Originally appeared at ZeroHedge
Rising Sino-US tensions aren’t going away, not tomorrow, not next month or next year. There’s a geopolitical rivalry at play, or as we’ve explained before: Thucydides Trap.
China’s rapid military expansion in the Pacific has been a wake-up call to Washington. Beijing has also spent the last decade modernizing its military with the latest war technology, including fifth-generation fighters and hypersonic weapons.
President Trump, the Pentagon, and the military-industrial complex recognize a conflict is ahead; otherwise, why would the president plow $2 trillion into modernizing the military over the last couple of years?
When it comes to hypersonic technology, the US is behind the curve in the deployment of these super-fast weapons onto the modern battlefield. On the other hand, China and Russia have already claimed they’ve fielded these missiles that can travel multiples of the speed of sound.
President Trump boasted Ameria’s hypersonic capabilities in May, saying a “super-duper” missile in development can travel 17-times faster, though the Pentagon at the time was unwilling to confirm.
“We are building, right now, incredible military equipment at a level that nobody has ever seen before. We have no choice. We have to do it — with the adversaries, we have out there. We have a — I call it the ‘super-duper missile.’ And I heard the other night, 17 times faster than what they have right now,” Trump said in May.
Now there’s more color on the hypersonic missile the president was touting. A senior defense official told CNN this week, President Trump has taken “special interest” in hypersonics revealing that the new missile can travel “17 times faster” than the speed of sound.
The defense official is referring to a “hypersonic glide body” test over the Pacific in March.
U.S. Navy and U.S. Army jointly tests hypersonic glide body pic.twitter.com/9Fr8YvlBUS
— Dylan Malyasov (@DylanMalyasov) March 21, 2020
“What he was referring to, really, was the recent flight test that we’ve performed in March where we flew 17 times the speed of sound,” the senior defense official said.
CNN noted the US won’t have hypersonic missiles fielded until 2023 while China and Russia already have there’s in the field.
As China challenges America’s predominance, a new Cold War is already underway. The rise of China and the stumbling of the US is one that could suggest tensions between both countries will continue until there’s a conflict.
Sure! Next will be a statement from the US that pigs can fly.
Mach 17 is 13,000 mph. The US has had missiles of this speed for decades. There’s a difference between missiles that have to leave and reenter the atmosphere to reach hypersonic speed. And ones that do it close to the planet’s surface with a lot of maneuverability and accuracy. That’s where Russia and to an extent China have developed superiority over NATO.
“Minuteman missiles have existed since the late 1950s. These weapons provide quick reactions, inertial guidance, high reliability, high accuracy, and significant, long distance target capabilities. As of 2015, more than 450 Minuteman III missiles are in force in Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota. Since the first Minuteman I missile was deployed in the 1960s, the series has been continuously upgraded and enhanced. Created by Boeing Company, these missiles feature a minimum of:
Three solid-propellant rocket motors with three stages of ATKs Three stages of chemical systems thrust, including 203,158 pounds in the first stage, 60,793 pounds in the second stage, and 35,086 pounds in the third stage A range of more than 6,000 miles Speeds of approximately 15,000 mph”
– The 20 Most Powerful Missiles in the World –
https://moneyinc.com/20-powerful-missiles-world/
More chest beating from a dying empire. The U.S is 20 years behind Russia. All fake news.
Us missiles are still subsonic,the cia$ never had the know how to make accute supersonic missiles,how on earth can they ever just leapfrog straight to hyper? It’s so damn obvious,just like their fake moon landings,like as if the vietnam genocide ops will be rewarded in gods blessing/perfect moon landings? Or is it more like if they shant sazzke in brilliance,why not baffle them in bullsht,peoples love liars right? Well the awakening is well on it’s way,the present tells us more about the past indefinetaky,times up!
Besides this tech more like trillions in overall developments,yet I find so laughable how cia/medias, assume they can make them for just a few hundred thousands,maybe a million or so,more cia marketing bullsht (period) why?Knowing the nature of obese jealous fascists on ego trips,it’s too damn obvious
everything they sell must be a hundred fold more expensive,aka premium quality,no sht khazar spawn?
makes their utterly ridiculous rolex watche seem a much fairer deal in comparison?I WONT BUY IT!
[President Trump, the Pentagon, and the military-industrial complex recognize a conflict is ahead; otherwise, why would the president plow $2 trillion into modernizing the military over the last couple of years?]
this is a fallacious and self fulfilling rationalization
US empire is dead, no more good movies or music or anything is made anymore, its turning into a 2nd world country, trump and everyone needs to accept it and just stop