Major Shaitan Singh
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Two DF-10 launchers at the military parade in Beijing to mark the 60th anniversary of the PRC's founding, Oct. 1, 2009. (Internet photo)
The Second Artillery Corps, China's strategic missile force, recently changed the name of its Changjiang-10 or CJ-10 land-based cruise missile to the Dongfeng-10 or DF-10, the Sina Military Network based in Beijing reported on Mar. 4.
With an attack range of between 1,500-2,500 km, the DF-10 is designed particularly to strike at US carrier battle groups in the Western Pacific. The official Chinese media claimed that a single warhead carried by a DF-10 missile can sink a 10,000-ton vessel. The missile captured the attention of military experts around the world after its first public appearance in the military parade held in 2009 to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
A variant of the DF-10 called the KD-20 was also designed for the PLA Air Force to launch from the air. Designed to be launched from the H-6K strategic bomber, the attack range of the KD-20 is estimated at between 2,000 and 2,200 kilometers. The design of the DF-10 missile incorporates elements of Soviet Kh-55 cruise missiles. China may also have acquired American Tomahawk missiles from Pakistan and Afghanistan during the development of the DF-10.
China's CJ-10 cruise missile is officially renamed DF-10|Politics|News|WantChinaTimes.com