中國進行了第三次高超音速飛行器試驗

　　“中國進行了第三次高超音速飛行器試飛，這是其新型戰略核武器係統的一部分，它的作用是擊敗任何美國的對抗措施”，2014年12月4日，美國《華盛頓自由燈塔報》網站（http://freebeacon.com）這樣報道。美國五角大樓發言人向該報記者透露，美國監測到中國在12月2日進行了第三次高超音速飛行器試飛。據稱，此前中國分別在今年1月5日和8月7日進行了兩次同類試驗。美方稱中國試驗的飛行器代號為WU-14。

 

　　另據網絡消息，12月2日中國太原衛星發射中心發射了一枚長征2號C運載火箭，火箭載荷未知，可能就是美方所說的這次飛行試驗。目前關於這次試驗的詳細情況尚不清楚，美方稱這種高超音速飛行器與中國新型洲際導彈的核彈頭有關，它的飛行速度可達8倍音速，目前尚無任何方法對抗這種武器的攻擊。同時，美媒稱，中國的WU-14飛行器是美國“全球快速打擊計劃”的“山寨版”，盡管眾所周知，美國空軍的HTV-2高超音速飛行器因技術難度過高被放棄，而陸軍的高超音速飛行器在今年8月的試射也以失敗告終，在新型高超音速導彈的研製進度上似乎已經落後於中國。

 

　　美《華盛頓自由燈塔報》今日刊登文章《中國進行了第三次高超音速滑翔器試飛》（全文附後），作者比爾·格茨稱，美國國防部官員對他透露了試驗的消息，稱美國情報機關監視到了本周二在中國西部進行的這次飛行測試，試驗中發射的是WU-14高超音速滑翔器的發展型。美國五角大樓發言人陸戰隊中校傑夫裏·波爾說：“我們注意到了有關這次測試的報道，我們正按常規對外國軍事活動進行監控。”

 

　　美國陸軍高超音速滑翔器外形示意圖，這是目前美國唯一進行過完整成功飛行測試的高超音速滑翔器。但今年8月該飛行器的飛行試驗失敗，火箭在發射台上爆炸

 

　　“但是，我們不能確認我們的情報來源或對外國武器係統的評估情況，”波爾中校說。他同時補充，五角大樓敦促中國提高其在國防經費和軍事行動方麵的透明度，“以避免誤會。”

 

　　比爾·格茨聲稱，中國在一年內連續進行三次高超音速飛行試驗說明中國正在完成WU-14飛行器的“武器化”工作。

 

　　除了上述外媒信息，中文網絡上也有關於此次飛行試驗的零散信息，如《中國航天報》一篇文章中提到，長二丙火箭副總指揮焦開敏表示：“今年9月至11月，長征二號丙火箭要在兩個衛星發射中心的三個發射工位執行4次發射任務。”根據目前公開的發射記錄，在9月到11月間中國共發射了3枚長征2號C火箭，這可能是12月2日長征2號C火箭發射的一個側麵佐證。說明這次發射時間比原定時間略有推遲。

 

　　此外，在微博上有太原居民拍攝到了天空中的特別景象，一條蜿蜒的“雲帶”掛在天空中，這一景象與今年8月7日WU-14發射測試時地麵居民所觀察到的景象非常類似。

 

　　到目前為止進行的三次類似試驗中，中國的高超音速飛行器都是由長征2號C運載火箭發射升空，在大氣層邊緣按照“錢學森彈道”在大氣上層進行“打水漂”式飛行，由於該飛行器獨特的氣動設計，它的速度不會出現大幅度衰減，而是保持約7－8倍音速的速度“滑翔”飛行。前兩次試驗中，飛行器的飛行方向和落點據推測都是在我國西部地區傳統進行導彈試驗的靶場，這次應該也不例外。

 

　　觀察者網軍事分析員說，長征2號運載火箭是在中國第一種洲際導彈東風-5基礎上發展而來的，目前據美國宣稱中國還部署有數十枚經過改進的東風-5A型導彈，這些導彈都部署在發射井中，可能安裝了3－5個分導式或集束式核彈頭，東風-5導彈射程可達12,000公裏，可覆蓋美國全境。據傳，中國正對這種導彈進行進一步改進，代號可能是東風-5B，如果WU-14確實是一種高超音速核彈頭，那麽它有可能就是為東風-5B係統研製的，通過高超音速滑翔技術來提高這種相對老式導彈的突防能力，確保其作戰能力不因為美國的反導係統而被削弱。美國今年早些時候宣布在本土部署第三套NMD反導係統，中國的WU-14高超音速飛行器可能是對美國增加反導係統的一種回應。當然，這樣的技術同樣也可以用在機動式的東風-31、41等洲際導彈上。

 

　　當然，目前在甚至都沒有一張圖片的情況下對中國的高超音速飛行器發展情況的猜測不可能非常有說服力，上述說法僅供讀者參考。但是從目前高超音速飛行器在世界範圍內的研製、測試情況來看，將這種飛行器用於核彈頭是最容易實現的一種應用方式。

 

　　俄羅斯也在研究高超音速飛行器，俄羅斯在去年莫斯科航展上展示了一個據稱是經過飛行測試的高超音速飛行器，同樣是作為洲際導彈的彈頭設計的。

 

　　此外，美國、俄羅斯、印度等國還在研製具有動力係統的高超音速飛行器，這些飛行器的動力係統包括火箭發動機和超燃衝壓發動機。美蘇在上世紀60-70年代就研製過火箭動力的高超音速飛行器，但超燃衝壓發動機方麵的研究迄今尚無任何國家取得值得一提的重大突破。隻有印度聲稱他們要在10－20年內完成“布拉莫斯2”超燃衝壓發動機巡航導彈的研製。

 

（http://freebeacon.com/national-security/china-conducts-third-flight-test-of-hypersonic-strike-vehicle/）

 

China Conducts Third Flight Test of Hypersonic Strike Vehicle

 

Missile-launched WU-14 glide vehicle designed for nuclear strike against U.S. through missile defenses

 

BY: Bill Gertz  

 

December 4, 2014 5:00 am

 

China conducted the third flight test of a new hypersonic missile this week as part of its strategic nuclear program and efforts to develop delivery vehicles capable of defeating U.S. countermeasures, defense officials said.

 

The flight test of the developmental WU-14 hypersonic glide vehicle was monitored by U.S. intelligence agencies Tuesday during a flight test in western China.

 

The latest flight test followed earlier tests of the WU-14 on Jan. 9 and Aug. 7. The three tests indicate that China's development of a strike vehicle capable of traveling up to eight times the speed of sound is a high-priority element in China's large-scale military buildup.

 

A Pentagon spokesman confirmed the test but declined to provide details.

 

"We are aware of reports regarding this test and we routinely monitor foreign defense activities," Marine Corps Lt. Col. Jeff Pool told the Washington Free Beacon.

 

"However, we don't comment on our intelligence or assessments of foreign weapon systems," Pool added, noting that the Pentagon has encouraged China to adopt greater openness with regard to its defense investments and military objectives "to avoid miscalculation."

 

Last month in Beijing, the United States and China agreed to a new military accord that called for notifying each country of major military activities. It could not be learned if the Chinese notified the Pentagon in advance of the WU-14 test.

 

The WU-14 was launched atop a Chinese ballistic missile and released along the edge of space.

 

Past tests of the glide vehicle were clocked as reaching an estimated speed of Mach 10, or 10 times the speed of sound—around 7,680 miles per hour.

 

Such speeds create difficult aeronautics and physics challenges for guidance systems and place extreme stress on materials used in construction of the vehicle.

 

The annual report of the congressional U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, made public Nov. 20, reveals China’s hypersonic weapons program is a major development effort.

 

The report said the People's Liberation Army "is developing hypersonic glide vehicles as a core component of its next-generation precision strike capability."

 

"Hypersonic glide vehicles could render existing U.S. missile defense systems less effective and potentially obsolete," the report said.

 

The report said once deployed the WU-14 "could enable China to conduct kinetic strikes anywhere in the world within minutes to hours."

 

China plans to deploy its high-speed glide vehicle by 2020 and a scramjet powered hypersonic vehicle by 2025.

 

Lee Fuell, technical director for force modernization and employment at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC), told the Commission that Chinese glide vehicle is launched on a ballistic missile, dives to hypersonic speed and glides to its target. The weapon currently is assessed to be "associated with [China's] nuclear deterrent forces."

 

"Of great concern would be if [China] was to apply the same technology and capability with a conventional warhead or even just without a warhead because of the kinetic energy that it has in combination with their theater ballistic missiles ... in a theater role," Fuell said.

 

The intelligence analyst said that hypersonic vehicles "are extremely difficult to defend against because just the time is so compressed between initial detection, being able to get a track, being able to get a fire control solution, and then just being able to have a weapon that can intercept them in some way just because of the speed at which they're moving."

 

"If that is combined with more traditional ballistic missile attacks forcing a target to defend against very high aspect warheads coming in this way at the same time they have to defend against low altitude, very high speed targets coming in [another] way, it makes the defense problem orders of magnitude worse for the defender," he said.

 

The commission report stated that China is expanding its strategic nuclear forces "significantly," with deployment of new missiles, submarines, and multiple-warhead weapons.

 

Rick Fisher, a China military affairs analyst, said more tests are needed for China to turn the WU-14 into a working weapon.

 

"But the real story is that such a program is now well underway," said Fisher, with the International Assessment and Strategy Center. "For hypersonic systems, all tests, failures, and successes, provide a positive contribution toward the goal of developing a weapon."

 

The WU-14 is part of what military analysts have said in a growing hypersonic arms race involving China, Russia, and the United States.

 

Russia's government announced last month that Moscow plans to field hypersonic missiles by 2020.

 

By contrast, U.S. development of a hypersonic weapons program has been limited.

 

The Aug. 25 test of the Army's Advanced Hypersonic Weapon ended in disaster after the booster launching the weapon blew up shortly after launch from a test base on Kodiak Island, Alaska.

 

Funding for hypersonic weapons development also has been limited to around $360 million dollars, an amount critics say is small compared to estimated investments by China.

 

"It is now necessary for the United States to substantially increase funding in two areas," Fisher, the China military analyst said. "First the U.S. must expand and accelerate its own hypersonic weapons program."

 

The Pentagon should fund several types of hypersonic systems in a development competition, Fisher said, as well as further research in counter-hypersonic arms.

 

Past Pentagon research has included development of both guided-but-unpowered glide vehicles, and high-technology scramjet-powered hypersonic vehicles.

 

A space plane called the X-37 also is being developed as part of a program known as conventional Prompt Global Strike.

 

U.S. intelligence analysts have said the current Chinese WU-14 program is currently part of its strategic nuclear program. However, China also could use the WU-14 as part of its conventional strike program, such as planning attacks on aircraft carriers in the western Pacific.

 

"While missile based counter-systems may provide an early solution, there is much more potential in the realm of energy weapons," Fisher said.

 

"For example, rail guns offer great potential for early solutions to maneuvering hypersonic weapons and this technology deserves much greater funding," he said.

 

Fisher also said the United States should increase capabilities for targeting China's space and high altitude reconnaissance and surveillance systems, to include satellites.

 

"These will be absolutely necessary for China to successfully employ its long range hypersonic weapons," he said.

 

A Chinese Embassy spokesman could not be reached for comment.

 

Lora Saalman, an expert on China's hypersonic development at the Carnegie Endowment, said after China's second WU-14 test in August that the closeness of the first two tests showed that Beijing is "fast-tracking" the strategic program.

 

"When compared with the yearly gaps in between its [anti-satellite] and [ballistic missile defense] tests in 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2014, the WU-14 accelerates China's development timeline exponentially," she said in an email in August.

 

Saalman believes the WU-14 is part of a Chinese version of the U.S. conventional Prompt Global Strike program.

 

Lora Saalman, an expert on China's hypersonic development at the Carnegie Endowment, said China's third test of the Wu-14 in one year is unusual.

 

"Not only does this third test of the WU-14 in one year indicate that this is a priority program for China, it also suggests that U.S. historical concerns over a Chinese quantitative 'sprint to parity' in nuclear weapons are misdirected," she said.

 

"Instead, China is racing ahead on qualitatively developing their advanced conventional weapons," Saalman stated in an email. "Such developments are significant in that the posture guiding use of these weapons is not guided by nuclear taboo or no first use."

 

Mark Schneider, a former Pentagon strategic forces specialist, said the latest Chinese hypersonic vehicle test poses "a serious threat."

 

"The National Air and Space Intelligence Center has said in open testimony before the China Commission that the vehicle is nuclear and there may also be a conventional version," Schneider said.

 

"There is not really a race in hypersonic weapons," he added. "U.S. programs are small scale due to budget cuts."

 

Russia's announced programs on hypersonics include a high-speed missile for a new stealth bomber, hypersonic warheads for Russian ballistic missiles, and a joint cruise missile program with India, Schneider said. "We are clearly losing our technical edge."

 

(Bill Gertz is the senior editor of the Washington Free Beacon.)