China’s hypersonic arsenal expands with long-ran…

BEIJING: China has developed a new generation of hypersonic weapons that could potentially threaten high-value military aircraft thousands of kilometres away, according to a Bloomberg report, highlighting the rapidly changing nature of long-range warfare and the growing strategic competition between Beijing and Washington.

The reported development involves hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs) capable of carrying air-to-air weapons. Such systems could potentially target aircraft that normally operate far behind the frontline, including aerial tankers, airborne command-and-control platforms and other support aircraft that provide fuel, communications and battlefield information to fighter jets.

The report, citing a person with direct knowledge of the matter, said China has also added air-to-air capabilities to some hypersonic cruise missiles and anti-ship capabilities to several other missile systems. The reported changes reflect Beijing’s broader effort to make its large missile arsenal capable of carrying out a wider range of missions.

A New Threat Beyond the Front Line

The significance of the reported technology lies in the type of targets it could threaten.

Modern air forces rely heavily on support aircraft. Tankers allow fighter jets to remain airborne for longer periods, while airborne early-warning and command aircraft help monitor enemy activity, coordinate operations and share information with aircraft and ground forces.

If these platforms could be attacked from much greater distances, commanders could be forced to move them farther away from contested areas. That could reduce their effectiveness and complicate air operations.

A hypersonic glide vehicle released from a DF-17 missile is reported to have a range of around 2,414 kilometres, a distance slightly shorter than the separation between mainland China and the US territory of Guam, a major American military hub in the western Pacific.

China’s more advanced DF-27 is estimated to have a range of about 8,000 kilometres, potentially putting much of the western and central Pacific within reach. However, details about the system remain limited, and several of its reported capabilities are based on intelligence assessments rather than publicly released Chinese specifications.

Why Hypersonic Weapons Are Difficult to Counter

HGVs differ from conventional ballistic missile warheads because they can manoeuvre while travelling through the atmosphere. Their ability to alter their flight path can complicate efforts to predict where they will go and how they can be intercepted.

China’s DF-17 has already been publicly displayed and is considered one of the world’s operational hypersonic glide weapon systems. Recent Chinese state media footage showed multiple DF-17 launch vehicles, suggesting the system has been deployed on a significant scale.

But the reported ability to use such technology against distant aircraft also presents major operational challenges. A missile travelling thousands of kilometres would require highly accurate and continuously updated information about a moving target. Analysts note that the longer the flight, the greater the opportunity for an opponent to disrupt the intelligence and targeting chain.

There is also a potential escalation risk. A ballistic missile launch could be difficult to identify immediately, creating uncertainty over whether the weapon is carrying a conventional or nuclear payload.

Washington Responds With Longer-Range Weapons

The development comes as the United States is also expanding its long-range air-to-air capabilities.

The US Navy has begun testing the AIM-424 MALICE, a new long-range air-to-air missile reportedly designed to engage targets at distances exceeding 463 kilometres. Washington is also pursuing other extended-range weapons, including the AIM-260 and AIM-174B.

The emerging competition reflects a broader shift in military planning. Future air battles may not be decided solely by which side has more fighter jets, but by which side can protect its own support aircraft while threatening those that keep an opponent’s air force operating.

For China and the United States, that could make long-range missiles and hypersonic systems an increasingly important part of the military balance across the Indo-Pacific.

Still, some details of China’s reported new capabilities remain classified or independently unverified. The claims therefore offer an indication of Beijing’s evolving military ambitions rather than a complete picture of its operational capabilities.

Even so, the reported progress adds another layer to the increasingly sophisticated missile competition between the world’s two major military powers.