U.S. Responds To China’s Offensive Weapons Systems

US plans new space weapons against China
telegraph co.uk
The Pentagon is spending billions of dollars on new forms of space warfare to counter the growing
risk of missile attack from rogue states and the “satellite killer” capabilities of China.
Congress has allocated funds to develop futuristic weapons and intelligence systems that operate
beyond the Earth’s atmosphere as America looks past Iraq and Afghanistan to the wars of the future.
The most ambitious project in a new $459 billion (£221.5 billion) defence spending Bill is the
Falcon, a reusable “hypersonic vehicle” that could fly at six times the speed of sound and deliver
12,000lb of bombs anywhere in the world within minutes.
The bombs’ destructive power would be multiplied by the Earth’s gravitational pull as they
travelled at up to 25 times the speed of sound towards their target.
The cost of the vehicle has not been revealed, but a spokesman for the Pentagon’s Defence
Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) said a first test flight was scheduled for next year.

Loren Thompson, a leading defence analyst in Washington, said the focus of the
project was attacking “time sensitive targets” in states such as North Korea and Iran, which have
either developed nuclear weapons without international approval or are suspected of doing so.

“If we received intelligence that a strike was about to happen on South Korea, or on
Israel, we would want to destroy that within minutes and not hours. But from most current US bases
that is not feasible.

“With a hyper-sonic vehicle launching from the Middle East or Asia you could be over
hostile territory within minutes,” he said. “It’s not just a question of can we destroy North Korean
weapons, but can we get there quickly enough in the event of an imminent launch?”

Darpa is also developing a small unmanned launch vehicle that would provide “responsive and
affordable” access to space, for less than $5 million per launch. The first test flight was made in
March.
It would be capable of re-launching satellites that had been attacked, or acting as a fast-moving
replacement for a damaged satellite with intelligence sensors of its own that could identify enemy
installations.
In its 621-page report on the Defence Appropriations Bill, Congressmen from both
Republican and Democratic parties said: “Enhancing these capabilities is crucial, particularly
following the Chinese anti-satellite weapons demonstration last January.”
In China’s first successful test of an anti-satellite system, a ground-based missile fired
into space shattered a weather satellite in low earth orbit. The Pentagon has also given warning
that China is making greater efforts to hack into its defence computers.

Congress awarded $150 million for the Falcon project and its associated
“prompt global strike” programme. A defence industry source said it was likely that hundreds
of millions more were being spent on space warfare “away from the public view”.

The “global strike” platform would give America the “forward presence” it requires
around the world without the need for bases outside the US.

Attempts to base missile defence shields in Poland and Czechoslovakia have provoked a fierce
row with Russia, while Uzbekistan, which neighbours Afghanistan, evicted the US from an
air base two years ago.
FALCON HYPERSONIC CRUISE VEHICLE
Max speed: Mach 6 (4,614mph)
Payload: 12,000lbs including cruise missles, 1,000lbs penetrator munitions and independent ‘kill gliders’
CRUISING ALTITUDES
Satellites: 370 miles
Space shuttle: 230 miles
Falcon: 28 miles
Concorde: 12 miles
Airliners: 6 miles

Wild Thing’s comment……..
So much for Bill Clinton selling China the ability to put weapons in orbit. The title of this article
sure makes it sound like the U.S. is the aggressor. “US plans new space weapons
against China”. We’ve gotten ourselves into a real mess with China thanks to the Clinton’s
especially, and it’s going to get a lot worse from here on out. imo