China's hypersonic glide vehicles gain air-to-air capability, threatening U.S. support aircraft

A source familiar with Chinese weapons development told one outlet that Beijing has integrated air-to-air missiles into its hypersonic glide vehicles, a capability not publicly known elsewhere. The new weapons could target U.S. support aircraft, including aerial refuelers, airborne warning-and-control platforms and flying command posts, from distances that approach the range of the DF-17 and DF-27 missile systems. The DF-17-launched glide vehicle can travel about 1,500 miles, nearly the distance to Guam, while the DF-27 can reach roughly 5,000 miles, covering Hawaii.

Because hypersonic glide vehicles can maneuver during flight, they are more difficult to track and intercept than traditional ballistic missiles. A U.S. Air Force China Aerospace Studies Institute report highlighted China’s focus on damaging an adversary’s operational architecture with coordinated missile attacks. No other nation is known to field a system that pairs a hypersonic glide vehicle with air-to-air missiles.