Hello everyone, welcome back to another episode of Military TV.
Today we are going to take a look at DF-21D, one of medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM)
in the Dong Feng series of China’s manufactured ballistic missiles. If you eager to learn more,
do not go anywhere and stay tuned. The South China Morning Post reported
that on August 26th, 2020, China launched two missiles into the South China Sea,
dropping a clear warning to the United States after a U-2 spy plane claimed to have entered
a no-fly zone without official permission amid Chinese live-fire naval drill off its north coast.
One of the missiles, a DF-21D, which is widely known as the “aircraft-carrier killer”,
ejected from Zhejiang province in the east. But what is DF-21D really is?
According to the statement made by the U.S. Department of Defense in 2010,
China has developed and reached the initial operating capability (IOC)
of an armed hypersonic land-based anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) based on the series
Dong Feng 21. Subsequently named as DF-21D, it would be the first weapon system with the
capacity of targeting moving aircraft carriers from long-range, ground-based mobile launchers.
DF-21D is reportedly an ASBM with a range of 910 nautical miles, with the capacity of hitting ships
at sea, reaching beyond the strait of Taiwan, which is allegedly considered as an area of future
China’s naval dominance. It is expected to carry a 1,330-pound warhead with manoeuvrable re-entry
and terminal guidance capability, which might be guided by radar or data from the Yaogan-series
maritime reconnaissance satellites. The DF-21D is an important and symbolic component of China's
anti-access strategy, when combined with an increasing maritime reconnaissance-strike
network of satellites, over-the-horizon radars, and maritime intelligence assets.
Not only that, the DF-21D is believed to also conduct both conventional and nuclear
precision strikes against ground targets and conventional strikes against naval targets.
Furthermore, Chinese ASBMs are likely to have numerous seekers—both active and passive—as
well as adequate manoeuvrability to hit a target within the effective area of a terminal seeker.
As a consequence, the well-designed ballistic missiles can be surprisingly manoeuvrable.
With the ASBM, the Chinese navy could perform long-range precise strikes against ships,
including aircraft carriers, from mainland China while protecting its surface assets
in the Western Pacific. According to numerous assessments, the US Navy will not be able to
operate within the first island chain, which stretches from Japan to Malaysia.
In hindsight, China’s unstoppable effort to modernize its defence industry signals the country
growing assertiveness not only in the South China Sea, but also in the global arena. According to a
recent government report titled “China’s National Defense in the New Era” which was released by The
State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China, China insists the existence
of large navy forces is meant only to defend themselves and that they do not have any intention
to dominate the region, moreover attaining hegemony or constructing a sphere of influence.
Nonetheless, international commentators and China’s rival the United States might interpret
China’s modernization of weapon system as the country’s growing determination to advance their
military power globally. As a result, China’s navy is increasingly viewed as a serious challenge to
the US Navy's capacity to maintain the control of blue-water ocean areas in the Western Pacific.
That’s all for today. Thanks for watching and see you on the next episode!