Beijing’s hypersonic feat stuns US intel chiefs – Asia Times

According to report in the Financial Times, China secretly tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile that orbited the globe before returning to Earth to strike its target, in a technological development that would overcome US anti-ballistic missile systems.   

The report, which cited five unnamed intelligence sources, said the Chinese military launched a Long March rocket in August carrying a hypersonic glide vehicle into low orbit. 

It circled the globe before descending toward its target, which it missed by about two dozen miles, sources said.

The system would be able to overcome US anti-ballistic missile defense systems that are based in Alaska and set up to shoot down projectiles coming over the North Pole: The Chinese system would be able to strike the US from the south.  

The incident has left US intelligence officials at the Pentagon stunned, sources say, as it shows China has made astonishing progress on the development of its hypersonic weapons. 

We have no idea how they did this, one person told FT.

via asiatimes.com