China Develops Hypersonic Missile Capable of Striking Aircraft Thousands of Miles Away

The Chinese military has developed a new hypersonic weapon capability.

That could allow it to launch air-to-air missiles against high-value aircraft operating thousands of miles away, Bloomberg reported, citing a person familiar with the development.

The reported advancement is part of China’s broader effort to expand the roles of its missile arsenal, which is already considered the world’s largest. The capability could pose a significant challenge to US air operations in a potential conflict, particularly aircraft that operate well behind frontline combat zones.

Hypersonic Weapons Could Threaten Support Aircraft

According to the report, China has incorporated air-to-air capabilities into some hypersonic systems while also adding anti-ship functions to certain missile types.

The development could potentially put aircraft such as aerial refuelling tankers, airborne early-warning and control aircraft and airborne command posts at risk. Although these platforms generally remain away from direct combat, they are crucial for sustaining military operations.

A hypersonic glide vehicle launched from a DF-17 missile could travel roughly 1,500 miles, or 2,414 kilometres, Bloomberg reported. That distance is close to the separation between mainland China and the US territory of Guam, which hosts a major American military installation.

The DF-27, meanwhile, is reportedly capable of travelling up to around 5,000 miles, potentially placing Hawaii within its reach.

Hypersonic Glide Vehicles Could Complicate Defence

Hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs) are designed to manoeuvre through the atmosphere at high speeds, allowing them to alter their flight paths as they approach their targets.

Their manoeuvrability and speed can make interception more difficult. Bloomberg reported that no other country is known to currently field a system combining an HGV with air-to-air missiles.

A US Air Force China Aerospace Studies Institute report cited by Bloomberg said China’s missile modernisation programme is increasingly focused on causing coordinated damage across an adversary’s wider military network rather than simply destroying individual targets.

However, employing such weapons against moving aircraft presents major operational difficulties.

Long Targeting Chain Could Be a Weakness

Using a ballistic missile-derived system to engage an aircraft at extreme distances could be expensive, technically demanding and risky.

At maximum range, a ballistic missile could take 20 minutes or longer to reach its target. During that time, the intended aircraft could move significantly, making accurate targeting dependent on highly precise and continuously updated information.

The process of collecting data from distant sensors, transmitting it to missile units and guiding the weapon to its target creates what military planners call a “kill chain”. Any disruption to that chain could undermine an attack.

There is also the possibility of misinterpreting a conventional ballistic missile launch as a nuclear strike. Bloomberg highlighted this “discrimination problem” as a potential escalation risk, particularly during a major conflict.

China Expands Missile Inventory

China has also significantly expanded its missile production and inventory in recent years. Bloomberg, citing Pentagon estimates, reported that China had at least 3,150 ballistic missiles and 300 ground-launched cruise missiles in 2024.

Those figures represented increases of 147% and 50%, respectively, compared with 2015, when the US began publicly releasing such estimates.

The report also said China appeared to have increased missile production last year by the largest amount since Xi Jinping became president in 2013.

US Developing Longer-Range Air-To-Air Weapons

The US is also pursuing longer-range air-to-air missile capabilities as military planners prepare for potential high-intensity conflicts.

Bloomberg reported that the US developed the AIM-174B from RTX’s SM-6 air-defence missile, although the weapon’s exact range remains classified. The ground-launched SM-6 has a range of at least 250 miles.

The US Navy is also testing the AIM-424 Malice, developed by Raytheon, which reportedly has a range exceeding 300 miles.

Lockheed Martin’s AIM-260 is in production but has not yet entered service, while Europe’s MBDA Meteor uses a ramjet engine and can engage targets at ranges exceeding 100 miles, according to the report.