Australian and US joint production of hypersonic missiles would help ease the pressure on American’s defense industry and improve deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, stated US Republican lawmaker Michael McCaul on Friday at Sydney.
As he told reporters, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said that Australia’s manufacture of this high-tech weaponry showed how it could compete with China in developing advanced weapons through streamlined licensing of sensitive US defense technology and license exemptions on 70% of defense exports to Australia from Sep 1.
China tested hypersonic missiles, which travel more than five times faster than sound in the upper atmosphere last year leading to a technological race with America as well. They were also used by Russia recently during its invasion of Ukraine, which worried many NATO members.
According to McCaul, “A Chinese hypersonic weapon ‘could hit Australia in a matter of minutes and Australia cannot stop that right now. So we need to catch up to that”.
He said later: “I was at a hypersonic company just yesterday and we want to move towards co-production.”
“And it is starting already and it is an exciting thing because it helps.defense industrial base,” he added.
Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton (R) and US Secretary for Defense Lloyd Austin (L) shake hands before their meeting at Admiralty House in Sydney on October 18, 2021. The United States will share nuclear submarine technology with close Pacific ally Australia as part of a new Indo-Pacific security alliance intended to counter China’s growing influence.
Australia is testing a Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) with the United States, which will consider it as its first one for fighter jets after talks between their defence ministers couple days ago.
Meanwhile his trip focused on AUKUS partnership with US-Britain alliance aimed at transferring nuclear-powered submarines into Australia as well as advancing other sophisticated defense technologies.
In Australia, Republican attacks against China’s military are a sign of their willingness to spend more on defense, even if Trump is reelect and continues to support a growing US defense posture in Australia or the sale of American nuclear submarines within the next decade.
Trump-era AUKUS talks had started
“I think there will be strong support for it,” he said.
In addition, McCaul’s visit to the Philippines revealed that US nuclear submarine rotations under AUKUS serve as a deterrent in that region where China has been putting pressure on Manila over South China Sea conflicts.
“Chinese President Xi Jinping fears this alliance above all else because he knows what it represents – not only rotational nuclear submarines but also such groundbreaking technologies like ours,” he added.
The Chinese foreign ministry this week in Beijing stated that AUKUS “harms efforts” for regional peace and security and fuels an arms race instead.
