While solving urgent military and political problems, China has by now built quite numerous and powerful strategic missile forces. In the foreseeable future, they are planned to be strengthened, including through fundamentally new systems. For this, the development of promising strike systems, including hypersonic warheads, is currently underway.
In an atmosphere of secrecy
The hypersonic program is of particular importance to national security, and therefore Beijing is in no hurry to publish all the details of such works. Most of the information about promising projects is not subject to disclosure. However, official Chinese sources from time to time talk about certain events. At the same time, the bulk of news about Chinese hypersound comes from third countries - through intelligence, etc.
Thanks to foreign sources, it is known that the PRC has been developing hypersonic weapons since at least the beginning of the last decade. A number of scientific organizations had to carry out a lot of research work, after which the development of experimental equipment of one of two known types began.
The first tests of a Chinese-designed hypersonic vehicle took place in 2014. To date, about a dozen launches have been performed, some of which have ended in success. As far as is known, development work is still ongoing, and practically applicable results will appear only in the future. The adoption of the first of the new complexes is expected no earlier than 2020.
At the moment, it is known about the existence of two hypersonic weapons projects that have reached the testing stage. It cannot be ruled out that other promising models are being created in an atmosphere of secrecy.
DF-ZF project
In early 2014, it became known about the recent flight tests of a promising hypersonic aircraft. Initially, this development was referred to as the WU-14, and later the designation DF-ZF appeared. Information about the tests, which appeared in the foreign press, received official confirmation from the Chinese side. However, Beijing argued that the new project is being created for scientific and not military purposes.
In the period from 2014 to 2018, Chinese specialists conducted at least seven test launches of the WU-14 / DF-ZF. The launches were carried out from the Taiyuan cosmodrome, followed by a flight along a safe route. It was argued that all tests ended in success and without accidents. Last year, foreign media reported on several new launches, during which other configurations of the aircraft were tested.
Accurate data of a technical nature are not yet available, but plausible versions and estimates have long appeared in foreign sources. The DF-ZF is believed to be a gliding hypersonic warhead propelled to operating speeds by a launch vehicle. The maximum flight speed exceeds M = 5. The approximate flight range is unknown. The warhead will be able to carry a conventional or nuclear warhead, or hit the target using kinetic energy.
Recently, more bold estimates of airspeed have emerged based on available data. Recently, China has developed a new ceramic composite that can withstand temperatures up to 3000 ° C for extended periods and is suitable for use on aircraft. Chinese scientists claim that such a casing allows the flight speed to be increased to M = 20.
According to various estimates, the DF-ZF product will be part of a combat missile system based on one of the existing ballistic missiles. In particular, the DF-31 ICBM can become the carrier of such a warhead. Its characteristics are sufficient to accelerate the payload to hypersonic speeds, the firing range of such a complex will be comparable to the characteristics of the DF-31 in the basic configuration. The system in the form of DF-31 and DF-ZF will solve strategic problems and will become a kind of addition to the "traditional" ICBM or MRBM.
There are also speculations about the use of the DF-ZF as an anti-ship weapon. Such a warhead can be used to destroy individual ships or naval formations. However, such a use of a hypersonic unit is associated with certain difficulties, and the assumption about such a role for the DF-ZF / WU-14 may be incorrect.
Information about the successful conduct of several test launches led to the emergence of the assumption that the DF-ZF will soon be put into service. This could happen in the coming years. Most likely, we will talk about a strategic missile system with a planning warhead.
Project "Starry Sky"
In August last year, the first reports appeared about the Sinkun-2 (Starry Sky-2) project, developed by the Chinese Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics. This project provides for the creation of a gliding hypersonic vehicle capable of operating as a strike vehicle. It is noteworthy that the very first news about the Sinkun-2 project told about a successful test flight.
The glider of the new type performed the flight using a launch vehicle. She accelerated it to the required speed and brought it to the specified height. It is reported that "Sinkun-2" climbed to an altitude of 30 km, where it performed several maneuvers. Then the product went down and landed in a given area of the landfill. The flight lasted only 10 minutes, but during this time the prototype completed all the tasks. Information about the new flights of the "Starry Sky" has not yet appeared.
According to known data, the Sinkun-2 product is built using the waverider concept - during a hypersonic flight, it creates a shock wave and “slides” along its edge, which allows optimizing various processes and gaining some performance gain. The possibility of equipping the apparatus with a nuclear warhead is mentioned. The scope of its application has not yet been specified.
At the moment, only one test launch of the Sinkun-2 system is known. Obviously, for further development and refinement of such weapons, new launches are required, which will take some time. Thus, the introduction of a new complex in the troops is a matter of the distant future. One can only guess when the Sinkun-2 will enter service - of course, if it is not abandoned.
General trends
By developing its own hypersonic strike systems, the PRC is striving to close the gap with the leading world powers. Such weapons are already being developed by other countries, and Beijing is forced to take measures so as not to be at a disadvantage. As follows from the available data, at least two new projects are being developed in the field of hypersonic technologies.
The real results of the DF-ZF and Sinkun-2 projects in the form of rearmament of the missile forces will appear no earlier than the beginning of the twenties. The full-scale operation of such weapons, accordingly, refers to an even more distant period. Nevertheless, in the end, the Chinese army will still receive promising weapons and increase its strike potential.
The reasons for China's interest in hypersonic weapons are obvious. Hypersonic gliding blocks or cruise missiles have a number of inherent advantages that make them a convenient and effective weapon. High flight speed and the ability to maneuver reduce the permissible reaction time of air defense and missile defense, and thereby complicate interception. Thanks to this, aircraft with a speed of more than M = 5 are currently capable of breaking through existing defense systems and hitting designated targets.
Weapons of this kind are already being developed in several countries. The Russian Avangard complex has been tested and will soon take up combat duty. The appearance of serial Zircon missiles is expected. Similar systems are being developed in the United States; other countries are also showing interest in this topic.
China does not want to remain on the sidelines, which has already led to the emergence of at least two promising projects. At least one of the new models in the near future can reach the troops and affect the combat capability of the army. The appearance of hypersonic weapons in China worries third countries, primarily the United States, and should lead to certain consequences. It is possible that the success of the DF-ZF project will lead to a new arms race, the results of which will directly depend on the speed of the participants.
