UK to join forces with US and Australia to develop hypersonic missiles amid China threat

dailystar.co.uk:

missiles as the threat from the east persists with China, sources say. China has been continually testing hypersonic missiles, including a nuclear-capable rocket that circled the globe took US intelligence by surprise last August.In response, the trilateral security pact is said to be in the works and could be officially announced as early as today (Tuesday, April 5), in Washington.President Joe Biden is preparing to unveil the expansion of the so-called Aukus security pact with Scott Morrison, the Australian prime minister, and Boris Johnson.The Financial Times reported that the US is scrambling to act because China has "leapt ahead in the development" of the weapons.It is also reported that the US has undertaken just a dozen or so tests of hypersonic missiles, while China has done hundreds.In a recent interview Admiral John Aquilino, head of Indo-Pacific Command, and General James Dickinson, head of Space Command, said the US and Australia were boosting co-operation partly because of the growing concern about Chinese hypersonic weapons.“The ability to identify and track, and defend against those hypersonics is really the key,” Aquilino said ahead of two days of meetings with Australian security and intelligence officials.The terrifying weapon pushes the boundaries of missile technology and has been a shock to the US intelligence services.The Financial Times reports that Beijing launched the 'Long March' rocket in August carrying a 'hypersonic glide vehicle' into low orbit.Hypersonic missiles can carry nuclear weapons and reach speeds of up to 21,000mph.They can strike anywhere on Earth from space within minutes.These weapons, which are launched into space on a rocket, orbit the earth under their own momentum, flying.