China developing 4,600mph hypersonic ‘EMP’ missile that could plunge cities into darkness with ‘chemical explosion’

CHINESE scientists are developing a hypersonic weapon designed to generate an intense electromagnetic pulse that would wipe out communication and power supply lines. The missile, which has a range of 2,000 miles and can travel at six times the speed of sound, is designed to create a chemical explosion over a city and cripple it within seconds.  ShutterstockIntense electromagnetic pulse or microwaves produced upon explosion would be able to ‘burn out power and communications in a city[/caption] According to the team of researchers at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology in Beijing, it would stay within the earth’s atmosphere to dodge space-based early warning systems. Once over the target area, a chemical explosion is triggered that would compress an electrically charged magnet known as a “flux compression generator”. This would convert the shock energy to short but extremely powerful bursts of microwaves. Engineering scientist Sun Zheng and his co-researchers, writing in a domestic journal called  Tactical Missile Technology, state: “It can release 95 per cent of the energy in just 10 seconds, suitable for instantaneous discharge to cause electromagnetic pulse damage. “This would cause the effective burnout of key electronic devices in the target information network within a range of 2km. “The active stealth electromagnetic pulse weapon based on energy regeneration conforms to the current development trend of rapid warfare, strong confrontation, and full-dimensional information damage.” Most read in The Sun ROCK ICON DEAD Status Quo founder & bassist Alan Lancaster dies aged 72 after MS battle FAIR SHARE Full list of petrol stations with £30 fuel limit including BP, Esso and Texaco MURDER PROBE Third man, 38, arrested on suspicion of murdering teacher Sabina Nessa POINT TO SUCCEED I retired at 35 with nearly £1m in savings - here's how I did it SOCKET AND SEE AJ taken to hospital with suspected broken eye socket after Usyk battering SQUEAMISH Stacey Solomon reveals panic giving birth to Rex A major advantage of their new weapon is that the enemy would not know it was on the way. Because it speeds through the air at hypervelocity, air molecules are ionised by the heat and form a thin layer of plasma over the missile surface which effectively acts as a cloak that can absorb radar signals, but not all. A Nanjing-based hypersonic researcher not involved in the project said the idea was feasible, the South China Morning Post reports.  This comes amid an arms race to build hypersonic weapons.  In December, Chinese scientists successfully tested a hypersonic jet engine that could fly a missile at 12,000mph. Just days before the US Air Force mounted an advanced stealth cruise missile on the B-1B Lancer for the first time, as the US, Russia and China compete to master hypersonic weapons for warfare. After a year of deteriorating relations between the US and China, The United States-Chinese Economic and Security Review Commission warned that China’s military could be ready to fight extended foreign wars in the next 15 years. The Russian military successfully tested an “unstoppable” hypersonic nuclear missile that flies through the air at more than 6,000mph in October. It “successfully” hit a dummy target 280 miles away, taking just four minutes to get there. AlamyThe weapon can be fired by a Nanchang Q-5 “Fantans[/caption] We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun news desk? Email us at exclusive@the-sun.co.uk or call 02077824104. You can WhatsApp us on 07423 720 250. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours Click here to get The Sun newspaper delivered for FREE for the next six weeks.