Time： 2024-08-18  韦克威科技

Chinese orbital bomber test fired! The US military was caught off guard

On October 17th, according to foreign media reports, China has successfully tested a hypersonic orbital bomber!

This weapon surprised the US intelligence agencies, as the US National Missile Defense system almost immediately became useless!

On October 17th, the Financial Times reported that in August of this year, China launched a hypersonic carrier spacecraft capable of carrying nuclear warheads and flying around the Earth, essentially a global bomber capable of flying at the edge of the atmosphere.

This aircraft has a flight speed far exceeding that of current bombers and can orbit the Earth, entering and attacking targets from any direction, rendering the highly concentrated national missile defense system of the United States ineffective.

This aircraft combines the high speed of traditional ballistic missiles and the flexible maneuverability of bombers. Its testing caught the US intelligence agencies and missile defense forces off guard, and the US National Missile Defense System, which was built with astronomical funds, immediately fell into a state of obsolescence.

The reason is that traditional ballistic missiles, due to limitations in control capabilities, generally fly towards the target along a relatively fixed shortest flight path, and their maneuverability is very limited, making them easy to detect or track, and even encounter interception. Therefore, the United States has specifically arranged launch sites for its national missile defense system in Alaska and California, allowing it to launch interception missiles in the direction of China and Russia. Of course, due to limitations such as the number of interceptors, this interception system cannot actually prevent a large number of ballistic missiles from attacking.

(External view of the wave multiplier)

Now, with the emergence of China's hypersonic wave body orbital bombers that can fly around the world and use aerodynamic design to gain additional lift and maneuverability control capabilities, the deployment plan of the United States has immediately fallen through - orbital bombers can fly around the world and launch attacks from any direction, such as bypassing the southern hemisphere and flying along routes that cannot be covered by the US missile defense system, which immediately renders the existing US system meaningless.

If the United States increases interception missiles to cover all directions, the investment amount will be several times higher than it is currently, which is almost impossible to achieve based on the overall economy and military spending of the United States.

According to reports, five people familiar with the test said that China used a carrier rocket to launch a hypersonic spacecraft. Simply put, the spacecraft entered space orbit under rocket propulsion and then began its most unique flight mode, flying like a "water float" in low orbit space and the edge of the atmosphere, eventually approaching the target and dropping weapons.

(Image of China's Hypersonic Missile Imagination)

Because this aircraft, or orbital bomber, can "float" at the edge of the atmosphere, it can use the lift and control generated by the air like an airplane every time it lowers altitude and enters the edge of the atmosphere. Therefore, it can make more flexible maneuvers than traditional ballistic missile warheads, such as significantly changing course, significantly extending its range and distance, and continuously making snake like maneuvers to avoid. When the altitude rises and leaves the atmosphere, the spacecraft can achieve high speeds in space. Repeatedly, the aircraft can achieve unprecedented cruising time and distance. This is also the origin of the name 'wave body'.

According to three sources familiar with the intelligence, they believe that the weapon launched by this aircraft ultimately deviated from the target by about 38 kilometers (24 miles). But they emphasized that the key is that this test shows that China has made amazing progress in hypersonic weapons, and has been able to complete the entire process of orbital bomber takeoff, cruise, bombing, and return, but only needs to improve reliability and accuracy. Therefore, China's achievements in this field are far more advanced than imagined by the US military and intelligence community.

Due to this experiment breaking several costly national security defense plans of the United States, it raises a huge question: why does the United States often underestimate China's military modernization, leading to the United States falling behind China militarily?

A US insider candidly stated, "We don't know how they did it." The United States, Russia, and China are all developing hypersonic weapons, but it is clear that the United States is lagging behind. China and Russia have already equipped similar weapons, and China has even tested orbital bombers. After conducting several experiments in China, the United States learned that China had made significant technological breakthroughs.

Chinese nuclear weapons policy expert Taylor Furwell said he believes that the US authorities did not know about the test in advance. He stated that hypersonic spacecraft equipped with nuclear warheads can render the US missile defense system aimed at destroying incoming ballistic missiles ineffective.

MIT professor Eric Furwell said that if China fully develops and deploys this weapon, it will "break the balance of military power among all parties," but he pointed out that the experiment does not necessarily mean that China will immediately deploy this weapon.

The breakthrough in China's relevant combat capabilities clearly makes it impossible for the United States to use strong military activities to threaten China. As the Biden administration continues its tough policy towards China, tensions between the United States and China have escalated. China has repeatedly pointed out that Washington is too "hostile" towards China, and the development of China's military power is clearly a powerful response.

In recent months, US military officials have issued warnings about China's increasing nuclear capabilities, especially after satellite images showed that China was building more than 200 intercontinental missile launch pits. US military leaders have repeatedly stated that they cannot gain an advantage along the East Asian coast.

The United States is also attempting to limit China to arms control agreements, but the Chinese side has pointed out that the United States should proactively adjust its nuclear arsenal and military policies.

In fact, after the August experiment, US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall hinted that China was developing a new weapon. He stated that China has made significant progress, including the possibility of a global strike... which could come from space. He refused to provide details, but hinted that China is developing something similar to the "orbital bombing system" deployed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

If you use this method, you don't have to use traditional intercontinental ballistic missile trajectories. This is a way to avoid defense and missile warning systems, "Kendall said.

In August of this year, General Glenn Van Heck, Commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, stated at a meeting that China has "recently demonstrated very advanced hypersonic glide vehicle capabilities. He warned that China's capabilities would pose a significant challenge to the North American Aerospace Defense Command's ability to provide threat warning and attack assessment.

At the time of this news disclosure, the Biden administration was reviewing the Nuclear Posture Review. This report is an analysis of policies and capabilities authorized by the US Congress. The US Department of Defense did not comment on this report, but expressed concerns. Spokesperson John Kirby kept silent about the United States' own massive military power and spending, but claimed that China needs to take responsibility: "We have made it clear that we are concerned about China's continued pursuit of military capabilities." "That is one of the reasons why we see China as our top challenge

The Chinese side has repeatedly pointed out that China has always pursued a "defensive" military policy, and its military development is not targeted at any country: "We do not have a global military action strategy and plan like the United States. We are completely uninterested in engaging in an arms race with other countries." "In contrast, the United States has been fabricating excuses such as the" China threat "in recent years to defend its military expansion and the development of hypersonic weapons. This directly exacerbates such an arms race and seriously undermines global strategic stability

Source: Guoke Huanyu