'US Hypersonic Missiles Are Faster'... Trump Checks China and Russia

"Developing Missile 17 Times Faster" Revealed
Emphasizes Speed Surpassing Russian and Chinese Missiles
Intended to Curb China Amid US-China Conflicts Triggered by COVID-19

Donald Trump, President of the United States, stands next to a space helmet displayed in his office.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] On the 15th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he is developing a missile 17 times faster than existing missiles, expressing his determination not to fall behind in the hypersonic weapons development race against China and Russia.

In particular, regarding China, with which the trade dispute is escalating, this is analyzed as a strong will to gain superiority in military power as well.

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On the 15th (local time), President Trump attended a Space Force flag unveiling ceremony in the White House Oval Office and said, "We are currently developing amazing military equipment." He added, "I heard it is 17 times faster than what we currently have. Faster than the fastest one we have now," and compared, "You must have heard that Russia is developing one 5 times faster and China is developing one 5 to 6 times faster."

The field of hypersonic missile development is intensifying into an arms race, with Russia, China, and the United States all entering the competition.

The signal flare for the hypersonic missile race was fired by Russia. In December last year, Russia deployed the hypersonic missile 'Avangard,' which travels at 20 times the speed of sound, under the Southern Strategic Missile Forces. Avangard became a major issue when Russian President Vladimir Putin personally announced the successful test launch in 2018.

Following that, China showcased the Dongfeng-17 ballistic missile, which travels at 10 times the speed of sound, during the 70th anniversary military parade last October.

The United States also allocated more than 1 billion dollars for the development of ground-launched hypersonic missiles in the 2020 fiscal year and officially entered the competition.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.