China Claims U.S. Hypersonic Missile Can be destroyed by Attacking Slow-flying B-52 Aircraft

Chinese experts claim that the U.S. Air Force’s AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) can be intercepted by attacking “low-end” B-52 bombers.

A full prototype of the ARRW launched from a B-52H Stratofortress bomber off the coast of California on December 9. It is a boost-glide missile that uses a booster rocket to accelerate a projectile to hypersonic speeds, before a glide vehicle separates from the booster and uses inertia to travel to its target.

Russian and Chinese analogues of the ARRW are Kinzhal and DF-17 respectively.

Chinese experts were quoted as saying by state-controlled media that the “AGM-183A should not be considered very advanced in comparison to its Chinese and Russian counterparts.” They said the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) “has what it takes to defend the country.”

Fu Qianshao told China’s semi-official Global Times newspaper that the AGM-183A can be intercepted before it is launched from the slow-flying, large-sized, non-stealthy B-52 bomber.

“The U.S. wants to use the low-end B-52 bomber which cannot penetrate air defense on its own to carry the strongly penetrative, standoff AGM-183A hypersonic missile, and use the high-end B-21 stealth bomber to drop inexpensive munitions within the opponent’s defense lines,” Zhang Xuefeng, another Chinese military expert, told the outlet.

Fu added that another option, which can also counter the B-21, is to attack bases and airfields where the bombers are deployed.