China's hypersonic aircraft successfully tested have the potential to outwit any country's missile defense system. That was the statement of an Australian arms expert.
The South China Morning Post reported the experimental Starry Sky-2 - known as Waverider - made its first test flight last Friday at an undisclosed location in northwest China.
This aircraft has the potential to carry weapons at a speed of six times the speed of sound.
Adam Ni, a Chinese defense expert at the Australian National University, said Waverider presents a strong addition to the Chinese military.
"The successful testing and development of Starry Sky 2 Waverider hypersonic vehicle is a big step forward for China's hypersonic weapons program," he said as quoted from nine.com.au, Tuesday (08/08/2018)
"Hypersonic missiles will be a powerful addition to the diversified missiles at the PLA (People's Liberation Army)," he added.
"The important thing is that it will allow the PLA to defeat the missile defense system in other countries, including the US," he said.
Able to withstand the shock waves created by its path, the plane was taken into space by multistage rockets before breaking away, said the Aerospace Aerodynamics Academy of China.
State officials claim the aircraft is capable of extreme turns and drove at a top speed of Mach 6, or 7,344km / hour, and praised the test flight was a great success.
Although it is an experimental aircraft, Waverider has the potential to carry warheads capable of defeating existing anti-missile shields.
The current defense system can only intercept incoming missiles at low speed and their trajectories can be easily predicted.
Beijing-based military analyst Zhou Chenming told The South China Morning Post that the aircraft had military applications. Waverider can initially be deployed with conventional weapons rather than nuclear weapons.
Earlier this year, a top US general admitted that the superpower was almost helpless against the futuristic nuclear weapons being built by Russia and China.
General John Hyten, head of the US Air Force Strategic Command, told US senators that the speed and maneuverability of hypersonic missiles made them too difficult for the US defense to block it.
The warning came after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a new series of weapons systems designed to avoid NATO's anti-missile defenses.
Putin told the country's military TV viewers that he was building new hypersonic missiles and nuclear-powered cruise missiles with "unlimited range" that could avoid detection by Russian enemies.
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