According to sources with knowledge of intelligence reports, China has installed antiship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems on three of its fortified outposts in the Spratly Islands, South China Sea. Reports indicate the YJ-12B ASCM and HQ-9B SAM were moved to Fiery Cross Reef, Subi Reef, and Mischief Reef within the last 30 days....
On April 16, China’s Ministry of Defense announced that the People’s Liberation Army-Rocket Force (PLARF) had recently commissioned a new brigade of its Dong Feng-26 (DF-26) intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM). The DF-26 was first publicly displayed in a September 2015 military parade. Nicknamed the “Guam-killer,” the missile has a range of 3,000-4,000 km and carries...
Later this spring, the Trump administration will release its 2018 Missile Defense Review (MDR), which is expected to better align U.S. missile defense policy with the present security environment. President Barack Obama’s 2010 Ballistic Missile Defense Review (BMDR) reflected the security environment of the time and the aspirations of the Obama administration. In particular, technological...
On April 10, The Diplomat revealed that China is developing and flight testing a nuclear-capable air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM). According to the report, the U.S. intelligence community has designated the missile – likely a variant of the DF-21 MRBM – as CH-AS-X-13. The missile was first tested in December 2016 and was most recently tested...
On April 3, Russian state-run news agency TASS announced that Moscow delivered the first regimental set of S-400 Triumf air defense missile systems to China. “Two vessels have delivered the first regimental set of S-400s from the port of Ust-Lug, Leningrad Region, to China within the time limit established by the contract,” a source familiar...
On March 21, Chinese officials reported the sale of an advanced tracking system used to develop missiles to Pakistan. Zheng Mengwei, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Institute of Optics and Electronics, confirmed that the purchase was of a “highly sophisticated large-scale optical tracking and measurement system.” Optical systems play a critical...
Commercial satellite imagery indicates that China has begun construction of its sixth Type 055 guided-missile destroyer for the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). “The imagery shows that the pier side assembly of the first modules for hull 6 began between 21 December 2017 and 3 January 2018,” an IHS Jane’s analysis notes. “Two Type 055...
On February 5, China’s Defense Ministry claimed to have successfully tested a midcourse missile defense system. The Ministry’s short announcement reads: “China carried out a land-based mid-course missile interception test within its territory on Feb. 5, 2018 and achieved the desired test objective. The test is defensive in nature and not targeted against any country.”...
On January 18, Russian state-run news agency TASS announced that Moscow has begun delivery of S-400 Triumf air defense missile systems to China. “The implementation of the contract has begun, the first shipment has been sent to China,” a source familiar with the sale told TASS. The shipment reportedly includes a control station, a radar...
In November, China conducted two tests the new DF-17 medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM), the first missile with a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) designed for operational deployment by the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF). The first test took place from the Jiuquan Space Launcher Center in Inner Mongolia and traveled a range of approximately 1,400...
