These hypersonic missiles “exploit low trajectories” meaning they travel at low altitudes and can be impacted by adverse weather and atmospheric conditions, he added.
He believes that a war over Taiwan could see another surprise attack in Hawaii, this time by China. Other US bases in Japan, South Korea and the US Pacific coast could also be targeted.
Beijing has expanded its hypersonic missile system, in part, as an effort to keep US carrier groups away from mainland China in the event of a war. The missiles pose a huge threat to American carriers which would likely be used to fly sorties and strike the Chinese mainland.
The green lasers can be seen sweeping across the sky in a fraction of a second in a video recorded by a National Astronomical Observatory of Japan camera atop the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii. The island is home to several military installations including US Indo-Pacific Command headquarters.
“I’m not sure, and this is my opinion, why the Chinese, who are probably some of the most prolific polluters on the planet, would be collecting data on pollutants on this side of the Pacific,” said former chief of staff of Marine Forces Pacific Ray L’Heureux.
READ MORE: US deals massive blow to China as Xi plots ‘ramp up military’
