The U.S. Navy
believes that China has already begun deploying the DF-21D ballistic
missile, which was designed for use against the U.S. Navy, particularly
aircraft carriers. In response the Americans are developing defenses and
countermeasures against the DF-21D. Details of this effort are, for
obvious reasons, kept secret.
The basic DF-21 is a 15 ton, two stage, solid fuel missile
that is 10.7 meters (35 feet) long and 140cm (4.6 feet) in diameter.
Range varies (from 1,700-3,000 kilometers) depending on model. The
DF-21D is believed to have a range of 1,500-2,000 kilometers. While the
500-2,000 kg (.5-2 ton) warhead usually contains a nuclear weapon, there
are also several types of conventional warheads, including one designed
for use against warships. Some of these conventional warheads are for
use against targets in Taiwan. This is because the DF-21, as a longer
range ballistic missile, comes down on the target faster than the 1,200
shorter range ballistic missiles aimed at Taiwan. That means that the
DS-21 is too fast for the Pac-3 anti-missile missiles Taiwan is
installing around crucial installations.
Until recently there was no evidence that the complete DF-21D
system had been tested. But recently satellite photos showed a 200 meter
long white rectangle in the Gobi Desert (in Western China) with two
large craters in it. This would appear to be a “target” for testing the
DF-21D and two of the inert practice warheads appear to have hit the
target. American carriers are over 300 meters long, although the smaller
carriers (amphibious ships with helicopter decks) are closer to 200
meters long. It appears China is planning on the using the DF-21D
against smaller warships, or perhaps they just wanted to see exactly how
accurate the missile could be.
Over the last three years various components of the DF-21D
were tested, but until these satellite photos showed up there was no
evidence that there had been any tests of the complete system against a
carrier size target. In the last two years there have been photos of
DF-21Ds on TELs (transporter erector launcher vehicles), and
announcements of the first units activated three years ago. Now we have
the tests. What has not been tested, apparently is a “dress rehearsal”
test against a large ship (an old tanker or container ship would do) at
sea and moving. That might yet happen.
Meanwhile China has three "remote sensing" satellites in
orbit, moving in formation at an altitude of 600 kilometers, across the
Pacific. Equipped with either radar (SAR, or synthetic aperture radar)
or digital cameras, these three birds can scan the ocean for ships, even
though the Chinese say their purpose is purely scientific. A typical
SAR can produce photo quality images at different resolutions. At medium
resolution (3 meters) the radar covers an area 40x40 kilometers. Low
resolution (20 meters) covers 100x100 kilometers. This three satellite
Chinese posse looks suspiciously like a military ocean surveillance
system. This is the missing link for the Chinese ballistic missile
system designed to attack American aircraft carriers.
China has been developing the DF-21D for about a decade. Most
of the development effort was devoted to targeting systems that would
enable them to seek out and find aircraft carriers. On the DF-21D
warhead itself sensors would use infrared (heat seeking) technology for
their final approach. This sort of thing had been discussed for decades,
but China appears to have put together tactics, sensors and missile
systems that can make this all happen. The key was having multiple
sensor systems which would include satellites, submarines or maritime
patrol aircraft, that could find the general location of the carrier,
before launching the ballistic missile. Those sensors appear to be
operational, as is the DF-21D itself.
The Chinese Second Artillery Force (sometimes called Corps)
operates all land based long range ballistic missiles. Its units operate
over several provinces it has been expanding over the last few years.
This includes adding two brigades armed with theDF-21D. This gives the
Second Artillery Force ten DF-21 brigades, plus brigades with several
other types of missiles. Each of the DF-21 missile brigade has six
missile battalions (with two mobile launchers each), two maintenance and
repair battalions, a site management battalion, a signal battalion and
an electronic countermeasures (ECM) battalion. The other eight DF-21
brigades in the Second Artillery Corps are the older models.
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