DF-26
| DF-26 | |
|---|---|
 DF-26 missile as seen after the military parade on September 3, 2015. | |
| Type | IRBM ASBM |
| Place of origin | China |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2016[1] |
| Used by | People's Liberation Army Rocket Force |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation |
| Specifications | |
| Warhead | 1,200–1,800 kg thermonuclear weapon Conventional[2] |
| Engine | Solid-fuel rocket |
Operational range | 5,000 km (3,100 mi)[1] |
| Accuracy | 100 m (330 ft) CEP[3] |
Launch platform | Mobile launcher |
The Dong Feng-26 (DF-26, simplified Chinese: 东风-26; traditional Chinese: 東風-26; lit. 'East Wind-26') is an intermediate-range ballistic missile deployed by the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force and produced by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).[4]
Chinese sources claim the DF-26 has a range of over 5,000 km (3,100 mi) and may conduct precision nuclear or conventional strikes against ground and naval targets.[1] It is China's first conventionally-armed ballistic missile claimed to be capable of reaching Guam and the American military installations located there;[3] this has led to the missile being referred to by netizens as the "Guam Express" or "Guam Killer".[5]
The possibility that a DF-26 unit could have nuclear warheads makes it likely an adversary would target these missiles in a first strike.[6]
The missile was officially revealed at the Chinese 2015 parade commemorating the end of the Second World War.[3] In April 2018, it was officially confirmed that the DF-26 was in service with the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF).[7] The United States believes the missile was first fielded in 2016,[1] with 16 operational launchers in 2017.[8]
On 26 August 2020, a DF-26B was launched from Qinghai province, along with another DF-21D launched from Zhejiang province, into an area of the South China Sea between Hainan and the Paracel Islands, as a response to an American U-2 spy plane reportedly entering a no-fly zone during a Chinese live-fire naval drill the day earlier.[9]
Variants[edit]
- DF-26
- DF-26B[10]
See also[edit]
Notes and references[edit]
Citations[edit]
- ^ a b c d United States Department of Defense (2019: 44)
- ^ "China Commissions DF-26 Missile Brigade - Missile Threat". 20 April 2018.
- ^ a b c Wilson: page 8
- ^ Richard D Fisher Jr, James Hardy (30 August 2015). "China previews new ballistic missiles in practices for 3 September parade". Jane's Defence Weekly. IHS. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ Wilson: page 4
- ^ "Meet the DF-31AG and the DF-26: The Big Ballistic Missiles at China's Military Anniversary Parade". Cato Institute. August 8, 2017.
- ^ "Beijing confirms induction of DF-26 ballistic missile into PLARF - Jane's 360". www.janes.com. Archived from the original on 2018-05-04. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
- ^ http://www.nasic.af.mil/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=F2VLcKSmCTE%3d&portalid=19 Archived 2017-07-18 at the Wayback Machine National Air and Space Intelligence Center
- ^ Huang, Kristin (26 August 2020). "Chinese military fires 'aircraft-carrier killer' missile into South China Sea in 'warning to the United States'". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 26 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
The move came one day after China said a US U-2 spy plane entered a no-fly zone without permission during a Chinese live-fire naval drill in the Bohai Sea off its north coast.
- ^ Diplomat, Franz-Stefan Gady, The. "China Tests New Missile Close to Korean Peninsula".
General bibliography[edit]
- United States Department of Defense (May 2019). Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2019 (PDF) (Report). Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
- Wilson, Jordan (10 May 2016). China's Expanding Ability to Conduct Conventional Missile Strikes on Guam (PDF) (Report). United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
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