Foreign Policy Research Institute A Nation Must Think Before it Acts What Did China Test? Examining FOBS, Hypersonics, and China’s August Flight Test

What Did China Test? Examining FOBS, Hypersonics, and China’s August Flight Test

October 21, 2021 | 10:00 am to 11:00 am | Asia ProgramChina CenterNational Security Program

About the Event

On October 16, a Financial Times article revealed that China recently flight-tested a nuclear-capable delivery system that reportedly launched a hypersonic glide vehicle into low-earth orbit, rather than a traditional ballistic trajectory. The test has evoked Cold War memories of the Soviet Union’s Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS) and prompted speculation about the strategic ramifications of this technology. If deployed, what will it mean for early-warning, missile defense, and nuclear deterrence? Join FPRI’s Director of Research, Dr. Aaron Stein, as he discusses the topic with Dr. Laura Grego, a Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at MIT and an expert on nuclear weapons and missile defense.


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Speakers

Laura Grego

Laura Grego - Dr. Laura Grego is a Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at MIT’s Laboratory for Nuclear Security and Policy, on leave from the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Global Security Program, where she is senior scientist and research director.

Aaron Stein

Aaron Stein - Aaron Stein is a Black Sea Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) and Chief Content Officer at Metamorphic Media/War on the Rocks.