Know all about China’s Dongfeng missile which can strike anywhere in the world
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China's intercontinental missile, Dongfeng 41 which has capabilities of striking anywhere in the world is all set to be inducted into the Peoples' Liberation Army.
A media report stated that the missile will be inducted into the PLA early next year. The new missile - the Dongfeng-41 - also has a speed of more than Mach 10 and can use decoy devices and chaff to pierce its way through the enemy's missile warning and defence systems.
The missile which underwent another test - the eighth since it was first announced in 2012 - could be in the People Liberation Army's line-up as early as the first half of 2018, state-run Global Times said.
The
missile
must
have
matured
considerably
if
it
is
to
start
serving
in
the
PLA,
Xu
Guangyu,
a
senior
adviser
of
the
China
Arms
Control
and
Disarmament
Association
said.
The
Dongfeng-41
is
a
three-stage
solid-fuel
missile
with
a
range
of
at
least
12,000
kms,
meaning
it
could
strike
anywhere
in
the
world
from
a
mainland
site,
Xu
told
the
Global
Times,
adding
that,
"it
can
carry
up
to
10
nuclear
warheads,
each
of
which
can
target
separately."
The South China Morning Post reported that China had possibly tested the ICBM in its Western desert area in early November, but it did not give the exact location or date of the test.
Another report on the seventh test-firing of the Dongfeng-41 came from a US satellite tracking system and appeared in the Washington Free Beacon in April 2016.
Song Zhongping, a Phoenix TV commentator and former member of the PLA's Second Artillery Corps (Rocket Force), is of the view that the Dongfeng-41 is very likely already in service, since tests and other checks of missiles can be conducted after deployment as well.
Song said that the deployment of the missile certainly demonstrates China's nuclear deterrence abilities.
"Once the Dongfeng-41 goes into service, China's ability to protect its own safety and to prevent wars would greatly increase," Xu said.
Russian experts feel that the missile deployment aimed at the US as they could reach most of America and Europe.
A commentary in Global Times at that time said the deployment of the DF-41 was a "strategic deterrence tool" and Beijing would "ready itself for pressures" imposed by the new US government headed by President Donald Trump.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force on Sunday showed five models of China's homemade conventional and nuclear missiles.
China has a range of missiles which included the Dongfeng-26 ballistic missile, the Dongfeng-21D land-based anti-ship ballistic missile described as a "carrier killer," and the Dongfeng-16G conventional missile designed for precision strikes against key enemy targets.
OneIndia News