Artist model of the Dongfeng DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missile. Reports said that the Chinese army is ready to deploy the missile anytime this year. (Photo : YouTube)
China is reportedly set to deploy its latest long-range missile, raising concerns amid the rising tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.
According to defense analyst and International Assessment and Strategy Center senior fellow Richard Fisher, China's People Liberation Army (PLA) could possibly deploy the Dongfeng DF-41 long-range intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to its Strategic Rocket Force bases anytime within this year, Business Insider reported.
The missile is classified as a hypervelocity missile, meaning it is capable of reaching speeds in excess of Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound. At this speed, analysts said, the DF-41 will be able to reach targets in the United States in just 30 minutes. Experts added that the missile has an estimated range of 14,500 kilometers, allowing it to strike targets at longer distances than other models.
Unlike the country's earlier silo-based missile system, the DF-41 can be launched from mobile platforms, allowing it to be deployed to different areas more quickly.
It is also believed that the missile can be fitted with multiple independent reentry vehicles (MiRVs), allowing it to deliver payloads to up to 10 different targets simultaneously. Fisher said that such capability could also give a glimpse at the extent of China's current nuclear arms power.
Experts believe that the country currently maintains a stockpile of about 260 nuclear warheads. However, Fisher said that the development of the new missile could also trigger a rapid increase in the number of warheads.
By comparison, the U.S. currently maintains a stockpile of 4,760 warheads.
The development comes amid concerns about growing tensions in the region. According to South Korean officials, North Korea reportedly conducted a short-range missile test off the coast of the peninsula on Friday. The alleged test came on the heels of a long-range rocket test carried earlier this year and the supposed detonation of a hydrogen bomb in January.
In response to the test, China's special representative for Korean affairs Wu Dawei is set to meet with Kimihiro Ishikane of the Japanese foreign ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau on Tuesday, the South China Morning Post reported. The two officials are expected to discuss the situation, as well as the larger issue of the North's continuing nuclear arms push during the meeting.
China is considered by the international community as integral in the effort to exert pressure against the North's militaristic advances, as the former is the latter's biggest ally. Chinese President Xi Jinping has earlier stated that all parties involved in the matter should ensure that U.N. resolutions are carried out as strictly as possible.
