On Sunday, China carried out the fourth successful test of its hypersonic strike vehicle, the Wu-14. The test conducted involved high-speed, extreme maneuvers, after the strike vehicle was launched atop a ballistic missile fired from a test facility in western China.
China spent the last 18 months working on the Wu-14, indicating that the country is prioritizing its special weapons development, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
What makes the Wu-14 a very dangerous weapon is the fact that it is capable of delivering nuclear or conventional warheads, while traveling on the edge of space, reported Sputnik News. It also has the unique capability to maneuver itself to avoid missile defenses mid-flight.
The Wu-14 is said to have the capability to travel 10 times as fast as the speed of sound, which is around 7,680 miles per hour.
The missile defenses that the U.S. currently has are limited to neutralizing missiles and warheads that travel in a predictable trajectory. Hence, the ability of the Wu-14 to maneuver itself while commencing an attack may very well be a real threat, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
A report by a congressional commission in China stated that the hypersonic attack vehicle is "a core component of its next generation precision strike capability."
"Hypersonic glide vehicles could render existing U.S. missile defense systems less effective and potentially obsolete," it also said in the report.
The U.S. only conducted two tests of its Advanced Hypersonic Weapon. However, the tests have been less successful, with the missile launcher blowing up a few moments after lifting off, reported Israel National News.
