Chinese rocket scientist defects

‘An intelligent man who played a key role’

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MI6 PLAYED a key role in helping a senior Chinese scientist defect to the West, intelligence sources revealed last night.

His escape from Beijing has allowed Britain and the US to accelerate defensive programmes against the use of hypersonic missiles. It could also take China two years to tweak its systems and “render this intelligence ineffective”, sources said.

Described as a rocket technician, the Chinese national was attached to the state-owned Aviation Industry Corp of China, where he helped develop a mid-range hypersonic boost-glide vehicle capable of carrying DF-17 missiles to a range of up to 2,000 miles.

Sources say the scientist, in his 30s, is connected with a more recent hypersonic missile delivery system that can circle the globe before descending from space and use heat-seeking technology to strike any target on Earth.