It is a missile which could destroy an entire city in a few minutes: "The objective is to take the defending country by surprise, to reduce the time it has to react and to try to intercept this missile", explains Antoine Bondaz, researcher at the FRS.
The technology is cutting edge.
It has been sought after by several countries for years.
This isn't the first time China has had a hypersonic missile, capable of traveling five times the speed of sound, but the United States fears a new generation of nuclear weapons, more powerful, maneuverable in flight. and whose trajectory is unpredictable.
To read also5 minutes to understand the race to the "hyperveloces" missiles
This would be the case with the missile tested last August by China: placed in orbit in space, it would have crossed the atmosphere to strike its target.
The information revealed by the Financial Times was quickly denied by the Chinese authorities.
"China never communicates on the military tests it is doing but we indirectly get information, in particular because there will be no-fly zones, in particular because the American detection satellites will try to detection of such launches… ”, says the researcher.
“China has pulled off some form of technological prowess.
What is very important for her is to have a credible nuclear deterrent capacity.
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