China’s 8,000-Km Missile Raises US Concerns
China has reportedly developed hypersonic glide vehicles capable of launching air-to-air weapons against high-value aircraft thousands of kilometres away, potentially expanding Beijing’s ability to threaten US command, surveillance and refuelling planes operating far from a battlefield.
China’s DF-27 Missile Has 8,000-Km Range
China’s more advanced DF-27 missile is estimated to have a maximum range of about 8,000 kilometres, potentially bringing targets as distant as Hawaii within reach.
A hypersonic glide vehicle deployed from the shorter-range DF-17 could travel around 2,414 kilometres, approaching the distance between mainland China and the US territory of Guam.
Hypersonic glide vehicles can manoeuvre while travelling through the atmosphere, making their trajectories less predictable and potentially complicating interception.
China Targets High-Value US Support Aircraft
The reported development could significantly affect US military operations in the Indo-Pacific because aircraft such as aerial refuelling tankers, airborne early-warning platforms and command-and-control planes traditionally operate well behind the front line.
China has also reportedly added air-to-air capabilities to some hypersonic cruise missiles and anti-ship capabilities to other missile systems.
However, using extremely long-range missiles against moving aircraft would require highly accurate and continuously updated targeting information.
US Responds to China’s Missile Expansion
Washington is also developing longer-range air-to-air weapons as military competition with Beijing intensifies.
China is believed to possess more than 3,150 ballistic missiles, while its missile modernisation programme increasingly focuses on attacking critical components of an adversary’s wider military network.
The reported capability remains technically demanding, particularly because a long-range missile may take 20 minutes or more to reach its target, creating opportunities for targeting information to become outdated or disrupted.
