China is far ahead of the USA and Russia in the creation and development of hypersonic weapons.
One of the heads of the intelligence agency of the US Department of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) told about this on March 12 at a hearing in the US Congress, Radio Liberty and Voice of America reported.
According to DIA intelligence estimates, China has the largest arsenal of hypersonic weapons capable of carrying nuclear charges. Intelligence considers the DF-17 (Dongfeng-17) missile, adopted in 2020, to be the most effective. It is capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 1 600-1 800 kilometers and reaches a speed of Mach 8 to 10.
China also has missiles capable of orbiting the globe, which was demonstrated in tests in 2021.
In general, China has been actively testing ICBMs with hypersonic warheads and working on hypersonic engines since 2014.
As for Russia, the DIA estimates that it has three types of hypersonic weapons. The Russian Federation has already hit Ukraine with it. The intelligence representative did not name the types of missiles, but apparently, Kalibr and Zircon missiles are among them.
The US hypersonic weapons program, which develops land-based, air-based, and sea-based missiles, lags behind Chinaʼs and Russiaʼs. The Pentagon admits it. At the same time, the United States does not plan to equip hypersonic missiles with nuclear warheads, believing that the American nuclear arsenal is sufficient to deter a potential aggressor.