Advertisement
China's military weapons
ChinaMilitary

China’s rocket force tests ‘carrier killer’ DF-26 ballistic missiles

  • Video of PLA rocket force training shows rapid-response drill deploying missiles with 4,000km range that can be used in nuclear or conventional strikes
  • Showing enhanced strike capability against naval vessels sent a warning to foreign forces ‘not to meddle in China’s core interests’, says military analyst

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
35
A Chinese rocket force brigade practised the fast transfer of DF-26 ballistic missiles to another location to launch a second wave of missiles. Photo: Xinhua
Kristin Huang
China’s rocket force has conducted firing exercises involving “carrier killer” DF-26 ballistic missiles.
A missile brigade under the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force recently held launch practice in an unspecified training field at night to improve its combat ability, China National Radio reported on Tuesday.

In the exercise, the brigade practised the fast transfer of missiles to another location to launch a second wave of missiles, a drill to train the brigade’s fast-response capabilities, the report said.

A drone was visible in the drill helping the brigade target objects.

01:50

China’s most advanced amphibious assault ship likely to be deployed in disputed South China Sea

China’s most advanced amphibious assault ship likely to be deployed in disputed South China Sea

The missiles featured in the exercise were DF-26s, according to footage in the online report. The DF-26 has a range of 4,000km (2,485 miles) and can be used in nuclear or conventional strikes against ground and naval targets.

Its dual-capable missile is a type of weapon banned by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed by the US and former Soviet Union towards the end of the Cold War. When the US withdrew from the treaty in 2020, it cited China’s deployment of such weapons as justification.

Advertisement