China maintains the largest and most diverse missile arsenal in the world. Since the end of the Cold War, Beijing has rapidly modernized its missile force, growing from a small arsenal of cumbersome, inaccurate ballistic missiles into a formidable force of precision-guided ballistic and cruise missiles, loitering munitions, and—most recently—hypersonic weapons. China’s deployment of hypersonic...
In July and August, China tested two hypersonic weapons, according to “people familiar with US intelligence assessments.” The first weapon, tested July 27, incorporated a fractional orbital bombardment system-like launch vehicle, which partly orbited the Earth before releasing a hypersonic weapon that reentered the atmosphere. Officials stated the weapon “missed its target by about two-dozen...
On February 4, China successfully tested an unspecified land-based midcourse missile defense system. In a February 5 statement, China’s Ministry of National Defense announced that the nighttime test occurred within China’s borders and “achieved the desired test objective.” According to Chinese state media, the flight marked the fourth publicly announced test of a midcourse ballistic...
On August 26, China test fired multiple ballistic missiles, which landed at a site near Hainan and the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. According to Chinese reports, Chinese forces launched one DF-26B from Qinghai in the country’s northwest and one DF-21D ballistic missile from the eastern province of Zhejiang. U.S. intelligence sources later...
China recently test fired two DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missiles, according to People’s Liberation Army (PLA) footage released on August 3. In a subsequent August 6 report, state media reported the launches were part of a “cross-regional confrontational exercise” to verify missile camouflage, maneuvering, and launch under operational conditions. The exercises are expected to continue over...
In late June, India’s armed forces deployed the Akash quick-reaction surface-to-air missile (SAM) system to eastern Ladakh in Kashmir amid tensions with China. The system was deployed “to prevent any misadventure by the Chinese Air Force fighter jets or the People’s Liberation Army choppers there,” Indian government officials told local media. The Akash is a...
For decades, China has engaged in a fervent game of “catch-up” with U.S. military capabilities. This effort, which has ballooned China’s defense spending to 620 percent of its 1990 level, is beginning to bear real fruit. While still far from achieving military parity, China’s military technology and doctrine are quickly coalescing into a coherent form of warfare,...
On October 1, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) celebrated the 70th anniversary of its founding. Among the pageantry was a military parade in which the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) performed a highly orchestrated show of strength, exhibiting many of its strategic weapon systems. While China has regularly held such displays in the past, this...
On October 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that his country was aiding China “to create a missile-warning system, a missile-attack warning system.” While China possesses several long-range radars, it has not yet deployed a larger homeland ballistic missile warning system like Russia and the United States. Details of the cooperation arrangement remain unknown. Related...
On September 30, the People’s Republic of China revealed several missiles for its 70th anniversary celebration. According to Chinese state media, new weapons included the DF-41, a road-mobile ICBM, and the DF-17, a short-range ballistic missile with a hypersonic glide vehicle. During the parade, China also displayed the JL-2, a submarine-launched ballistic missile which previously...
