Engineering: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][citation needed] |
| 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 |
| Accuracy | 100 m (330 ft) CEP[3] |
Launch platform | Mobile launcher |
The Dong Feng-26 or DF-26 (simplified Chinese: 东风-26; traditional Chinese: 東風-26; literally: 'East Wind-26'; NATO reporting name: CH-SS-18[4]) 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).[5]
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][citation needed] 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 as the "Guam Express" or "Guam Killer".[6]
The possibility that a DF-26 unit could have nuclear warheads makes it likely an adversary would target these missiles in a first strike.[7]
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).[8] The United States believes the missile was first fielded in 2016,[1][citation needed] with 16 operational launchers in 2017.[9][needs update]
Tests and deployments
On 26 August 2020, along with a DF-21D, a DF-26B was launched into an area of the South China Sea between Hainan and the Paracel Islands, one day after China said that an American U-2 spy plane entered a no-fly zone without its permission during a Chinese live-fire naval drill in the Bohai Sea off its north coast[10] (the US confirmed a U-2 sortie but denied it was improper.[11][12][13]) and came as Washington blacklisted 24 Chinese companies and targeted individuals it said were part of construction and military activities in the South China Sea.[14][15][16] US officials subsequently claimed that the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) had fired four medium-range ballistic missiles in total.[15][14] The missile tests drew criticism from Japan, the Pentagon and Taiwan and led to volatility in Asian markets.[17][15][14][18] As of 2019, the DF-26 has not been tested against targets at sea.[19]
Variants
- DF-26
- DF-26B[20]
See also
- Agni-IV
- DF-21
- DF-27
- RSD-10 Pioneer
Notes and references
Citations
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 United States Department of Defense (2019: 44)
- ↑ "China Commissions DF-26 Missile Brigade - Missile Threat". 20 April 2018. https://missilethreat.csis.org/china-commissions-df-26-missile-brigade/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Wilson: page 8
- ↑ For Strategic Studies (Iiss), The International Institute (15 February 2023). "6 Asia". The Military Balance 2023. London: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781003400226. ISBN 9781003400226.
- ↑ 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). http://www.janes.com/article/53896/china-previews-new-ballistic-missiles-in-practices-for-3-september-parade.
- ↑ Wilson: page 4
- ↑ "Meet the DF-31AG and the DF-26: The Big Ballistic Missiles at China's Military Anniversary Parade". August 8, 2017. https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/meet-df-31ag-df-26-big-ballistic-missiles-chinas-military-anniversary-parade.
- ↑ "Beijing confirms induction of DF-26 ballistic missile into PLARF - Jane's 360". http://www.janes.com/article/79676/beijing-confirms-induction-of-df-26-ballistic-missile-into-plarf.
- ↑ http://www.nasic.af.mil/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=F2VLcKSmCTE%3d&portalid=19 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'". https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3098972/chinese-military-launches-two-missiles-south-china-sea-warning. "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."
- ↑ "China protests U.S. spy plane watching drills". Reuters. August 25, 2020. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-usa-security/china-protests-u-s-spy-plane-watching-drills-idUSKBN25L1Q2.
- ↑ Lloyd Parry, Richard (August 26, 2020). "Beijing up in arms over US spyplane sorties". The Times UK. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/beijing-up-in-arms-over-us-spyplane-sorties-j9rwgz06h. "The US air force confirmed that a U-2 surveillance aircraft had made the flight but insisted that it did nothing wrong."
- ↑ Capaccio, Anthony (August 29, 2020). "China's Missile Volley Sparked by Cold-War-Throwback Spy Plane". Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-29/china-s-missile-volley-sparked-by-cold-war-throwback-spy-plane.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "U.S., China trade jibes as military tensions worsen". Reuters. August 27, 2020. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-defence-china/us-china-trade-jibes-as-military-tensions-worsen-idUSKBN25N0D6.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 "China fires missiles into South China Sea as U.S. sanctions Beijing". The Japan Times. The Japan Times. Aug 27, 2020. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/08/27/asia-pacific/missiles-south-china-sea-us-sanctions/.
- ↑ "U.S. targets Chinese individuals, companies amid South China Sea dispute". Reuters (Reuters). Aug 26, 2020. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-southchinasea-companies/us-targets-chinese-individuals-firms-amid-south-china-sea-dispute-idUSKBN25M1O6. "A U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters that on Wednesday China launched four medium-range ballistic missiles that hit the South China Sea between Hainan Island and the Paracel Islands."
- ↑ "China fires two missiles into the South China Sea and Asian markets feel the blow". Business Insider India. August 27, 2020. https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/china-fires-two-missiles-into-the-south-china-sea-and-asian-markets-feel-the-blow/articleshow/77777358.cms.
- ↑ "Tsai calls on China to 'restrain itself'". Taipei Times, CNA and Bloomberg. August 28, 2020. https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2020/08/28/2003742411.
- ↑ "Strategic Weapons: Potential Versus Proven Threats". https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/hticbm/articles/20190321.aspx.
- ↑ Diplomat, Franz-Stefan Gady, The. "China Tests New Missile Close to Korean Peninsula". https://thediplomat.com/2017/05/china-tests-new-missile-close-to-korean-peninsula/.
General bibliography
- United States Department of Defense (May 2019). Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2019 (Report). https://media.defense.gov/2019/May/02/2002127082/-1/-1/1/2019_CHINA_MILITARY_POWER_REPORT.pdf. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
- Wilson, Jordan (10 May 2016). China's Expanding Ability to Conduct Conventional Missile Strikes on Guam (Report). United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission. http://www.uscc.gov/sites/default/files/Research/Staff%20Report_China's%20Expanding%20Ability%20to%20Conduct%20Conventional%20Missile%20Strikes%20on%20Guam.pdf. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
 |  |
