Chinese Missiles News & Discussions
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samsara
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From our int'l mod, Rupprecht Andreas Deino @RupprechtDeino on 2020-10-17:
Concerning the recent sighting of the PLAAF H-6N and its supposed huge ALBM/ALAShBM here's an interesting estimation of that missile's dimension.
(Image via @92军迷 from http://bbs.meyet.net)
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China develops two new airborne ballistic missile systems
By Henri Kenhmann | East Pendulum
While Russia has officially announced the entry into service of a new hypersonic missile known as the Kh-47M2 "Kinzhal", which is nothing less than an airborne ballistic missile system, China for its part would also be developing two vectors of the same concept but this time discreetly.
The news was first revealed in early March 2018 by Lieutenant General Robert Ashley, director of the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), in his testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee on threats to the national security.
These capabilities are being augmented with two new air-launched ballistic missiles, one of which may include a nuclear payload - Lt. Gen. Robert ashley
Ashley said in his speech that the Chinese Rocket Force is bolstering its conventional and nuclear capabilities to accurately strike targets as far as Guam, which is the main US military base in the Western Pacific, relying on both the DF-21 anti-ship ballistic missile (in fact the DF-21D) and also the DF-26 long-range missile, itself capable of hitting fixed targets on the ground or moving at sea. All this is complemented by a growing array of cruise missiles of all kinds, as well as "two new airborne ballistic missiles, one of which could carry a nuclear charge".
The declaration of the director of the DIA, if it gives some credibility to the existence of such a development program in China, only confirms in reality the rumors circulating for two years, affirming that a platform capable of transporting a medium-range anti-ship ballistic missile - derived from the H-6K bomber and fitted with a supply pole to maintain or increase its range - would have reached the final stage of development. The first inaugural flight would have taken place in December 2016.
And the reference of H-6N, the meaning of which is not known to date (back then) [today we do know that H-6N is a variant of H-6 series bomber with capability to launch nuclear weapon attacks], also appears in some recent publications of the Chinese aircraft manufacturer AVIC (see our article on "H-6N, H-X... Chinese bomber programs are multiplying").
Not knowing its official designation given by the Chinese military, the American intelligence services referenced one of these two new Chinese missiles the "CH-AS-X-13", AS for Anti-Ship probably, and estimating the range of the machine to about 3,000 kilometers.
And according to US government sources, relayed by our colleague Ankit Panda in The Diplomat, this Chinese missile has already carried out five test shots. The first took place in December 2016, and the last in the last week of January 2018.
If it is difficult to reconstruct with open sources the first flight test of the system, because no less than 17 similar ballistic activities were recorded during the month of December alone in 2016, the last test dating from January 2018 seems easier to trace.
Indeed, if we filter the messages to airmen (NOTAM) valid between January 28 and 31 2018 and around Dingxing Air Base where most of the Chinese air weapons tests take place, we think that this fifth test reported by US sources would have taken place either on January 30, or on January 31 at two separate windows.
Just like the "Kinzhal" whose development is based on a Russian 9M723 short-range ground-to-ground ballistic missile (from the 9K720 Iskander system), it is believed that engineers from the Chinese missilier group CASIC have adopted the same approach, to reduce the development cycle, basing the design of the "CH-AS-X-13" on the DF-21 medium-range ballistic missile, and more specifically the AShBM DF-21D if the new missile is actually intended to strike large naval targets at sea.
Given the relatively large size of the DF-21/DF-21D, which measures 1.4 meters in diameter and 10.7 meters long for the land version, it is by no means surprising that the Chinese need to design a larger platform than the MiG-31K to carry and launch the new missile.
As for the estimated range of 3,000 kilometers of the "CH-AS-X-13" compared to about 1,500 km for the DF-21D, this is consistent when you consider that the announced range of the "Kinzhal" has increased fourfold compared to its twin ground-to-ground version.
DF-21D TELs (bottom) and DF-26 TELs with twice the range, both capable of hitting ships while sailing (Photo: Chinese Military)
The question now arises as to the objective of such an airborne missile system and its possible operational deployment. If this "CH-AS-X-13" is indeed designed for anti-ship, in particular against aircraft carriers which remain an "obsession" in all senses of the term of the Chinese military over the last 30 years, why develop such a capacity when it would duplicate the DF-21D ground-to-sea on the one hand, and the long-range DF-26 on the other?
Without being behind the scenes of small secrets, it is thought that the new "CH-AS-X-13" serves to expand the range of existing "anti-aircraft" weapons, and to give an additional dimension and greater operational flexibility to the overall "Anti Access / Area Denial" (A2/AD) system in China. This proliferation of offensive vectors would make counter-measures more difficult to maintain and succeed.
Its development also converts the DF-21D ground-to-sea, initially limited in range, to double its range to reach the same level as the DF-26 IRBM. On the other hand, it does not seem to be relevant both technically and operationally to develop an air-to-ground version based on the latter.
And the associated technologies would not only be dedicated to the military field and could be beneficial to some civilian programs. For example, this could allow CASIC, also a major player in the Chinese aerospace sector, to develop an airborne satellite launcher, similar to what it does with its competitor CASC with a Y-20 transport aircraft.
As for the question on the possible operational deployment of the missile, it will undoubtedly remain in the direction of the ocean, that is towards the Pacific Ocean as well as the South China Sea, with a possible extension to the Indian Ocean.
In view of its relatively short development, since the first pre-studies of an “airborne anti-ship ballistic missile” seem to have started around 2005, it would once again be a “pragmatic” and “contextual” weapon. the Chinese military, as for example the hypersonic glider missile DF-17 as well as the hypersonic reconnaissance drone of AVIC, which has a very precise and targeted objective, and would not therefore have a more general utility outside the sphere Chinese A2/AD.
One of the Chinese R&D documents dating from 2005 on the subject of the airborne ballistic missile dedicated to anti-ship missions.
Henri K.
2018-06-20
samsara
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决胜利器（4）：“东风家族”不断壮大！探秘中国新一代核打击利器 东风-5B战略核导弹使命必达 「兵器面面观」| 军迷天下
本期节目主要内容：东风夜放花千树，早在一千多年前的宋代火药已经在中国民间得到广泛应用，各种样式的烟花层出不穷，每逢节庆夜晚人们相聚在院落街头，仰看火树银花共赏漫天烟彩。当时的人们在纸筒中放入火药，然后用泥土封住一头，另一头用引信点燃，只听一声呼啸，纸筒冲天而起。这或许是人类历史上最早利用火箭推进原理升空的飞行器。然而没人能够想到，千年之后，本为娱乐众人而生的它会变身为一枚枚名叫“导弹”的庞然大物。
Decisive weapon (4): "Dongfeng family" continues to grow! Exploring China's new generation of nuclear weapon: Dongfeng-5B (DF-5B) strategic nuclear missile mission will certainly achieve its eminence
Gunpowder during the Song Dynasty, as early as over a thousand years ago, has been widely used among Chinese people. Various styles of fireworks emerge in endlessly. People gather in the streets of the courtyard at every festival nights to watch the fireworks and enjoy the colorful sparks. At that time, people put gunpowder into paper cans, and then sealed one end with mud, and the other end was ignited with a fuse. Only when they heard a whistling sound, the paper cylinder soared into the sky. This is perhaps the first aircraft in human history to use the principle of rocket propulsion to launch. However, no one could imagine that, after a thousand years it was invented to entertain people, then it would turn into a huge thing called "Missiles".
Watch the footage, it's an interesting program, though as usual, without English subtitles.
Qian Xuesen explained the Medium and Long Range Missiles and ICBM
Qian Xuesen “Two Bombs and One Satellite” - Can China engages in missiles
(Source: Quora capture)
• This segment also mentions the ballistic trajectory: “Qian Xuesen trajectory” vs. “Sanger trajectory”.
(Source: CCTV-7 capture, with added English descriptions)
(Source: Quora capture)
• Liang Sili - Deputy Chief Designer of Dongfeng-5 (DF-5)
(Source: CCTV-7 capture)
• Assassin's Mace 杀手锏 (Shashoujian)
China's missile ranges: Short; Medium; Long ranges and ICBM
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samsara
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An impressive short footage posted by Henri.
A DF-10A cruise missile brigade on firing practice (2020-10)
A DF-10A cruise missile brigade on firing practice (2020-10)
