New Chinese weapons are terrifying.

The Chinese nuclear submarines can launch long-range submarine-launched ballistic missiles, SLBMs, quite soon. Those new weapons are equipped with new nuclear warheads that can have hypersonic glide capacity. That means that the very high-power medium-range DF-17 with hypersonic glide vehicle, HGV called DF-ZF. 

Can fitted to those new nuclear submarines. The thing is that those hypersonic systems are deadly tools. The DF-ZF gliders can also mount to the longer-range ballistic missiles. And Chinese can use them against aircraft carriers and other targets that can be far away from the coastlines. The long-range hypersonic missiles can be the top priority in Chinese military doctrine. 

The idea is that those land-based conventional- or nuclear missiles can be tools that can threaten enemy forces around China. But crews of those systems stay under control. The hypersonic missile can also use the kinetic energy. The speed of those weapons is so high, that they are dangerous without warheads. The speed of a hypersonic drone can be four times higher than famous GAU-8 cannon ammunition. 

And their mass is many times higher than the 30 mm. uranium ammunition. The hypersonic missiles are a big threat. The ability to install those weapons into nuclear submarines is the next step to raise the Chinese fleet strike capacity. The technical advances in the Chinese military have been faster than anybody predicted. 

The next step in that case will be that China will modernize its nuclear submarine fleet. That means China will replace its old, noisy diesel-electric submarines with new nuclear-powered systems. The new innovative propulsion like plasma-pulse engines will give those submarines very powerful attack and stealth capacity. 

Above: Chinese mobile launcher DF-17 with DF-ZF (WU-14) Hypersonic Glide Vehicle.

The electromagnetic rail guns and other new weapons give that military force a new way to complete things like amphibious missions. The intensive hacking and intelligence work might make the new advancements possible. The thing is that China will want to become a global superpower. 

The problem with the Chinese military is that the Chinese economy and entire society are harnessed to serve the People's Liberation Army, PLA. That means that the Chinese military is the center of the China. This means there is no similar resourcing in the West that breaks the investments into the PLA's strike capacity. 

The fast-advancing technology in the Chinese military causes problems with NATO. The U.S. military has problems focusing its newest technology in the case of crises. That started at the same time in Asia and Europe. The elder F-16 and F/A-18 might have problems with Chinese J-20 multirole fighters and the new hypersonic strike capacity. In the same way, this new strike capacity forces the U.S. and its allies to put more money into more expensive military systems. 

That means the Western military grows old faster than we expect. The new advances in quantum computing give the Chinese military forces new ways to make powerful new tools like new stealth bombers and fighters along with new hypersonic stealth missiles that can give powerful surprise attacks. To any target around the world. 

https://interestingengineering.com/military/stealthiest-submarine-aukus-terrify-china-power

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2024/08/china-launches-its-most-sophisticated-submarine-to-date/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DF-17

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DF-ZF