China’s Hypersonic Weapons Program Is Second to None: China may have the best hypersonic weapons program in the world.
The country has been testing the ultra-fast and maneuverable missiles in some form for around 20 years.
China’s Hypersonic Weapons: Explained
The Chinese engineers and technicians take special pride in pushing the weapons to higher altitudes and speeds.
There are at least four different models of hypersonics in the Chinese arsenal and these give the United States and its allies headaches when they realize just how far ahead China has leapt with its various hypersonic models.
It is time to take a closer look at these weapons to see just how powerful they are.
The DF-17 Is the Class Leader
The best in the fleet is the DF-17. This hypersonic missile has a range of nearly 1,000 to 1,500 miles. It was first deployed in 2020. China has been testing this hypersonic since 2014. The DF-17 has a road mobile launcher, making it difficult to target with its ability to shoot and scoot.
The DF-17 has a top speed between MACH 5 and MACH 10. It is about 33 feet long and weighs 33,000 pounds.
The DF-17 can be armed conventionally or with a nuclear warhead. The missile has been tested at least nine times in the last 11 years with several successful flights. It is solid-fueled so it can launch quickly.
The Chinese could have the wherewithal to create an anti-ship DF-17 missile someday. This would put the U.S. Navy at a great disadvantage.
ICBM Delivery of a Hypersonic Weapon
The DF-41 ICBM can carry a hypersonic glide vehicle. The Chinese tested this weapon in 2021, and the glide vehicle circumnavigated the globe, prompting U.S. intelligence to declare that the hypersonic arms race had begun.
The glide vehicle has probably been evaluated in at least one of two Chinese research sites. Technicians are collecting flight data to improve the system, which makes U.S. intelligence officials worried.
“Over the past two decades, China has dramatically advanced its development of conventional and nuclear-armed hypersonic missile technologies and capabilities through intense and focused investment, development, testing and deployment,” Paul Freisthler, the Defense Intelligence Agency’s chief scientist for science and technology, according to Voice of America.
Newer DF-27 Is One to Reckon With
The DF-27 was first publicly disclosed by the U.S. Department of Defense in 2021. The top range of this hypersonic is nearly 5,000 miles. Little is known about this weapon, but the Chinese are expected to test this model continually. The base missile that carries the hypersonic weapon is an ICBM or an IRBM intermediate-range ballistic missile.
With its long range, it could threaten U.S. targets in Japan, Guam, and South Korea easily. Plus, it would overwhelm Taiwan which has few air defense systems that could track and knock it out. The DF-27 could even reach Hawaii if testing continues to be successful. U.S. and allied personnel would have little time to react to a hypersonic weapon mated to a DF-27 ICBM or IRBM. The DF-27 will likely be able to course-correct and use precision guidance.
Starry Sky-2 Cruise Missile with Hypersonic Weapons Turns Heads
The Starry Sky-2 has been tested as far back as 2018. The Starry Sky-2 is a cruise missile which makes it an interesting departure from the other ballistic missiles. This makes it more challenging to identify and track. This first flight happened above a range in northwest China and lasted about ten minutes. It has developed rapidly since then. Top speed is around MACH 6.
The Starry Sky-2 “appears to make use of an experimental “waverider” design that uses powered flight after launch and creates shockwaves to sustain its lift. In its test phase, the Starry Sky-2 vehicle was sent into space by a multi-stage rocket before separating from its booster for maneuvered flight back to Earth. Some analysts have suggested that this technology could emerge in the mid-2020s as an advanced anti-ship missile,” according to the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs.
What Does This Mean for International Security?
China first wishes to use its hypersonic weapons to dominate its backyard. The country aims to be the only nation to deploy these systems in East Asia. Beijing wants a quick, overwhelming victory over adversaries in its Near Abroad. This means that the hypersonics would play a role in an attack on Taiwan.
The hypersonics, especially if they can develop into anti-ship weapons, are a key component of China’s anti-access/ area denial strategy. Since they have such a great range, the United States must think twice about entering into the missiles’ combat radius.
The United States would have to depend on Patriot air defenders and THAAD to blunt a Chinese hypersonic missile attack against Guam or South Korea.
However, Americans would be limited in stopping China’s launch of hypersonics. The DF-17 is most concerning as it is the most advanced weapon of the lot. The DF-27 is also worrisome because of its great ability to course-correct and provide precision strike capabilities.
Meanwhile, the DF-41 will likely be nuclear-capable. China has around 600 nuclear weapons in its arsenal and hopes to have 1,000 by 2030. Mating a warhead on a hypersonic vehicle would be a natural development.
China has no combat experience with hypersonics like the Russians do, but they have tested their weapons in ways the United States could only hope to accomplish. There is an interesting combination of long-range hypersonic strike with a cruise missile.
These can dominate their region and put the United States and its allies on the back foot. China has burst ahead, and Xi Jinping, while more understated than Vladimir Putin, is likely pleased at how the hypersonic weapons program has transformed his country.
Look for the Chinese to continue to forge ahead in hypersonic advancement.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
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99Club
August 15, 2025 at 12:48 pm
This post raises some critical points about the advancements in hypersonic missile technology and the implications for global security. It’s concerning to think about the potential imbalance in military power if these weapons are indeed as unstoppable as suggested. How can other countries effectively respond to this capability? The arms race seems to be escalating at an alarming rate.