China Develops Hypersonic Weapons Capable of Targeting Key US Aircraft at Long Range

China has developed advanced hypersonic weapons capable of targeting critical military aircraft, including command-and-control platforms and aerial refueling tankers, thousands of kilometers away, according to a Bloomberg report.

The report said the Chinese military has developed hypersonic glide vehicles capable of striking aircraft that play a crucial role in modern air operations by providing fighter jets with intelligence, communications, command-and-control support and aerial refueling.

Targeting such aircraft from long distances could significantly disrupt an adversary’s air operations, communications and air-defense capabilities, the report said.

A person directly familiar with the matter told Bloomberg on condition of anonymity that China has incorporated air-to-air attack capabilities into some hypersonic cruise missiles. There are also reports that other variants have been developed with the ability to strike naval vessels.

According to the report, a hypersonic glide vehicle launched by China’s DF-17 missile can travel approximately 2,414 kilometers, a distance roughly comparable to the distance to the US military hub of Guam in the Pacific. China’s DF-27 missile is estimated to have a maximum range of about 8,000 kilometers, potentially placing major targets across a large part of the Pacific within reach.

Hypersonic glide vehicles differ from conventional ballistic warheads because they can travel through the atmosphere at extremely high speeds while maneuvering and changing direction. This can make their flight paths more difficult to predict and the weapons harder to intercept.

Bloomberg reported that China has made significant progress in combining these capabilities, potentially integrating hypersonic glide vehicles with air-to-air weapons within a single weapons system.

China has also significantly expanded its missile production in recent years. According to estimates by the US Department of Defense, China had at least 3,150 ballistic missiles and around 300 ground-launched cruise missiles as of 2024.

The growing Chinese missile capability is also prompting the United States to focus more heavily on long-range air-launched weapons. The US Navy has recently announced testing of the AIM-424 MALICE, a long-range air-to-air missile reportedly designed to engage targets at extended distances.

US officials have said MALICE weighs about 1,500 pounds and has a range of more than 463 kilometers. US defense planners are also working on longer-range weapons that could eventually be capable of engaging targets at distances of up to 1,000 miles.

The emerging competition between China and the United States over long-range missile technology is considered strategically significant because modern warfare increasingly depends not only on the number of fighter aircraft but also on the ability to destroy an adversary’s command, surveillance, communications and aerial-refueling platforms from a safe distance.

However, several details regarding China’s reported new hypersonic systems remain classified, and the available information has not been independently verified in full. Nevertheless, the reported developments could represent a significant advancement in the rapidly intensifying military competition between Beijing and Washington.