China possesses an ‘unprecedented’ weapon capable of shooting down aircraft flying near the United States. China has developed hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs) that can launch air-to-air missiles to destroy critical targets—such as command and control aircraft—located thousands of miles away. Bloomberg reported this information, citing a person familiar with the matter. This new capability has been added to China’s arsenal at a time when the US is facing a shortage of critical air-defense missiles and long-range strike weapons following six months of conflict involving Iran. This new weapon poses a threat to vital aircraft, including aerial refueling tankers, Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) planes, and airborne command posts.
These include the US Air Force’s E-4B Nightwatch. A person familiar with the situation told Bloomberg that the Chinese military has also equipped certain hypersonic cruise missiles with air-to-air combat capabilities. Additionally, anti-ship capabilities have been integrated into several types of missiles. According to reports, China is currently the only country in the world developing and operating HGVs capable of launching air-to-air missiles. Analysts view these developments as a significant expansion of efforts to utilize China’s growing missile arsenal across various types of military operations. China is believed to possess the world’s largest missile arsenal, including more than 3,150 ballistic missiles.
A hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) is a type of warhead that, after being launched by a missile, can travel through the atmosphere toward its target at hypersonic speeds. A key characteristic of this vehicle is its ability to change direction while in flight. Consequently, its range exceeds that of conventional ballistic warheads, making it significantly harder for adversaries to detect and intercept. An HGV launched from China’s DF-17 missile can cover a distance of approximately 2,414 kilometers—slightly less than the distance from China to Guam, a key U.S. military base in the Western Pacific.
China’s more advanced DF-27 missile has a potential maximum range of around 8,000 kilometers, meaning targets as distant as Hawaii could potentially fall within its reach. However, using a weapon derived from ballistic missile technology to strike a target at such a distance is costly, complex, and risky. When fired at maximum range, a ballistic missile may take 20 minutes or longer to reach its target; this necessitates highly accurate and constantly updated information regarding the target.
