Get audio access with any FP subscription.

Subscribe Now

ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER? LOGIN

At China’s massive military parade this month celebrating the end of World War II in the Pacific, Beijing showcased its line of anti-ship hypersonic missiles—an implicit warning that in a future conflict, the United States could see its $13 billion aircraft carriers at the bottom of the sea.

China is not the only U.S. adversary investing in the weapons. Russia has also made strides in fielding hypersonic missiles, whose high speeds and maneuverability make them the ideal weapon for destroying high-value targets.

At China’s massive military parade this month celebrating the end of World War II in the Pacific, Beijing showcased its line of anti-ship hypersonic missiles—an implicit warning that in a future conflict, the United States could see its $13 billion aircraft carriers at the bottom of the sea.

China is not the only U.S. adversary investing in the weapons. Russia has also made strides in fielding hypersonic missiles, whose high speeds and maneuverability make them the ideal weapon for destroying high-value targets.

U.S. hypersonic weapons, meanwhile, are trailing behind, although experts say the country is making progress. “While we were busy on counterterrorism, China worked in earnest on this. They have had a lead, but we’re catching up,” said Tom Karako, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think tank.

Hypersonic weapons travel at more than five times the speed of sound, a feature that has major military advantages but also........

© Foreign Policy