China Continues to Modernize Hypersonic Weapons

Video Above: “The Beginning of an Arms Race”

By Kris Osborn – President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven

Amid concerns from the Pentagon that China already “has” hypersonic weapons such as its DF-17, there is an equally troubling, yet lesser recognized reality. China not only operates these new high-threat attack missiles able to travel faster than five times the speed of sound, but they are fast progressing with efforts to further modernize the weapons.

Hypersonic weapons as they exist are certainly problematic for defenses, but there may also be an even newer generation of the weapons slated to emerge over the next few years. The Chinese-government-backed Global Times newspaper is reporting that the country is breaking new ground testing a next-generation wind tunnel for hypersonic weapons development.

FL-64 Wind Tunnel

The new FL-64 wind tunnel, built by the state-owned Aviation Industry Corps of China, “passed air flow distribution calibration tests under major Mach numbers,” according to the paper. 

“It is designed to simulate speeds from Mach 4 to 8 under a total temperature of 900 Kelvin (626.85 C) at a simulated flight altitude of 48,000 meters,” an AVIC statement said. The statement, as cited in the newspaper, adds that the wind tunnel can operate for more than 30 second testing an aircraft’s ability to deploy the weapons.

The development raises questions about what might be next for hypersonic weapons beyond their already lethal capabilities. Many of the details regarding these kinds of developments are not likely to be available, perhaps future hypersonic weapons will operate with much improved guidance technologies? An ability to hit moving targets? Or fire multiple warheads from a single missile?