January 15, 2015

CHINESE EXPERT: BEIJING DOES NOT HAVE ICBM FIRST STRIKE CAPABILITY


A variant of DF ICBM of China in a military parade.


Chinese military expert Liu Jiangping has told China's Global Times that PLA is unable to carry a first nuclear strike against the United States while experts from the US have expressed their concerns about the PLA's evolving DF type intercontinental ballistic missiles.

China's DF-31, DF-31A and DF-41 ICBMs are currently under development but should be considered as threats because the propellant used in these missiles are all solid-propellant rockets. Compared to PLA's outmoded DF-5 missile which is using liquid-propellant, DF-31 and DF-41 can take only half an hour to launch because of their solid-propellant. DF-5 takes hours to launch, according to Vasily Kashin of Moscow's Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.

According to a report by the Pentagon of the US, China has at least 10 DF-31 missile systems and its possible that they have 30 DF-31 mobile launching systems while DF-41 can carry multiple warheads that are independently targeted.

Liu Jiangping also told China's Global Times on January 8 that PLA's ability to launch ICBM to strike United States was exaggerated. Liu added that compared to what the US have, PLA's ICBM arsenal is small and that Beijing's missiles could not be used for first strike against America because of their range. meantime, Liu said that Russia tries to turn the attention of the US to China by exaggerating reports of Beijing's Nuclear ICBM capabilities.

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