China test-fired a supersonic, nuclear-capable missile on August. It caught the U.S. intelligence completely by surprise. the Financial Times reportedCiting five sources unnamed.

According to a Saturday report, the Chinese military sent a rocket carrying an hypersonic glider, and it flew low into space before reaching its destination.

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 Ministry of Defense did not reply to Reuters’ Sunday fax request.

Russia and the United States are developing hypersonic missiles. last month North Korea said it had test-fired a newly-developed hypersonic missile.

China displayed its advancing weaponry at a parade in 2019, including the DF-17 hypersonic missile.

Ballistic missiles are capable of flying into space, returning at faster speeds on steep tracks. Hypersonic weapons are difficult to defend against because they fly towards targets at lower altitudes but can achieve more than five times the speed of sound — or about 6,200 km per hour (3,850 mph).