China Leads Hypersonic Arms Race, U.S. Rushes to Catch Up
China has been actively developing and testing hypersonic missiles since 2017, equipping them with advanced glide vehicles. This has raised concerns about U.S. vulnerability to such high-speed, maneuvering weapons. The U.S. is now racing to catch up, with plans to field its own hypersonic missile later this year.
In 2017, the U.S. Army launched the ARRW project, aiming to develop an air-launched hypersonic cruise missile with a conventional warhead. This project is set to conduct tests this year. A classified report by the National Academy of Sciences highlighted the U.S.'s vulnerability to hypersonic weapons, sparking concern.
China's advancements in this field have been significant. They have been testing and expanding resources for hypersonic vehicles since 2017, fielding the DF-17 and DF-27 missiles equipped with hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs). The U.S. now plans to field its own missile with a conventional warhead-bearing HGV later in 2023, contingent on the success of the Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon test.
In 2017, Aviation Week's propulsion editor Guy Norris reported that the U.S. may have lost its lead in hypersonic weapons to China and Russia, underscoring the urgency of the U.S. efforts to catch up.
The race for hypersonic weapons is heating up, with China leading the pack. The U.S. is responding with the ARRW project and plans to field its own hypersonic missile later this year, if testing is successful. The outcome of this technological race will significantly impact global military dynamics.
