Hypersonic missiles developed by China can spark war, warn experts

New Delhi: New missiles which can travel at a hypersonic speed developed by US, Russia and China could trigger a war, experts have warned.

Unlike the traditional ballistic missiles, a hypersonic missile can travel at Mach 5 or higher and also has the ability to manoeuvre.

Researchers at the RAND Corporation, a think tank, said the new weapons can pose a grave threat to the world if they fall into the hands of 'rogue' nations.

The weapons are designed to evade missile defence systems and nations could take counter-measures at the slightest provocation, sparking a war, they said.

“Hypersonic missile proliferation would increase the chances of strategic war. It would give nations an incentive to become trigger-happy,” the Independent quoted Richard Speier, lead author of a study on the topic, as saying.

The study said the world has less than 10 years to get a non-proliferation regime in place before such a war becomes inevitable.

The countries developing the weapons should tightly guard the technology, the report said on Saturday, citing the researchers.

They also said exports of dual-use components like scramjet engines, which can push a craft to hypersonic speed, should be controlled.