The Asian giant is literally responding with all the weapons at its disposal to the campaign of President Donald Trump linked to tariffs. And the last thing it presents is a hypersonic glider capable of reaching extreme speeds of up to Mach 20 and reach anywhere on the planet in half an hour. Even being launched from space, according to a new study published in Acta Airautica et astronautics Sinica.
Scientists of the Rocket Force of the Popular Liberation Army (Plarf) summarized the abilities and vulnerabilities of China’s reentry planning missile They can travel to 21,000 km/hya great altitude in the atmosphere.
Certain variants, according to the study led by Yang Guong, They could even launch from space platforms, What makes them “capable of drastically reducing the response time of the early warning system and the operational scope of the adversary, thus increasing the probability of successful penetration,” the authors point out.
The analysis revealed some details and for the first time confirmed previous reports from the United States that critics considered exaggerated. In 2021, the Financial Times cited information from US military intelligence that claimed that China had tested two hypersonic weapons launched from an orbit near Earthbut some military experts described the orbital bombing technology of “science fiction.”
During an interview in November, the US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, warned that LChinese hypersonic missiles “can destroy 10 carriers in the first 20 minutes of the conflict. China is building an army designed specifically to destroy the United States and we are losing against China in all war games. ”
While hypersonic weapons drastically reduce the reaction times of the United States, the study also recognizes some critical weaknesses. These include strong infrared firms that facilitate long distance detection, limited maneuverabilityA due to the relatively low overload resistance and restricted communication bandwidth during the terminal phases.
In this case, it would be reentry planning vehicles (RGV), which take advantage of aerodynamic designs of high support-resistance, maneuver extensively in the near space with overloads three to five times the gravity, which allows “large jumps or direction changes in short deadlines,” according to the study. Vehicles reach “Between Mach 15 and Mach 20 speeds, they can approach global objectives in 30 minutesreducing the display and response windows of the adversary. RGVs can be deployed with flexibility from satellites, land launches or other diverse platforms, ”adds the study.
The authors highlight the US Balistic Missile Defense System. UU. As a multilayer network that integrates early alert radars, infrared satellites and interceptors such as Patriot-3, Thaad-Er, Standard Missile-6 and emerging interceptors of planning phase. These systems They cover interception altitudes of 15 to 100 km, and attack the RGV during the intermediate and terminal flight phases.
“In this environment of constantly evolving threats -affirm the authors -, RGV face increasingly complex and dynamic combat conditions. The capacity for survival and penetration has decreased dramatically, which requires advances in evasion technologies to maintain its effectiveness in combat. ”
The study proposes to use deep reinforcement learning and Bayesian estimate to model Threats in aerial exclusion areas and optimize trajectory planning. The perception of real -time threats and the fusion of multiple sources data will allow autonomous decision -making to dynamic threats. Although China’s hypersonic advances raise huge challenges, the study stressed the urgent need for innovation as US defenses improve.
In addition to maneuvering penetration, China’s hypersonic missile too would need to reinforce your shield against electronic war interferencehigh power laser rays and even nuclear explosions, they added.