: US Defence Advanced Research Projects
Agency
China has tested a hypersonic missile vehicle
designed to travel several times the speed of sound, the Pentagon says.
The test makes China the second country after the United
States to conduct experimental flights with hypersonic vehicles,
a technology that could allow armies to rapidly strike distant targets anywhere
on the globe.
"We're aware of the test of the hypersonic vehicle but
we are not commenting on it," said Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel
Jeff Pool.
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The flight was conducted on January 9 and the Chinese
vehicle, dubbed the WU-14, is supposed to travel at Mach 10, or 10 times the
speed of sound, according to a report in the Washington Free Beacon.
In its annual report on the Chinese military, the Pentagon
made no mention of hypersonic test flights but did say the Chinese had built a
hypersonic wind tunnel for experiments.
China's surging economic power has been matched by
increasing military might, including investments in an aircraft carrier,
anti-ship ballistic missiles, satellites and other hardware.
Three Republican legislators, including the chairman of the
House Armed Services Committee, Howard "Buck" McKeon, expressed
concern over the test of what they called a "Chinese hypersonic cruise
missile" and said the US military was falling behind.
"While round after round of defence cuts have knocked
America's technological advantage on its back, the Chinese and other competitor
nations push towards military parity with the United States; in some cases, as
in this one, they appear to be leaping ahead of us," said McKeon, and
representatives Randy Forbes and Mike Rogers.
"This situation does nothing to support peaceful
coexistence in the Pacific," it said.
The US has placed a high priority on hypersonic projects,
spending $US200 million in fiscal year 2013 on three programs while conducting
a number of test flights with hypersonic vehicles.
AFP
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