Hi James, my 2-cents. I'm in the hypersonic missiles are hype camp. The U.S. has been researching them from the beginning. The problem is you can't cheat physics. Is there a new material that can survive the heat of supersonic flight in low atmospheres? I don't believe there are or ever will be. I'd have to hear about that before I believe in any "Little Boy" technology. As soon as a missile changes direction it exposes its surface to air-friction. At hypersonic speed? I just don't believe it.

Anyway, China doesn't need hypersonic missiles to take out aircraft carriers. It can probably do the job with enough cruise, ballistics, torpedoes, etc. But I'm not saying they CAN ;) Like Russia, though certainly exponentially better, China is too corrupt and incapable of criticism to develop advanced weapons that work. For all the problems of the U.S., which I'm happy to point out, the fact that people like me CAN point them out eventually keeps people on their toes.

In sum, one weapon could change geopolitics. I just don't believe they have it! If anything, the West has it, but China would have to learn the hard way (as we would would should they have it).