No Measures Exist to Counter Russian, Chinese Hypersonic Weapons - US Watchdog

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - No countermeasures or effective defence exists against the new generation of hypersonic weapons being developed by both Russia and China, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report.

"China and Russia are pursuing hypersonic weapons because their speed, altitude, and manoeuvrability may defeat most missile defence systems, and they may be used to improve long-range conventional and nuclear strike capabilities," the report said on Thursday. "There are no existing countermeasures."

The report also said that China and Russia are developing anti-satellite weapons to threaten US space operations. Beijing, the report claimed, is developing capabilities to conduct large-scale anti-satellite strikes using novel cyber and electronic means.

READ MORE: STRATCOM: US Must Not Trail China, Russia in Aspects of Hypersonic Technology

The report identified 26 long-range emerging threats that the United States faces in the areas of adversary military advancements, dual-use technologies, weapons and demographic changes.