According to the recent Pentagon report on China’s Military Power, China’s Dong Feng-17 (DF-17)
medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) powered DF-ZF hypersonic glide vehicle
(HGV) is intended to attack foreign military installations and fleets in the Western Pacific.
The report released on November 29 described China as the “most consequential and systemic
challenge to our national security and a free and open international system.”
It stated in no ambiguous terms that PLA’s missile force was transforming,
thanks to that particular missile.
In this video, Defense Updates analyzes why the Pentagon is wary of the Chinese DF-17-powered
DF-ZF hypersonic glide vehicle? Let’s get started.
The hypersonic missile grabbed attention when it debuted in October 2019 at a military
parade marking the 70th anniversary of Communist Party rule in China.
Later, in 2021, the PLA conducted its first known hypersonic test
involving the Glide vehicle in the spring of 2021, which unnerved the United States.
DF-ZF hypersonic glide vehicle is launched to extremely high
altitudes using DF-17 where it skips across the Earth’s upper
atmosphere and then glides back attaining hypersonic speed that is more than Mach 5.
The Pentagon’s 2021 China report stated,
“The DF-17 passed several tests successfully and is deployed operationally. While the DF-17
is primarily a conventional platform, it may be equipped with nuclear warheads”
The system is thought to have a range of 2,500 kilometers or 1,550 miles.
The range gives it the ability hit American bases in the region.
It could hit US military infrastructure in Yokosuka, Japan, and South Korea
Citing a claim by a Chinese military expert, the Pentagon added that the
“primary purpose of the DF-17” is striking bases and fleets in the Western Pacific.
The system, deployed in 2020, is thought to have replaced some outdated short-range
ballistic missile (SRBM) systems, the DoD added, citing Chinese media.
This is in sync with Chinese analysts’ assertions
that the missile could strike US Pacific bases with its high speed and camouflage.
There hasn’t been much information regarding the capacity to attack aircraft carriers but
some reports from China indicate that it was capable of doing so.
It is to be noted that, if armed with a tactical nuke, the system will not have to hit a carrier
directly and a blast in the vicinity could be enough to cripple an American supercarrier.
Intercepting any missile is a difficult task, but HGVs are an even harder nut to crack.
Due to its high speed, low trajectory, and maneuverability, the HGV can successfully
penetrate advanced air defenses in circumstances where more conventional systems would likely fail.
Earlier, a report in the Global Times said that “US air defense systems including THAAD,
SM-3 and Patriot missiles deployed in South Korea,
Japan, the island of Taiwan and on US warships will not work against the DF-17.”
The US
has earlier acknowledged China’s growing missile capability and the threats they bring in
For instance, the Pentagon has shifted attention to strengthening Guam’s
missile defense to shield it from China’s long-range missile DF-26,
which has the range to strike the critical Andersen Air Base.
Even though US Patriot and THAAD batteries protect the region,
they are not designed to defend against an incoming hypersonic projectile like the DF-ZF.
The US is working on hypersonic defense, but the project is still in the works.
So, currently, the American commanders in the region
don’t have a counter to this Chinese weapon.
China has criticized the Pentagon’s report, however, as evident concerns
in the United States regarding the DF-17-powered DF-ZF is legitimate.