China develops hypersonic weapons for nuke deliveries - U.S. blindsided

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Nov 29, 2006
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Ajay

Lifer
Jan 8, 2001
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The real fear is that China will undercut US weapons manufacturers on price.
^This!

And the top brass in the military, who are paid to be paranoid, contribute their part. Some land great jobs in the 'private sector' after their service. Nice diverse companies like Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, etc. Great pay and benefits for all! There is nothing like sucking at the teat of the MIC your whole life.
 
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woolfe9998

Lifer
Apr 8, 2013
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If we end up in a nuclear war with China, we're all gonna die. What prevents that is deterrence. So long as whatever China develops doesn't allow them to stop our nukes, I don't care.
 
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pmv

Lifer
May 30, 2008
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Sounds good to me - should speed up delivery of items bought on Ebay direct from China.
 
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dainthomas

Lifer
Dec 7, 2004
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Also i understansd that in the event we get nuked first and its so devastating we are no more....that our nukes will launch regardless.......you see the problem with this scenario is......as long as our nukes can be programmed to eventually launch....say a few days later or a few weks later....whose going to risk everything...because we all know they have already thought of all the different scenarios.....hypersonic or not....

The only winning move is not to play. :cool:
 

senseamp

Lifer
Feb 5, 2006
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For all we know, the US might have known about this for ages, but the people who did won't be talking about it, to not endanger their sources in China. Same for talking about our developments in this area, people who are involved won't talk about it if they aren't idiots.
So you got a self-selection bias for the least informed people and/or idiots talking to the media the most, hence sensationalist headlines that should largely be ignored.
 

pcgeek11

Lifer
Jun 12, 2005
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Counterpoint.
No one was stunned.
They have been testing this since early 2014.
Adding the word "Hypersonic" creates hysteria that keeps $$$ flowing to our missile programs.
Articles and lobbyists spreading narratives paint a picture of missile zig zagging through the sky at mach 10.
Nope.
It's a glide weapon that starts out at high speed launched from a same old 60's era launcher at a slightly lower arc until that first course change then it slows way the fuck down.
As a conventional weapon, it will be fine for creating a really awkward situation where everyone is going to think you are launching nukes, potentially triggering a nuclear response to you just trying to blow up hanger. Enjoy your comic book if you think this going to be effective as a conventional weapon tying to hit a moving ship out at sea.

As a nuclear weapon....it's as useful as any other nuclear weapon. A wonderful way to throw money at posturing and nothing else.
What are they going to do? Nuke Taiwan? Nuke Japan? Nuke Guam?
Get to claim first strike 10 minute before the mandatory retaliatory strike that would basically trigger the end China as we know it?

In the old days, you could push a story about USSR or more recently Russia (who tested their own hypersonic balistic Jalopy not too long ago) to light a fire under congress to keep funding out own weapons programs.
Now that Congress is filled with a bunch of religious nutjobs who bank on armageddon scenarios involving china and Israel, the best way to keep the dollar coming is to hype up any weapons program China is working on.

Have no fear.
Anti hypersonic weapons capability already exists and layered approaches are already evolving as needed. The capability to deal with weapons launched from a different ballistic profiles has been part of that.

Summary - Old news on a well worn topic designed for congressional staff consumption and weirdo's who pay attention to defense industry news.


Well said! Bravo.
 
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Stokely

Golden Member
Jun 5, 2017
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So now there's going to be a hypersonic weapons gap. I wonder if this is as critical as the potential mine shaft gap outlined by General Turgidson in the documentary Dr. Strangelove.
 
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m8d

Senior member
Nov 5, 2012
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The US has to have a boogie man to justify its bloated defense spending.
 
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raildogg

Lifer
Aug 24, 2004
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America always needs an enemy to continue to expand its military. It's budget should be the "Offense Budget" instead of a "Defense Budget." And your American companies have abandoned Americans and have propped up China. Maybe that was the intent all along - to make China powerful in order to fight them later?