At the end of January 2018, the Chinese military tested the upgraded DF-21D missile. According to representatives of the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA), the effectiveness of the weapon has been improved, according to the Chinese television channel CCTV. The channel's story told that the rocket was launched from a mobile launcher of a new type, which is able to move off-road.
The DF-21D (DongFeng, translated from Chinese as "East Wind") is a Chinese solid-propellant two-stage medium-range ballistic missile. What makes this weapon unique is the fact that it is the world's first and only anti-ship ballistic missile. It is also believed that the DF-21D was the first weapon system capable of engaging enemy moving aircraft carrier strike groups (AUG) at a great distance using mobile ground launchers. This ballistic missile, which is already called the "killer of aircraft carriers", ranks first in the ranking of the most formidable weapons in China, compiled by the US Department of Defense. It is worth noting that in 1974, the Soviet Union developed the R-27K ballistic missile of a similar purpose as the Chinese DF-21D missile, but the Soviet design was never put into service.
Back in August 2010, The Washington Times published analysts' opinion that the East Wind missile could penetrate the defenses of the best American aircraft carriers and could become the first threat to the global dominance of the US Navy at sea since the Cold War. Currently, the American military is closely watching the tests of new missile weapons in China. So in November 2017, according to American intelligence, two flight tests of the new DF-17 ballistic missile, which was equipped with a hypersonic glider, took place in China under secrecy conditions.
The upgraded DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile tested at the end of January, which, according to preliminary data, could receive a new index - DF-21G, has become 30 percent more powerful than the previous modification. In addition to describing the increased power and the fact that a new mobile launcher could be created for the rocket, the Chinese publications do not provide any additional information. It can only be noted that earlier, Chinese military experts have already highlighted many times a unique reloading system for the DF-21D missile system, which makes it possible to re-launch a ballistic missile after a few minutes.
It is worth noting that an extremely small amount of reliable information can be found about the DF-21D rocket, while the Chinese media literally mentioned the tests of the upgraded version of the rocket in two lines. The DF-21D rocket and the launcher for its launch were first shown to the general public only on September 3, 2015. They were shown in Beijing as part of a large military parade, which was timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.
The history of the appearance and features of the DF-21D
Initially, the DF-21 medium-range mobile missile system was created to strike at command posts, administrative and political centers of the enemy, as well as small area targets: seaports, airfields, oil and gas terminals, power plants. The DF-21 was created as a strategic weapon, but later these medium-range ballistic missiles became carriers not only of nuclear (warhead power of about 300 kt), but also of conventional weapons.
The lead developer of the Chinese DF-21 complex was the Second Aerospace Academy of the PRC, today known as the China Changfeng Mechanics and Electronics Technology Academy (CCMETA). This academy is part of the China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation. Work on the creation of an intermediate-range ballistic missile has been actively carried out in China since the mid-1970s. They developed in parallel with work on the creation of the country's first solid-propellant missile for submarines JL-1. In the design of the new DF-21 medium-range missile, the developments on the body and engine of the JL-1 rocket were widely used. The chief designer of both missiles was Huang Weilu. From a technical point of view, the DF-21 is a two-stage solid-propellant rocket equipped with a detachable warhead. The DF-21 is China's first land-based solid-propellant ballistic missile.
The first successful flight tests of the new missile took place in China on May 20, 1985. Two years later, in May 1987, the second flight tests of the rocket took place, the tests were carried out at the 25th missile base (Uchzhai). In 1988, the tests of the DF-21 complex were successfully completed, but the adoption of the new missile into service was delayed. In the future, the rocket was continuously upgraded. In 1996, a modification of the DF-21A with a circular deviation of 100-300 meters was adopted. In 2006, the DF-21C rocket was shown for the first time with a circular probable deviation, which decreased to 30-40 meters. The most modern serial version of the rocket is the DF-21D version, the circular deviation of which is 30 meters, perhaps even more accurate. In terms of KVO, the Chinese caught up with the American MGM-31C Pershing II medium-range missile. Like the American counterpart, decommissioned in 1989, the Chinese missile received a maneuvering warhead. Experts even note that they have similar features.
The maneuvering warhead of the DF-21D missile can be combined with various types of target guidance systems. Initial data for firing can be issued by aviation or satellite target designation systems, as well as over-the-horizon radars. It is believed that it was to ensure effective target designation of its anti-ship ballistic missiles that the PRC previously launched a number of satellites into space: on December 9, 2009 - the Yaogan-7 optoelectronic satellite; December 14, 2009 - Yaogan-8 synthetic aperture radar satellite; March 5, 2010 - a series of three Yaogan-9 marine electronic reconnaissance satellites. In the future, the launches of this series of Chinese reconnaissance satellites continued, the last launch was carried out on November 24, 2017, when three new satellites were launched into orbit.
It is assumed that on the descending part of the flight path after separation of the head of the DF-21D rocket, its speed reaches 10M. In the passive flight phase, guidance is carried out using a radar seeker with signal processing by an on-board digital computer system. Judging by the information published today, the control of the maneuvering warhead in this flight segment is carried out by aerodynamic rudders and a gas-jet correction unit located on it. It is difficult to draw conclusions about the combat effectiveness and technical perfection of the homing system of the Chinese anti-ship ballistic missile due to the small amount of information in the public domain. At the same time, it can be assumed that the short flight time (up to 12 minutes), high flight speed and large dive angles of the warhead on the target make the task of intercepting a Chinese missile very difficult for all anti-missile systems existing at the moment.
It is believed that the ballistic anti-ship missile has a mass of up to 15 tons. The range of its flight is estimated at 1450 km. However, some experts believe that it can reach 2,700 km. In the non-nuclear version, the two-stage missile is equipped with a warhead with conventional explosives weighing 500 kg. It is believed that this is enough to cause serious damage to large surface ships, including aircraft carriers. Some experts believe that one such missile will be enough to sink an aircraft carrier.
Separately, it can be noted that the DF-21 missile was also used during the tests of the Chinese anti-satellite weapon system. For example, on January 11, 2007, the world media reported on the successful testing of this system. The upgraded DF-21 rocket successfully launched a special kinetic interceptor KKV into low-earth orbit, which successfully hit the Chinese meteorological satellite Fengyun 1C (FY-1C), which had already been decommissioned. It was reported that the target was intercepted at an altitude of 537 km above the central regions of the PRC on a head-on course and a speed of 8 km / s.
Deployment areas and affected areas
The DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile positioning areas are believed to be located in the Changbai Mountains. Military experts note that these mountains are the only place in the PRC from which ballistic anti-ship missiles can reach all key targets in Japan. In the event of a possible military conflict, anti-ship ballistic missiles will be able to effectively block all points of entry and exit into the Sea of Japan, which will allow the PLA to compensate for the relative weakness of its naval forces.
The above-mentioned mountain range, which stretches along the northeastern Chinese provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning, provides a sufficiently advantageous strategic position that allows the PLA to dictate its terms in the East China Sea. The missile positions in the Changbai Mountains give the Chinese military the opportunity to control the La Perouse Strait in the north, which separates the southern part of the Russian island of Sakhalin with the northern part of the Japanese island of Hokkaido, and in the south - the Tsushima Strait, which connects the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea.
The meaning of the location of DF-21D missiles in the Changbai Mountains extends to limiting the availability of Taiwan during a possible military conflict. Missiles deployed in the northeastern and southeastern regions of the PRC can act as a deterrent against US intervention in the event of a possible military conflict between neighbors in the Taiwan Strait. The DF-21D missile, like its recently tested upgraded version, significantly enhances China's ability to counter US naval operations around Taiwan.
