Milley first confirmed the Chinese test of a nuclear-capable missile from which it would be very difficult to defend itself. “What we saw was a very significant event from a test of a hypersonic weapon system. And it’s very worrying“, dijo a Bloomberg TV.
“I do not know if it is a great moment like Sputnik, but I think it is very close,” he said. “It’s a very significant technological event that happened … and it has our full attention.”
The Pentagon it had previously refused to confirm the test, which was first reported by the Financial Times on October 16.
The newspaper indicated that the test carried out in August it had taken the United States by surprise.
The missile circled the Earth at low altitude at a speed five times the speed of sound, although it missed its target by more than 30 kilometers, according to the Financial Times.
China denied the report, saying it was a routine test of a reusable space vehicle.
Hypersonics are on the new frontier of missile technology, because they fly lower and are therefore more difficult to detect than ballistic rockets, while they can hit targets more quickly and are maneuverable, making them more dangerous, in particular. if they are loaded with nuclear warheads.
The United States, Russia, China and North Korea have tested hypersonics, while several other countries develop the technology.
China introduced in 2019 the medium-range hypersonic missile, the DF-17, which has a range of about 2,000 kilometers and can carry nuclear warheads.
The missile mentioned in the Financial Times story is different, with a longer range and capable of going into orbit before returning to the atmosphere to hit its target.
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