GOP Rep. Gallagher: China Hypersonic Test ‘Worse Than Sputnik’ – ‘We’re Farther Behind Than We Were on Sputnik’

On Wednesday’s “Hugh Hewitt Show,” Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) said China’s hypersonic missile test is “worse than Sputnik. Because we’re farther behind” than we were on the Sputnik launch.

Gallagher stated, “[W]e need to understand that it’s worse than Sputnik. Because we’re farther behind than we were on Sputnik, where we were only six months away from our first Atlas ICBM launch in 1957. Today, we’re not going to be able to get hypersonics in the field until late ’22 or early ’23. The Raytheon CEO just said we’re lagging behind China in hypersonics for years. I would also say there’s another key difference, that gets to your point, Hugh…today, it just doesn’t seem to be having that galvanizing effect, either within the administration, and certainly, within the broader public.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

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