China is winning the hypersonic weapons race and is moving full speed ahead with plans to expand the reach of these hard-to-target weapons, an intelligence analyst says.
"China's missile programs are comparable to top-tier producers internationally, and China now has the world's leading hypersonic arsenal," said Jeffrey McCormick, senior analyst with the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, in a statement prepared for the House Armed Services Committee.
Hypersonic missiles travel at speeds of Mach 5 or faster, using advanced propulsion systems to maintain velocity while gliding through the upper atmosphere. In addition to their speed, these missiles are mounted with highly maneuverable hypersonic glide vehicle payloads that can easily evade traditional missile defense systems.
China's development of hypersonic "waverider" technology, and thermal materials for boosting the weapons' tolerance to the extreme heat that accompanies hypersonic speed, represents the country's advancement in offensive capabilities.
"China's progress is resulting from its efforts over the past two decades to dramatically advance its capabilities and conventional and nuclear-armed hypersonic-missile technologies. This has been done through intense and focused investment, development, testing, and now deliveries to the [People's Liberation Army], McCormick said Tuesday at the congressional hearing.
He said China's "extensive and robust research and development infrastructure" has enabled the country to deploy medium-range missiles like the D-17 that put U.S. bases in Japan within reach.
Over the past decade, China has been making strides toward intercontinental hypersonic missiles, as demonstrated in 2021 when the country test-fired two that flew at least partway around the world.
McCormick warned that Beijing's investments will allow it to field a vast arsenal of the weapons in line with the "strong and modernized rocket force" called for in a 2019 defense white paper.
The hearing came as Congress takes up the national budget for fiscal year 2025.
The U.S. Department of Defense didn't immediately respond to a written request for comment.
While China's rapid military buildup has made it a near-peer rival of the U.S., the annual Office of the Director of National Intelligence's threat report, released this week, detailed significant hurdles facing the country.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping's yearslong anti-corruption campaign, which last year resulted in the ouster of several top officials he had appointed, is unlikely to tackle the root problem "because of the unrivaled power of top party officials and Xi's insistence that the party apparatus has exclusive power to monitor and fight corruption," the report said.
The ODNI also pointed out that China's economic challenges—which include stagnating growth, low consumer confidence, a lingering debt crisis in its property market—erode public support for the government and therefore stability.
Meanwhile, China's birth rate continues to plummet in spite of national and local policies to encourage child-rearing. Coupled with the country's rapidly aging workforce, this will spell trouble for productivity and social welfare in the coming decades.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Micah McCartney is a reporter for Newsweek based in Taipei, Taiwan. He covers U.S.-China relations, East Asian and Southeast Asian ... Read more
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