China Tested Two Hypersonic Weapons Over Summer, FT Reports
- Military put glide vehicle into obit, then tested another: FT
- Beijing reiterates claim it only tested reusable space vehicle
Photographer: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
This article is for subscribers only.
China’s military conducted two hypersonic weapons tests over the summer rather than the one test reported earlier, the Financial Times said, a development that could heighten worries in Washington about Beijing’s advancing military capabilities.
China first tested a rocket using a “fractional orbital bombardment” system to launch a “hypersonic glide vehicle” capable of carrying nuclear weapons on July 27, and followed that up with a second hypersonic test on Aug. 13, the newspaper reported late Wednesday, citing officials it didn’t identify. The FT had reported Saturday that China conducted a single hypersonic test.