US aims to arm its ships with Patriot missiles due to concerns about China - Reuters
Photo: The US seeks to arm its ships with Patriot missiles (Getty Images)
The US aims to equip its ships with Patriot air defense missiles due to concerns over China's hypersonic weapons, Reuters informs.
Anonymous sources said that fearing that China will deploy hypersonic weapons to sink ships in the Pacific Ocean, the US Navy is moving forward with a plan to arm some of its vessels with Patriot interceptor missiles.
An industry representative mentioned that the deployment of highly maneuverable Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement interceptors, primarily used by the US Army, aims to counter Chinese missile technologies, including the use of highly maneuverable hypersonic weapons.
Development of hypersonic weapons
In recent years, many countries have been working on developing their own medium- and long-range hypersonic weapons.
For instance, in May of this year, China showcased a video of tests for an analog of the Russian hypersonic missile Kinzhal. The missile is known under the designation 2PZD-21. The Chinese first revealed their development in November of last year during an international airshow.
Meanwhile, the United States and Japan have decided to collaboratively create a new missile to counter hypersonic weapons.
