China has reportedly completed the final test of its highly classified hypersonic air-to-air missile, which is said to pose an unprecedented threat to America’s B-21 stealth bomber.
Citing scientists involved in the project, the South China Morning Post revealed that the hypersonic weapon underwent rigorous heat-resistance testing to meet the stringent standards of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
The testing took place in an arc-heated wind tunnel designed to simulate extreme environments.
“By heating the gas with an electric arc, [this type of tunnel] can generate hot air flows reaching thousands to tens of thousands of degrees Celsius,” project lead Cheng Gong and Huang Yimin of the China Airborne Missile Academy wrote.
They also highlighted the significance of the final test, noting that the arc-heated wind tunnel is reserved for the “most challenging” missions, including simulating spacecraft landings on Mars.
First Official Confirmation
The report on the hypersonic missile testing marks the first official confirmation of the existence of such a weapon.
In December 2023, Beijing claimed to have developed an AI-enabled hypersonic missile capable of targeting the US Air Force’s advanced B-21 Raider.
A team of scientists led by Northwestern Polytechnical University associate professor Chen Jun acknowledged that the aircraft can be difficult to defeat, but Chinese simulations indicate it could be vulnerable to warheads launched from near space or from altitudes above 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Earth.
If true, this could indicate that the PLA has overcome a significant technical challenge, as communications are difficult when objects are near the Earth’s atmosphere and traveling at hypersonic speeds.
The final test of the hypersonic air-to-air missile is expected to pave the way for its initial production and deployment.
