Anti-missile defense of the PRC. Instead of creating anti-missile systems of questionable effectiveness, since the early 1980s, China has embarked on a course of improving strategic nuclear forces capable of inflicting unacceptable damage to the enemy in any scenario. Taking into account the relative small number of Chinese ballistic missiles and their design features, the concept of "delayed retaliation" was adopted. Unlike the USSR and the USA, which relied on a "retaliatory strike", the PLA command believed that in the event of a nuclear war, the Chinese strategic nuclear forces would deliver strikes that were extended in time. This was due to the fact that the Chinese liquid MRBM and ICBM could not be launched immediately after receiving the command and required some time to prepare for the launch. At the same time, some of the Chinese missiles and bombers of nuclear bomb carriers were in highly protected anti-nuclear shelters. After abandoning the creation of a national missile defense system in 1980, the PRC took a course to reduce the vulnerability of all components of strategic nuclear forces and ensure a retaliatory strike in any scenario.
In the comments on the first part of the review, readers were interested in the composition of the Chinese strategic forces and their strength. In order to better understand the place of early missile warning systems and missile defense systems in the defense doctrine of the PRC, let us consider the state of the Chinese strategic nuclear arsenal.
DF-21 medium-range ballistic missiles
After the DF-3 and DF-4 MRBMs were put on alert, the next stage in the development of the PRC's strategic nuclear forces was the creation and adoption of ground mobile systems with medium-range ballistic missiles. In the late 1980s, the tests of the solid-propellant two-stage MRBM DF-21 were successfully completed.
The first modification of the DF-21, put into service in 1991, had a range of 1,700 km, with a throw weight of 600 kg. A missile with a launch mass of about 15 tons could carry one nuclear warhead with a capacity of 500 kt, with an estimated KVO -1 km. Since 1996, the DF-21A began to enter the troops, with a range of 2700 km. At the beginning of the 21st century, a new modification of the DF-21C MRBM entered service. An improved control system with astrocorrection provides a CEP up to 300 m. The missile is equipped with a 90 kt monoblock warhead. The deployment of missiles on mobile off-road launchers ensures the ability to escape from a "disarming strike" by means of air attack and ballistic missiles.
The actual number of medium-range ballistic missiles in service with the PLA is not known; according to Western experts, there may be more than a hundred of them. India, Japan and a significant part of Russia are in the affected area of the DF-21 MRBM. Although the Russian media regularly declare a "strategic partnership" between our countries, this does not prevent our Chinese friends from conducting exercises with the deployment of mobile missile systems in the northern regions of the PRC.
To be fair, I must say that Chinese mobile missile systems are regularly recorded on satellite images in various parts of the country's perimeter. Currently, MRBMs of the DF-21 family are equipped with missile brigades in Kunming, Denshah, Tonghua, Liansiwan and Jianshui. In places of permanent deployment, most of the equipment is located in tunnels carved into the rocks. According to Western researchers, these many kilometers of tunnels are used as anti-nuclear shelters and hide mobile complexes from satellite reconnaissance means.
After the adoption of the DF-21 MRBM, the DF-3 and DF-4 liquid-propellant missiles were decommissioned. Solid-propellant DF-21 of the latest modifications with a comparable firing range compares favorably with outdated liquid-propellant missiles in increased service and operational characteristics, and due to their high mobility, they are less vulnerable to a disarming strike.
DF-26 medium-range ballistic missile
In 2015, the PLA entered service with the DF-26 medium-range ballistic missile. According to Pentagon experts, it occupies an intermediate position between the DF-25 MRBM and the DF-31 ICBM and is capable of striking targets remote up to 4000 km from the launch point.
The DF-26 ballistic missile is a development of the DF-21 ballistic missile. According to the Chinese media, the modular design of the missile allows you to vary the options for combat equipment. A solid-propellant rocket is capable of delivering thermonuclear and conventional charges to a given area.
It is stated that the missile, at a range of up to 3500 km, is capable of striking moving targets, including sea targets. The new DF-26 ballistic missile is designed to destroy targets in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe.
DF-31 intercontinental ballistic missiles
Another strategic mobile missile system was the DF-31. According to information published in open sources, a three-stage solid-propellant ICBM with a length of 13 m, a diameter of 2.25 m and a launch mass of 42 tons is equipped with an inertial guidance system. According to various estimates, the KVO is from 500 m to 1 km. The DF-31 ICBM, which entered service at the beginning of the 21st century, carries a monobloc thermonuclear warhead with a capacity of up to 2.5 Mt. In addition to the warhead, the missile is equipped with missile defense penetration means. It is believed that after receiving the command, the DF-31 can start within 30 minutes. The DF-31 launch range is not known for certain, but most experts are inclined to believe that it exceeds 7,500 km.
In terms of throw weight, the DF-31 is close to the Russian Topol mobile ground-based missile system (PGRK). But the Chinese missile is placed on a towed launcher, and is significantly inferior in cross-country ability. In this regard, Chinese missile systems move only on paved roads. An improved version was the DF-31A with an increased launch range and several warheads. Deployment of the DF-31A began in 2007.
At a military parade in Beijing, held on October 1, 2019, the DF-31AG mobile ground-based strategic missile systems were demonstrated. The improved solid-propellant rocket is housed on a new eight-axle chassis, and in many ways resembles the Russian Topol soil complex. It is believed that the DF-31AG ICBM, known in the past as the DF-31B, is equipped with several individually guided units with a KVO - up to 150 m. The firing range is up to 11,000 km.
Like the mobile MRBM DF-21, complexes with intercontinental missiles of the DF-31 family are on alert in rock shelters. In the areas where missile brigades are deployed, highways have been laid, along which wheeled conveyors are able to move at maximum speed. On satellite images, not far from the places of permanent deployment, concreted areas were found, from where rockets can be launched with a minimum time for preparation and topographic location.
In 2009, a mention of a new Chinese solid-fuel ICBM - DF-41 appeared in open sources. According to the Western press, the DF-41 can be used in a mobile soil complex, placed on railway platforms and in stationary silo launchers. The launch mass of the rocket is about 80 tons, the length is 21 m, the diameter is 2.25 m. The firing range is up to 12000 km.
The DF-41 split ICBM warhead carries up to 10 warheads with individual guidance, which makes it possible to count on the successful overcoming of the US missile defense. On October 1, 2019, 16 DF-41 mobile missile systems passed through Tiananmen Square.
Improvement of silo-based ICBMs of the DF-5 family
Simultaneously with the creation of new mobile solid-propellant strategic missile systems in China, the improvement of the DF-5 heavy liquid-propellant ballistic missiles continued.
Although the official adoption of the DF-5 ICBMs into service took place in 1981, the rate at which the missiles were put on alert was very slow. The DF-5 ICBM was first demonstrated in 1984 at a military parade in honor of the 35th anniversary of the PRC.
According to the information available in the public domain, the DF-5 two-stage rocket has a launch weight of more than 180 tons. The payload weight is 3000 kg. As a fuel, unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine is used, the oxidizing agent is nitrogen tetroxide. The maximum firing range is over 11,000 km. The rocket warhead is thermonuclear, with a capacity of up to 3 Mt (according to other sources, 4-5 Mt). The CEP for the maximum range is 3000-3500 m. As of 1988, only four silos with missiles were deployed. In fact, the DF-5 ICBMs were in trial operation.
In 1993, the upgraded DF-5A missile entered service, which became the first Chinese ICBM with a MIRV. The curb weight of the DF-5A ICBM is about 185 tons, the payload weight is 3200 kg. It can carry 4-5 warheads with a charge capacity of 350 kt or one megaton warhead. The maximum firing range with the MIRV is 11,000 km, in the monoblock version - 13,000 km. The modernized inertial control system provides hitting accuracy up to 1300 - 1500 m.
According to Chinese data, DF-5 / 5A ICBMs by the second half of the 1990s were equipped with three missile brigades. In each brigade, 8-12 missile silos were on alert. For each ICBM, there were up to a dozen false silos, which are indistinguishable from real positions on satellite images.
Despite the relative small number, the deployment of heavy ballistic missiles finally formed the Chinese strategic nuclear forces, and made it possible for the Second Artillery Corps to deliver nuclear missile strikes against targets in the US, USSR and Europe.
The DF-5B silo-based intercontinental ballistic missile was unveiled at a military parade held on September 3, 2015 in Beijing. With a takeoff weight of about 190 tons, the estimated firing range is 13,000 km. The split missile warhead includes, according to various estimates, from 3 to 8 individual guidance units with KVO - about 800 meters. The power of each missile warhead is 200-300 kt.
According to the US National Center for Air and Space Intelligence, about 25 DF-5 / 5A ICBMs were deployed in China in 1998. About half of them could be launched 20 minutes after receiving the command. As of 2008, the total strength of the DF-5A was estimated at about 20 missiles. The DF-5 ICBMs removed from combat duty after re-equipment were used in various kinds of experiments and for launching satellites into near-earth orbit.
In January 2017, a DF-5C ICBM was launched from the Taiyuan Missile Range in Shanxi Province. According to Western sources, the missile with a launch range of 13,000 km is equipped with 10 individually guided warheads and carries multiple means of overcoming missile defenses. According to Western experts, the further development of silo-based heavy liquid-propellant ballistic missiles in China is associated with the US withdrawal from the ABM Treaty.
Strategic submarine missile carriers
The naval component of the Chinese strategic nuclear forces is currently represented by Project 094 Jin nuclear submarine missile carriers. Outwardly, this boat resembles the Soviet strategic missile submarine project 667BDRM "Dolphin". With an underwater displacement of 12,000-14,000 tons, the boat has a length of about 140 m. The underwater speed is up to 26 knots. The maximum diving depth is 400 m.
Project 094 submarines each carry 12 JL-2 (Tszyuilan-2) SLBMs with a range of about 8000 km. The JL-2 is a three-stage solid-propellant missile with a monobloc warhead. The length of the rocket is increased to 13 m, the launch weight is 42 tons. The power of the warhead is up to 1 Mt. Suggestions are made about the possibility of creating a warhead with individual guidance units.
The first submarine of Project 094 entered service in 2004. All boats of this type are based at bases in the Hainan and Qingdao regions. According to expert estimates, there are 4-5 Jin SSBNs in service. The Qingdao Naval Base is famous for its submarine hideout carved into the rock.
In 2014, the new Chinese strategic nuclear submarines of the pr.094 type went on combat patrols for the first time. It was mainly carried out in the territorial waters of the PRC under the cover of the surface forces of the fleet and naval aviation. Alaska and the Hawaiian Islands are within reach of the JL-2 SLBM while on their own shores. In the event that Chinese SSBNs enter the Hawaiian region, almost the entire US territory will be in the affected area of their missiles.
Currently, the PRC is building submarine missile carriers of project 096. "Tang" ("Tang"). In terms of noise and speed characteristics, these boats should be comparable to the modernized American SSBN "Ohio". The main armament of Project 096 is a JL-3 ballistic missile with a firing range of up to 11,000 km, which will allow strikes on US territory while in the internal waters of the PRC. The new SLBM has a firing range of up to 11,000 km, the warhead is equipped with 6-9 individual warheads. The new SSBN in terms of the number of warheads and their power is more than two times higher than the Project 094 boats equipped with JL-2 missiles. According to rough estimates, each Tang-class SSBN in the future can be deployed from 144 to 216 warheads.
Long range bombers
The aviation part of the Chinese strategic nuclear triad, like 50 years ago, is represented by long-range bombers of the H-6 family (the Chinese version of the Tu-16). According to the Military Balance, there are currently approximately 130 H-6A / H / M / K aircraft in the PLA Air Force. However, not all of them are strike vehicles; obsolete bombers of the early series have been converted into refueling aircraft.
In 2011, the radically modernized H-6K entered service. This aircraft is equipped with Russian engines D-30KP-2, a new complex of avionics and electronic warfare has been introduced. The combat load has increased to 12,000 kg, and the range has been increased from 1,800 to 3,000 km. The N-6K is capable of carrying 6 CJ-10A strategic cruise missiles (CR). During the design of this CD, technical solutions of the Soviet X-55 were used.
Satellite image of Google Earth: H-6 bombers at an air base in the eastern outskirts of Xi'an
During the modernization of the N-6K, in fact, the full potential of the design of the basic Tu-16 was realized. However, the aircraft, whose ancestry began in the 1950s of the last century, cannot be considered modern. Although the N-6 is the main long-range bomber of the PLA Air Force, its combat radius, even with long-range cruise missiles, is absolutely insufficient for solving strategic tasks. A subsonic, bulky, low-maneuverable aircraft with a large EPR in the event of a real conflict with the United States or Russia will be extremely vulnerable to fighters and air defense systems. In this regard, China is building a strategic bomber H-20. According to the Chinese newspaper China Daily, the new long-range bomber will have a combat radius of up to 8,000 km, without air refueling. Its combat load will be up to 10 tons.
In August 2018, China Central Television (CCTV) showed footage of an H-20 bomber on the runway of the Xi'an Aircraft Factory airfield. According to the Chinese media, the company's specialists carried out a cycle of ground tests, during which structural elements, chassis and on-board equipment were tested. In appearance, this bomber is similar to the American B-2A. The Chinese "strategist" H-20, if adopted, could become the world's second serial strategic bomber with stealth and flying wing technologies.
The numerical strength of the Chinese strategic nuclear forces and the prospects for their development
Chinese officials have never released data on the qualitative composition of Chinese strategic delivery vehicles and the number of nuclear warheads. Most of the experts specializing in strategic weapons agree that China has 90-100 ICBMs located in stationary fortified mines and on mobile chassis. By type, Chinese long-range ballistic missiles are presented as follows:
- ICBM DF-5A / B - 20-25 units;
- ICBM DF-31 / 31A / AG - 50-60 units;
- ICBM DF-41 - at least 16 units.
Also, the PRC's strategic missile forces have about a hundred DF-21 and DF-26 MRBMs. Five Chinese SSBNs carrying out combat patrols may have at least 50 warheads installed on JL-2 SLBMs. Taking into account the fact that the DF-5B, DF-31AG and DF-41 missiles are equipped with warheads with warheads of individual guidance, approximately 250-300 nuclear warheads should be deployed on ICBMs, SLBMs and MRBMs. According to the minimum estimates, the arsenal of the Chinese long-range bomber aviation may have 50 free-fall thermonuclear bombs and strategic cruise missiles. Thus, 300-350 nuclear warheads have been deployed on Chinese strategic nuclear carriers. Taking into account the fact that China is actively putting into operation new ICBMs equipped with several warheads of individual guidance, and the delivery of new submarine missile carriers to the fleet is expected, in the next decade, the Chinese strategic nuclear forces can come close in terms of qualitative and quantitative indicators to the capabilities of Russia and the United States.
