The US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reignited the debate about the safety of the US Navy’s massive aircraft carriers in the face of China’s burgeoning hypersonic missile arsenal. He contends that hypersonic missiles could sink all US aircraft carriers within minutes of a potential conflict.
However, this prognosis contradicts the evidence gathered from the sinking of the only supercarrier ever.
Hegseth’s remarks from an interview have been in the spotlight, where he claimed that China has been building its military prowess for the sole purpose of defeating the US. The arsenal of Hypersonic Missiles is an essential piece in their quest to achieve supremacy over the US, whose power is projected beyond its borders through aircraft carriers.
“So, if our whole power projection platform is aircraft carriers, and the ability to project power that way strategically around the globe. And, yeah, we have a nuclear triad and all that, but [carriers are] a big part of it. And if 15 hypersonic missiles can take out our 10 aircraft carriers in the first 20 minutes of a conflict, what does that look like?” he said in an interview that has recently surfaced.
The defense secretary’s comments have been gaining attention lately, and defense experts have been contending that the US aircraft carrier strike groups have limited defenses against hypersonic missiles.
Missile attack on an aircraft carrier. AI image.
Globally, the race to develop hypersonic weapons is intensifying. China is touted by the US Department of Defense as the world leader in hypersonic technology, having surpassed the US and Russia in developing both conventional and nuclear-capable hypersonic weapons.
Hypersonic missiles fly at least five times the speed of sound and can change course in flight, challenging defense systems on US Navy ships, especially its floating air bases.
According to a recent intelligence leak, the People’s Liberation Army successfully tested its DF-27 intermediate-range ballistic missile with a hypersonic glide vehicle in 2023, enabling it to effortlessly breach missile defense systems.
According to the 2023 China Military Power Report, the DF-17 HGV-armed medium-range ballistic missile “will transform the PLA’s missile force.” Although it can carry nuclear weapons, it is designed for conventional missions.
