US intelligence "slept" China's development of a new hypersonic missile
American intelligence "slept" China's development of a new hypersonic missile capable of reaching US territory and at the same time carrying a nuclear weapon, says the Financial Times, citing sources familiar with the situation.
According to the newspaper, China tested a hypersonic missile at the end of the summer, which caught US intelligence "by surprise", since no one in Washington expected such a breakthrough from Beijing. According to the sources cited by the FT, the Chinese "failed" the tests, the rocket did not reach the required parameters, but the very fact of work in this direction aroused the concern of the Americans.
The United States acknowledged that Beijing had significantly overtaken Washington in the development of hypersonic weapons, and US intelligence had "overslept" China's work in this direction. According to one of the sources closely familiar with the situation, the United States "has no idea" how the Chinese managed to get ahead of the Americans, and this is "very alarming."
Regarding the Chinese development itself, which was announced by the sources of the publication, nothing is known, except that it can fly over the South Pole, and not over the North Pole, where the United States has concentrated its air defense systems. But this is still "theoretically".
Note that the United States has repeatedly stated the need to catch up and overtake Russia and China in the development of hypersonic weapons. The Pentagon has already recognized that the Russians and the Chinese are significantly ahead of the Americans in this area, and are demanding funds for their own development.
Information