They said the DF-17 – and its successor the DF-27 – reach speeds approaching some 6,500 miles per hour and they are almost impossible to stop.China has designed these weapons to destroy aircraft carriers, such as Britain's flagship vessels HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, over a range of up to 5,000 miles.The UK, Australia and the United States, who formed the AUKUS alliance, are frantically looking for some sort of preventative measures.The Chinese 'Hypersonic Glide Vehicles' fly on lower trajectory than intercontinental ballistic missiles, making them harder to intercept. 

 

China has made 'dramatic advances' in its hypersonic missiles that can reach up to 6,500mph and are almost impossible to stop, intelligence officials warn© Provided by Daily Mail

 

China has designed these weapons to destroy aircraft carriers, such as Britain's flagship vessels HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, over a range of up to 5,000 miles. The missle was seen during a military parade to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, at Tiananmen Square on October 1, 2019 in Beijing© Provided by Daily Mail

 

The UK, Australia and the United States, who formed the AUKUS alliance, are frantically looking for some sort of preventative measures to respond to the missile threat. Britain does not have hypersonic missiles while the US is only testing these weapons© Provided by Daily Mail

 

The Chinese 'Hypersonic Glide Vehicles' fly on lower trajectory than intercontinental ballistic missiles, making them harder to intercept. Picture shows Chinese navy troops marching past Tiananmen Square during a military parade© Provided by Daily Mail

One concerned official said: 'The buzz phrase here is that "speed is the new stealth". 

  

More than 150 Chinese nationals have snuck into the US illegally every single day since October, according to startling new CBP statistics. Among the record numbers of migrants flooding the southern border, Chinese illegal immigrants made up the fastest-growing faction of border crossers last year. The 2023 fiscal year reportedly saw over 37,000 Chinese migrants encountered at the border - with a staggering 20,000 more since October, when the 2024 fiscal year began.©Toby Canham for DailyMail.com / AP

'China has prioritised this capability and has generated the world's leading arsenal of HGVs.

'It has made dramatic advances in this area in the 2020s. Countering this threat is a priority for AUKUS.

'Countering the delivery mechanism, which fires the missile, is more effective than countering the missile itself. We would have to hit the bases, hit the launch systems.'

Britain does not have hypersonic missiles while the US is only testing these weapons.

Russia has been utilising much less sophisticated versions of the Chinese HGVs during the conflict in Ukraine.

China's missiles are capable of carrying nuclear payloads. It is considered likely Beijing would seek to use its HGVs against US and UK navies in the South China Sea.

• Category Title