US Air Force Secretary: "Arms Race with China over Hypersonic Weapons"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The U.S. Secretary of the Air Force revealed on the 30th (local time) that the U.S. and China are engaged in a military arms race involving the development and test launches of next-generation long-range hypersonic missiles.

According to Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP), Frank Kendall, U.S. Secretary of the Air Force, stated in an interview at the Department of Defense that "the arms race is aimed at qualitative improvement rather than increasing quantity," adding, "The arms race between the two countries continues, and China is acting very aggressively."

The U.S. Department of Defense has conducted several hypersonic missile test launches this year, including successfully completing a booster rocket motor test in October that powers the launch vehicle carrying the hypersonic missile into the upper atmosphere.

Hypersonic missiles are known to fly at speeds five times the speed of sound, approximately 6,200 km/h, in the upper atmosphere, making detection and interception difficult.

China also conducted a test launch of a hypersonic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads in July. This missile is designed to evade the U.S. missile interception system operating in outer space.

Kendall pointed out that the U.S. military has not paid sufficient attention to hypersonic weapons due to focusing funds on Iraq and Afghanistan.

He hopes that as the Department of Defense enters the 2023 budget planning phase, it will secure funding to retire the old and costly current systems and introduce new weapon systems, including hypersonic missile development programs.

He said, "I like the A-10 tank killer. The C-130 transport plane is very effective in carrying out many operations," but added, "They are still useful, but they do not intimidate China."

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