Recently, China successfully tested a striking orbital bombing system combined with a hypersonic glide vehicle. Faster, more stealthy than traditional bombers, it can reach the continental United States in less than 30 minutes, making it an indefensible threat. What exactly is this bomber?Why is the United States so worried?
Recent US media reports have revealed new developments in the military field by China, which has successfully tested a mysterious combination of an orbital bombing system and a hypersonic glide vehicle**. According to reports, this ** system is not only faster than the existing bombers, but can also deliver the payload in a more covert way, and can even reach the continental United States within half an hour for space bombing, making it difficult for the US defense system to effectively resist.
Worryingly, the hypersonic orbital bomber, which was allegedly tested in 2021, flew nearly 40,000 kilometers at hypersonic speeds, eventually hitting a preset target area "close to" Chinese territory. This means that in the event of a conflict between China and the United States, while the United States attacks the Chinese mainland, the mainland will be bombed by China in just 30 minutes, weakening the possibility of American victory.
Definition of an orbital bomber.
To better understand this ** system, let's take a look at the American report and explain what exactly a hypersonic orbital bomber is. An orbital bomber is a space-based spacecraft capable of operating in space orbit, carrying a larger yield of nuclear bombs, and returning to the atmosphere as instructed when needed, selecting a certain ground target for a nuclear strike. This type of space attack** mainly includes some orbital bombardment systems (FOBS), multiple orbital bombardment systems (MOBS) and orbital bombardment systems (OBS).
Partial orbit refers to suborbital, i.e., at the top edge of near space, which is the airspace between the ceiling of a conventional aircraft and the minimum orbital altitude of a spacecraft, 20-100 km above the ground. Traditional partial orbital bombers orbit in a circular orbit 150 kilometers above the Earth's surface, with an infinite range around the Earth. It mainly relies on the launch of a rocket into the orbit of the satellite, which is sent into the re-entry orbit by a thrust reverser rocket.
In front of the strategic bomber, the traditional bomber has no advantage in self-defense firepower, speed and altitude, and it is difficult to dodge. The Rumor Bomber is unsatisfactory in speed, has a long flight time, and lacks timeliness. And the radar early warning system of the orbital bomber is difficult to attack its targets, making it a kind of "game-changing" **.
A unique feature of a hypersonic orbital bomber.
A hypersonic orbital bomber is a bomber with hypersonic flight capabilities in Earth orbit. Compared to conventional orbital bombers, it has a higher speed and is almost uninterceptable. Due to their ultra-high altitude and high speed, the dropped bombs have extremely high kinetic energy, and even smaller bombs can produce great destructive power, especially against hard targets hidden deep underground.
In addition, due to their hypervelocity at suborbital altitudes, hypersonic orbital bombers become a natural orbital launch platform that can be used to launch satellites, anti-satellites, or other orbits. And this kind of power is so powerful that the United States and the Soviet Union once believed that it had a great impact on the strategic balance and could lead to a lose-lose situation, so the development of orbital bombing technology was banned in the "START Treaty", but the treaty did not include China.
The originality of the Chinese hypersonic orbital bomber.
Compared with traditional partial orbital bombers, China has created a new form of hypersonic orbital bomber to avoid international criticism. This orbital bomber is capable of cruising at the edge of the atmosphere and making round-the-world flights. It carries an autonomously maneuvering re-entry glider and can even leap out of the water like a dolphin as it traverses the atmosphere. This allows it to glide long enough distances to even attack targets from unexpected directions after circumnavigating the planet. This kind of orbital bomber cannot fly at the highest altitude, the attack range cannot be attacked (the flight in orbit can strike globally), the attack time cannot be struck, and it is almost impossible to be intercepted by traditional means.
China's response and future prospects.
In the face of concerns from the outside world, China has responded that this reusable aircraft is more to provide a more convenient and inexpensive way to travel to and from China's peaceful use of space, rather than for military purposes. China's leadership in hypersonic technology has made the United States jealous, fearing that China will combine it with other high-energy ** to create an unexpected attack advantage.
In the current international tensions, China's hypersonic orbital bombers have become the focus of attention. Its ingenuity, efficiency, and difficulty in intercepting could have a profound impact on the future military balance. The development momentum and military application of this technology will become the focus of global attention, and at the same time, it will also trigger a new round of thinking about the arms race and strategic stability in the international community.
Commentary: Interpreting the new military landscape of China's hypersonic orbital bomber.
China's recent successful test of a hypersonic orbital bomber has attracted widespread attention from the international community. The emergence of this ingenious system marks another leap forward in the field of military technology, and also allows the world to re-examine the status quo of the arms race and strategic balance.
First, the advent of hypersonic orbital bombers has escalated the traditional arms race again. Traditionally, strategic bombers have limitations in terms of speed, altitude and self-defense capabilities, and the hypersonic speed and difficult attack methods of the new orbital bombers break this limitation. This has not only made the international community recognizant of the rapid evolution of armament technology, but also triggered a re-examination and adjustment of their own national defense systems by various countries.
Secondly, this system poses a serious challenge to the existing defense system. Traditional means of defense are mainly focused on early warning systems and interception technology, but the high-speed flight and undesirable trajectory of hypersonic orbital bombers make them difficult targets to intercept. This has caused the international community to be more worried about the future direction of the arms race, and has also promoted the innovation and upgrading of defense technology in various countries.
At the same time, China's leading position in hypersonic technology is a cause for international concern. Its technological breakthroughs have not only made the United States feel jealous, but also made other countries begin to reevaluate their own research and development capabilities. This technological advantage is not only strategically important in the military sphere, but can also have far-reaching implications in the civilian sphere. Therefore, the international community needs to pay more attention to cooperation and competition in this area in order to maintain global peace and security.
It is worth noting that China** emphasizes the peaceful use of this reusable vehicle, emphasizing that it is more to provide a convenient way to travel to and from space. However, with the continuous development of military technology, the dual-use nature of the technology still raises concerns in the international community about the misuse of technology and the transformation of space. Therefore, the international community also needs to carry out more in-depth discussions on space-based development in order to establish corresponding international norms and constraints.
To sum up, the emergence of China's hypersonic orbital bomber has not only changed the military landscape, but also triggered a new round of thinking about arms control and international security in the international community. In this context, international cooperation and dialogue are all the more important in order to prevent the technological arms race from turning into a dangerous geopolitical game and thus to create more favourable conditions for world peace and stability.
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