Aukus cooperation on hypersonic weapons will step up arms race: Beijing

Name: Chinese hypersonic weapons test ‘has all of our attention’, US General Mark Milley says
Uploaded: 2022-04-06T13:38:23.000Z
Duration: 2 min 6 s
Description: Chinese hypersonic weapons test ‘has all of our attention’, US General Mark Milley says

Pentagon hi-tech research body reveals test of aircraft-launched hypersonic missile, the second such US test

Cooperation is increasing because Australia believes it faces unprecedented security threats from countries such as China and Russia, expert says

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The missile test was the US’ second under its Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept programme. Photo: Raytheon Missiles & Defence

Amber Wang

Published: 9:38pm, 6 Apr 2022Updated: 10:06pm, 6 Apr 2022

The United States has said that it has tested a hypersonic missile and plans to work on the weapons with partners in the Aukus alliance, which the Chinese foreign ministry said further intensified the arms race in the Asia-Pacific.

The Pentagon’s hi-tech research body, the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa), said on Tuesday that it had recently completed a free-flight test of an aircraft-launched hypersonic missile that maintained a speed of more than Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound.

The missile flew more than 555km (300 nautical miles) and to an altitude greater than 19,800 metres (65,000 feet), it said.

According to CNN, the test took place in mid-March but was kept quiet to avoid appearing to escalate tensions surrounding the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

02:06

Chinese hypersonic weapons test ‘has all of our attention’, US General Mark Milley says

On Tuesday, the US, Britain and Australia – who last year formed the Aukus alliance – announced plans to cooperate on hypersonic missiles and “counter-hypersonics”, in an apparent response to China’s aggressive pursuit of the weapons.