China launched a hypersonic glider capable of carrying nuclear weapons in August. This was reported on Sunday, October 17, by the British newspaper Financial Times, citing sources in the US government and a number of Asian countries.
During the test flight, the device was brought to a suborbital altitude. However, the GLA could not reach the desired mark, flying 33 km below. However, the American military leaders were still impressed by the launch of the GLA, which demonstrated the significant progress of the PRC in the development of hypersonic weapons.
"We have no idea how they did it," a U.S. intelligence official said.
It is noted that the missile is capable of flying through the South Pole, which will pose a great threat to the American missile defense system, focused on repelling possible attacks from the North polar direction, the newspaper notes.
The Pentagon did not comment on the information about the launch of a hypersonic aircraft.
According to the newspaper, the GLA was developed by specialists of the Chinese Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics, which is part of the state defense corporation China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The launch of the device was carried out with the help of a launch vehicle of the Changzheng family created by a subsidiary of CASC.
The publication also stressed the secrecy of the tests. So, on July 19, China announced the 77th successful launch of the Changzheng-2-xi rocket, which put 10 satellites into orbit. However, on August 25, the next launch of Changzheng-2-xi, which launched the experimental Internet communication satellites Zhonghe-01 and Zhonghe-02 into orbit, was called the 79th. Thus, speculation arose regarding the 78th launch of the aforementioned rocket, information about which was not disseminated.
On September 25, former UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Sha Zukang called on Beijing to reconsider its policy towards the United States and abandon the policy of not using nuclear weapons first against the background of the creation of the AUKUS alliance.
On the same day, the UN expressed hope for China's commitment to the concept of non-use of nuclear weapons first.
On September 23, the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the United States, Qin Gang, commenting on the AUKUS agreement, pointed out that Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States acted "extremely irresponsibly" because they could thereby accelerate the arms race. According to the diplomat, the alliance undermines regional peace and stability and neglects international efforts to non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
The trilateral security Partnership - AUKUS - appeared on September 15, 2021 by signing an agreement between representatives of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. For the sake of new opportunities, Canberra terminated a contract with Paris for the supply of submarines worth $66 billion and provoked a diplomatic scandal.
