China conducted a ground, mid-course antiballistic missile technical test on Sunday, with experts claiming that the successful intercept dependability of the country’s antiballistic missile framework at a time when technologies on both ballistic missiles and antiballistic missile interceptors are improving.
The test, which was carried out at night within China’s borders, was successful, according to a press release issued Sunday Evening by China’s Ministry of National Defensive system. According to the Chinese Defense Ministry, the test is primarily defensive and is not focused on any country. This is the third year in a row that China has carried out such a trial.
The most recent test brings the total number of publicly disclosed Chinese land-based ABM technological tests to six. Numerous different defined ABM tests were conducted by China in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2018, and 2021, according to media reports and public reports. It was not disclosed which detection phase the test in 2014 was conducted in, whereas the other five were conducted in the mid-course phase.
According to a Chinese military expert who asked to remain anonymous, more tests show that China’s antiballistic missile capability is becoming more dependable, and such trials make a contribution to China’s national defence and security, as well as act as a warning against nuclear threats. An intercontinental ballistic missile’s flight is typically divided into three stages. The first phase is the ramp-up phase, during which the rocket booster pushes the missile into the sky. Second, during the mid-course phase, the booster comes to a stop as the missile exits the air. Finally, the missile rejoins the atmosphere and jumps on its target during the re-entry or terminal phase.
Sending and receiving an intercontinental ballistic missile in mid-course is difficult since the missile, which is usually installed with nuclear warheads, moves high well outside the atmosphere at a quite high velocity, according to experts. Although it is technically possible to intercept a ballistic missile during the boost phase because the missile is still close to the ground and accelerating, getting close to the launch site, which is bases covered in combat zones, is challenging. Interception during the terminal phase is also difficult due to the high speed of the diving missile, according to experts.
Mid-course detection is becoming even more essential as countries around the world develop hypersonic missiles with wave-rider gliders that can adjust their trajectories mid-flight when they renter the atmosphere, making terminal interception even more complicated, observers agree.