China's Hypersonic Test: Time To Ditch Nuclear Arms Control | Opinion

Newsweek ^ | October 25 | Gordon Chang

[PghBaldy]

china's unannounced test of a hypersonic glide vehicle in August signals that the Chinese regime is about to violate the Outer Space Treaty. The United States should now withdraw from that global agreement so that it can develop a similar weapon. Unfortunately, Washington is not even trying to catch up to its geopolitical arch-foe.

This month, the Financial Times revealed that China launched such a vehicle into "low-orbit space." The glide vehicle "circled the globe" and then cruised down toward a target, missing it by "about two-dozen miles."

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on October 18 contradicted the FT report, saying the object launched into orbit was a reusable "spacecraft." Moreover, Zhao said what returned to earth was not a warhead; rather, it was, he told reporters, "the supporting devices" of the spacecraft. His contentions were not credible.

[PghBaldy]

Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/treaties/introouterspacetreaty.html

[noiseman]

I don’t have any hope at all that our current crop of politicians will do anything about this or any other serious issue, nor do I have any faith that the People will ever truly grasp the seriousness of our situation and revoke by force the “consent of the governed.” It appears clear as day that most people will be content to just stand idly by while the country burns to the ground, simply because no matter what they said they actually valued a little comfort over freedom, and were more terrified of being labeled a “racist” or something than they were about mortal threats like the CCP.

[Nateman]

You could test missiles with regular explosives. We’ve been orbiting things for over 60 years so it’s not that much of an advancement.

[TwelveOfTwenty]

What do the free traitors say about this?

[hardspunned]

Too late now to reverse our decline. As each day goes by our ability to react to the CCP fades, even if we had the will or desire to counter their ambitions. Without independent Japanese and South Korean nuclear deterrent capabilities both countries will end up like the United States, Chinese client states ruled by a CCP satrap.

[bobbo666]

Being off by two dozen miles is quite all right for a bio weapon.

This has nothing to do with nukes. It is a delivery vehicle. The thing is that it can come in at speeds no one can track and deliver its payload anywhere.

[rbmillerjr]

The orbiting system is not an advancement. But, firing a Hypersonic missile off of it is and advancement.

I recently watched a top Air Force guy at the Mitchell Institute, state this was a definite and immediate threat and a true superpower technology and event.

[Nateman]

To be in orbit means you are already going much faster than sound. You just need to drop out of orbit by friction with the atmosphere.The trick is not to get burned up.