Want... China successfully carried out the fifth test of its WU-14 hypersonic glide vehicle from the Wuzhai missile test range in northern China's Shanxi province on Aug. 19, reports the Washington Free Beacon.
Pentagon officials said the WU-14 — as it has been designated by the Pentagon — not only traveled along the edge of the atmosphere but also demonstrated evasive maneuvers during the latest test, the report said. This information indicates that the hypersonic glide vehicle was designed particularly for a potential war with the United States, the report said.
US missile defense systems are developed to intercept missiles that follow predictable flight paths. They are unable to counter maneuvering warheads and glide vehicles, said the report.
A defense official said the WU-14 is viewed as a serious emerging strategic threat that could complicate US nuclear deterrent efforts. Richard Fisher of the International Assessment and Strategy Center said that the best defensive response the US has is to speed up the development of its railgun technology.
Lora Saalman, another expert on hypersonic technology with experience studying in Beijing, said the two most recent WU-14 flights have been unprecedented in terms of pace and frequency and that the WU-14 is the latest in a qualitative arms race against the US. The hypersonic glide vehicle is very likely to be designed to extend the range and flexibility of China's anti-access, area denial strategy beyond that of DF-21D anti-ship missiles, according to Saalman.
"If this conventional system is mounted to reach an intercontinental range, then it could represent an effort to catch up with or even beat the United States to the punch on its own Conventional Prompt Global Strike aspirations," Saalman said. A WU-14 vehicle carrying a nuclear warhead would then become a direct threat to the US homeland.
Admiral Cecil Haney, commander of the US Strategic Command, also indicated that hypersonic glide vehicles are new weapons that pose an emerging threat, according to the report.