The Chinese military has developed hypersonic glide vehicles that can launch air-to-air weapons, an advancement meant to threaten high-value targets such as command-and-control aircraft thousands of kilometers away.
The breakthrough is part of a larger effort by China to use its missile arsenal — the world’s largest at more than 3,150 ballistic weapons — for nearly every military task, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter. Meanwhile, the U.S. is struggling with supplies of crucial air defense missiles and long-range strike weapons after six months of war with Iran.
China also added air-to-air capabilities to some hypersonic cruise missiles and built anti-ship capabilities into several types of missiles, said the person, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the information.
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