A Chinese national who was attached to the state-owned
Aviation Industry Corp of China and actively worked on hypersonic weapons has switched sides.
This has grave implications
since the hypersonic weapon is one space where the U.S is lagging behind.
The US officials were left stunned when a Financial Times report
revealed that Beijing had tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August last year.
The US has been facing difficulty in this technology - for example,
in December the Air Force’s Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) failed in testing for the
third time running in 2021, not even leaving the wing of the B-52 bomber carrying it.
But things could now change now.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes how the defection of Chinese scientist working on
hypersonic weapons to the U.S is a major victory? Let's get into the details.
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An object is said to be hypersonic once they exceed the speeds of Mach 5 which is
5 times the speed of sound. This is about 1,715 meters per second
or 3,836mph or 6,174 km/h.
There are currently 3 methods being applied to make hypersonic weapons - using a Scramjet engine
like the Russian Zircon missile, through the use of Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV) like the Chinese
DF-ZF & underdevelopment American ARRW and thirdly by using ALBM or Air-Launched Ballistic missile
like the Russian Kinzhal missile.
Hypersonic weapons combine the high speed of a traditional ballistic missile
with the maneuverability of a cruise missile making them almost unstoppable
with the current crop of air defense systems.
A report in UK's publication 'Express' provided some details citing sources.
The man is in his '30s.
As per sources, he has helped develop a mid-range hypersonic boost-glide vehicle
most likely the DF-ZF.
The glide vehicle is carried by DF-17 or Dongfeng-17 solid-fueled
road-mobile medium-range ballistic missile and the system has a range of 2,000 miles or ~3200 km.
Viewers may note, the DF-17 & DF-ZF, was officially unveiled at the
National Day military parade on 1 October 2019.
Not only this, sources say the scientist is connected with a more recent hypersonic
missile delivery system that can circle the globe before descending from space and use heat-seeking
technology to strike any target on Earth. The test had stunned the US power circle
and demonstrated that China has developed the ability to strike any point of earth in no
time and with little chance of being intercepted. The reason for defection is not an ideological one
but a purely professional one. As per reports,
he was angry as he didn't get promotions and proper recognization for his efforts.
The person made contact with a British intelligence asset
in Hong Kong at the end of September last year. During that first, tentative approach,
he had stated the middleman he possessed detailed information about the hypersonic glide vehicle.
Knowing he faced a firing squad if Beijing came to know,
he demanded asylum for himself and his wife and child.
A call was made to Vauxhall Cross - the London HQ of the Secret Intelligence Service,
more commonly known as MI6 - and a three-person team, comprising two intelligence officers
and a technical specialist, were readied to deploy to Hong Kong. The CIA was also informed.
There was an apprehension that he could be a double agent being planted by Beijing
So, a cat-and-mouse game developed over the next few days
in which the scientist's credentials were validated.
It was during this process that the person - an avid fan of cricket who is believed
to have once studied in England - began to reveal select details
about China's latest hypersonic development.
Eventually, a plan was hatched in which he and his family would travel to Kong
using a specially developed route.
After that they were made to fly to a more secure
location - a US airbase in Germany - then on to America via the UK.
Speaking about the defection, an intelligence source stated, "He was extremely cooperative.
This is an intelligent man; a man who keenly follows cricket but prefers Jack Daniels to lager,
a man who has played a key role in the development of hypersonic weapons in China,
and a man who felt aggrieved by the way he had been treated."
The source added: "The fact we are in possession of certain details about the
operational capability of this hypersonic glide missile puts us in a position we did not expect
to be in at this time. It will probably buy us two years. We estimate it will take China
two years to be able to make changes in its program sufficiently substantial as
to render this intelligence ineffective. In this sphere, two years is a very long time."
The U.S Department of Defense is working in collaboration with national laboratories,
as well as private and academic institutions to deploy hypersonic missile capability
in the early-to mid-2020s.
Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin
confirmed that Britain had also joined the hypersonic race.
For a while, the American military establishment remained undecided when it comes to developing
and deploying hypersonic weapons. This led to U.S military lagging in this technology.
The U.S is now playing catchup and a lot of focus is on this now.
As per reports, the U.S military is pursuing 9 programs that are
dedicated to fielding hypersonic weapons. Not only this, but the U.S military is also
looking ahead and studying the feasibility of developing an air defense system
that can take out incoming hypersonic weapons.
At this juncture, the defection could mitigate
certain technical issues and accelerate these programs.