Did China just accidentally show off its new supersonic cruise missile?
- Mystery weapon is seen in video released by PLA Rocket Force as part of 70th anniversary celebrations only to disappear from edited version
- Missile’s design unlike any other in military’s arsenal, experts say
China’s military on Wednesday published a video containing a clip of what appeared to be the launch of a new type of supersonic cruise missile, only to withdraw the film and replace it with a version with that scene trimmed out.
The film contained a two-second clip in which an unidentified missile with an unusual design is seen being fired from a launcher truck. However, in the later version, the scene is replaced with footage of two separate missile launches in a desert setting.
The editing did not go unnoticed by China’s military observers, several of whom suggested that the weapon in the original film might have been a never-before-seen supersonic cruise missile.
In the clip the missile appears to have slim dorsal fins, foldable tail fins and additional propellant, all of which, according to one expert who asked not to be identified, suggests it is designed to fly long distances and faster than the speed of sound.