DF-26 IRBM may have ASM variant, China reveals at 3 September parade

China’s military today unveiled several new strategic weapons in its growing arsenal including a carrier-based long-range fighter jet, a medium-long-range bomber and an anti-ship ballistic missile.

For a fraction of the cost of an aircraft carrier the missile threatens to alter the balance of power in the Pacific. Before Dongfeng-21D made its appearance on Thursday, the missile was only briefly mentioned in 2011 that it was in the works.

What’s notable about the DF-21D is that once it launches into orbit and reenters the atmosphere, intercepting the missile becomes virtually impossible, as it travels at hypersonic speeds.

The new missiles, particularly DF21D, are going to force a rethink among countries who plan to deploy aircraft carriers against China, observers said.

Western military experts estimate that it has a range of about 1,000 miles.

One of the surprising revelations from Chinese television announcers during the 3 September military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War was that the newly revealed DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) may have an anti-ship variant.

Without an adequate counter, the highly anticipated Dongfeng 21D missile may sink the U.S. Navy’s heavy reliance on aircraft carriers by making them as obsolete as battleships, which fell out of favor after Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

Also featured in the military parade was the Dongfeng 21-D “carrier-killer” missile, the Financial Times reported.

Ashley Townshend, a research fellow at the University of Sydney, said this missile could encroach on Washington’s capability “to deploy military power close to Chinese shores”.

The Chinese ships were doing operations “consistent with worldwide law”, US officials told CNN, under the maritime rule of “innocent passage”, where ships are permitted to enter territorial waters and are not challenged so long as they keep moving directly and expeditiously. China brought 12,000 troops and an assortment of aircraft, missiles and tanks to bear for the demonstration. But it relies on a lot of sensors, satellites, radar, and other equipment to lock on a target.