BEIJING, (Reuters) – China test fired a hypersonic, nuclear-capable missile during August. This caught the United States by surprise. The Financial Times reported that this was based on five sources unnamed.

Late Saturday’s report said that the Chinese military had launched a rocket with a hypersonic glider vehicle. It flew around the world before it landed on its target.

According to people who were briefed, the test revealed that China has made remarkable progress in hypersonic weapons technology and is far ahead of US officials.

China’s defense ministry did not respond immediately to a Reuters fax request.

The United States and Russia are also developing hypersonic missiles, and last month North Korea https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/north-korea-says-it-test-fired-new-hypersonic-missile-kcna-2021-09-28 said it had test-fired a newly-developed hypersonic missile.

China’s advancing weaponry was displayed at a parade for 2019, which included its hypersonic rocket, the DF-17.

Ballistic missiles can fly to outer space and return on steeper trajectories, at greater speeds. Although they target targets from lower altitudes, hypersonic weaponry is difficult to defend against. They can fly faster than sound at speeds up to 5,200 km/h (3,850 mph).