University of Leicester experts in the military uses of outer space have urged further international dialog and 'cool heads' following flight tests of a new Chinese hypersonic missile system.

Reports of China testing a new orbital launch vehicle, known as Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS), have fuelled concerns about the nuclear weapon state's advancing military capabilities and possible consequences for the United States and its allies.

High-profile flight tests conducted in July and August saw a rocket launched into orbital flight, which later re-entered the atmosphere and released a maneuverable glide vehicle traveling at hypersonic speeds, in excess of five times the speed of sound.

Long-range missile systems like this can carry nuclear or non-nuclear warheads. With no official explanation from the Chinese government, some US commentators were quick to assume the worst—a new Chinese ability to bombard the United States from outer space with nuclear weapons.

But now, in a new policy brief for the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network by Dr. Bleddyn Bowen and Dr. Cameron Hunter, the international relations experts have called for cooler heads in response to the tests.