Pictured is an official artist's impression of China's DF-ZF hypersonic craft. Hypersonic vehicles travel so rapidly and unpredictably they could provide an almost-immediate threat to nations across the globe
- Hypersonic vehicles could deliver missiles, including nuclear weapons and will be capable of hitting targets around the world within minutes of launch
China is developing aircraft capable of reaching US shores with nuclear warheads in just 14 minutes, reports suggest.
The craft will be capable of hypersonic flight speeds of up to 27,000 miles per hour (43,200 kmh) - 35 times the speed of sound.
They will be tested in China's newest military-grade wind tunnel, set to be the world's fastest hypersonic facility when construction is complete 'by 2020', experts claim.
Currently, the world's most powerful wind tunnel is the US LENX-X facility in Buffalo, New York, which operates at speeds of 22,000 miles per hour (36,000 km/h).
The tunnels are being used to develop hypersonic aircraft - those capable reaching five times the speed of sound or more.
The vehicles could be used to deliver missiles, including nuclear weapons, to distant targets around the world within minutes of launch.
China is developing aircraft capable of reaching the US west coast in just 14 minutes, reports suggest. The vehicles will be tested in China's newest military-grade wind tunnel, which will be up and running by 2020. Pictured is the JF-12 hypersonic wind tunnel in Beijing
Dr Zhao Wei, a senior scientist working on China's secretive new tunnel, told the South China Morning Post that it will be up and running by 2020.
He said the tunnel will help meet the pressing demand of China's hypersonic weapons development programme.
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