China has conducted second flight test of of its new WU-14 hypersonic glide vehicle HGV 2108143

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Defence & Security News - China

 
 
Thursday, August 21, 2014 05:10 PM
 
China has conducted second flight test of its new WU-14 hypersonic glide vehicle HGV.
China recently conducted the second flight test of its new hypersonic glide vehicle WU-14 that is part of what analysts say is Beijing’s global system of attack weapons capable of striking the United States with nuclear warheads.
     
China recently conducted the second flight test of its new hypersonic glide vehicle WU-14 that is part of what analysts say is Beijing’s global system of attack weapons capable of striking the United States with nuclear warheads.
The hypersonic vehicle is able to carry nuclear warheads.
     

The latest test of the new hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) known as Wu-14 took place Aug. 7 at a missile facility in western China, said U.S. government officials familiar with details of the test reported in internal channels.

Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Jeffrey Pool said when asked about the test: “We routinely monitor foreign defense activities, however we don’t comment on our intelligence or assessments of foreign weapons systems.”

He added that the Pentagon has encouraged China to adopt greater “transparency” for its defense programs “to avoid miscalculation.”

Pool confirmed the first test in January, but declined to provide a similar confirmation on the recent test. However, two other U.S. officials said the Aug. 7 test involved the Wu-14 HGV.

The first flight test of the Wu-14 took place Jan. 9 and flew at speeds of around Mach 10, or 10 times the speed of sound—around 7,680 miles per hour. Hypersonic speeds pose severe guidance and control challenges for weapons engineers and produce extreme stress to metal and components.

The Chinese hypersonic test is further evidence of what is viewed in intelligence circles as an emerging hypersonic arms race. In addition to China, the United States, Russia and India are building high-technology hypersonic strategic arms. The weapons are sought for their hard-to-counter features and ability to defeat strategic missile defenses.