Today, the PRC has the largest armed forces in the world. The most numerous ground forces on the planet, the Air Force and the Navy are receiving an ever-increasing stream of new models of equipment and weapons. The Chinese leadership does not hide that the result of the long-term reform of the PLA, which began in the late 1980s, should be the ability of the armed forces to confront on equal terms the army of the main geopolitical rival - the United States.
In the PRC, large-scale developments and research are being carried out as part of the creation of modern models of equipment and weapons. Chinese science and industry have managed to significantly reduce the technological gap and in some areas to reach the modern level, not disdaining, however, outright copying and industrial espionage. Achievements in this area are regularly shown at international exhibitions and offered for export.
China's nuclear weapons and their delivery vehicles remain a closed topic. Chinese officials are extremely reluctant to comment on this issue, usually bypassing the general vague language.
There is still no exact data on the number of nuclear warheads in the PRC deployed on strategic delivery vehicles. There are only rough estimates from experts based on the estimated number of deployed ballistic missiles and bombers. Naturally, with such a method for calculating nuclear charges, the data can be highly unreliable.
Practical work on the creation of Chinese nuclear weapons began in the late 50s. It is difficult to overestimate the scientific, technological and technical assistance received from the USSR in this matter. Several thousand Chinese scientists and specialists were trained in the Soviet Union.
The construction of uranium enrichment plants in Baotou and Lanzhou began with Soviet assistance in 1958. At the same time, requests for the supply of ready-made nuclear weapons to the PRC by the Soviet leadership were rejected.
In July 1960, after the complication of Soviet-Chinese relations, nuclear cooperation with the USSR was curtailed. But this could no longer stop the progress of the Chinese atomic project. On October 16, 1964, at the Lop Nor test site, located on a dry salt lake in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the first Chinese nuclear stationary explosive device based on uranium-235 with a capacity of 22 kilotons was tested.
The layout of the first Chinese atomic bomb
Seven months later, the Chinese tested the first combat model of a nuclear weapon - an aerial bomb. Heavy bomber Tu-4, aka "Khun-4", dropped on May 14, 1965, a 35-kiloton uranium bomb, which exploded at an altitude of 500 m above the range.
The first carriers of Chinese nuclear warheads were the 25 piston long-range Tu-4 bombers delivered from the USSR in 1953, the Harbin H-5 jet front-line bombers (a copy of the Il-28) and the Xian H-6 long-range bombers (a copy of the Soviet Tu-16).
On June 17, 1967, the Chinese successfully tested a thermonuclear bomb at the Lop Nor test site. A thermonuclear bomb dropped from an H-6 aircraft by parachute exploded at an altitude of 2960 m, the explosion power was 3.3 megatons. After the completion of this test, the PRC became the fourth thermonuclear power in the world after the USSR, USA and Great Britain. Interestingly, the time interval between the creation of atomic and hydrogen weapons in China turned out to be shorter than in the USA, USSR, Great Britain and France.
Realizing the vulnerability of bomber aircraft to air defense systems, ballistic missiles were created and improved in the PRC simultaneously with the development of nuclear weapons.
Back in the mid-50s, samples of Soviet R-2 missiles (modernized German FAU-2) were delivered to the PRC, and assistance was provided in their manufacture. The Chinese version was named DF-1 ("Dongfeng-1", East Wind-1).
The first formation of the new type of troops was a training brigade with Soviet R-2s, formed in 1957, and the first missile division, loudly called strategic, appeared in 1960. At the same time, the PRC began to form the "Second Artillery Corps" of the PLA - an analogue of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces.
After the Soviet R-2 short-range missiles were put on experimental combat duty, by 1961 the People's Liberation Army of China already had several regiments equipped with DF-1 missiles, which were aimed at Taiwan and South Korea. However, the technical reliability of the DF-1 missiles was low and did not exceed the value - 0, 5. In other words, only 50% of the missiles had a chance to hit the target. In this regard, the first "Chinese" short-range ballistic missile (BRMD) DF-1 remained essentially experimental.
The DF-2 was the first Chinese ballistic missile produced in significant quantities and equipped with a nuclear warhead (YBCH). It is believed that during its creation, Chinese designers used the technical solutions used in the Soviet P-5. The rocket is made single-stage with a four-chamber sustainer liquid propellant rocket engine. Kerosene and nitric acid were used as propellants. The DF-2 had an accuracy of fire (KVO) within 3 km with a maximum flight range of 2000 km, this missile could already hit targets in Japan and in a significant part of the USSR.
On October 27, 1966, the BR DF-2 was tested with a real nuclear charge, having flown 894 km, it hit a conditional target at the Lop Nor test site. The DF-2 was originally equipped with a 20 kt monoblock nuclear warhead, which was very modest for a strategic missile, taking into account the large CEP. And only later, in the 70s, it was possible to bring the charge power to 700 kt.
The first Chinese MRBM Dongfeng-2 at the Beijing War Museum
The DF-2 rocket was launched from a ground launcher such as a launch pad, where it was installed during prelaunch preparation. Prior to that, it was stored in an arched shelter and taken out to the starting position only after receiving the appropriate order. In order to launch a rocket from a technical state that corresponded to constant readiness, it took more than 3.5 hours. On alert there were about 70 missiles of this type.
The first independently developed ballistic missile in the PRC was the DF-3, a single-stage ballistic missile equipped with a liquid-propellant rocket engine running on low-boiling fuel (oxidizer - nitric acid, fuel - kerosene). After the USSR refused to provide access to materials on the R-12, the Chinese government in the early 1960s decided to develop its own MRBM with similar characteristics. The DF-3 entered service in 1971. The flight range was up to 2500 km.
DF-3 rockets at the parade in Beijing (70s)
The original targets for the DF-3 were two US military bases in the Philippines - Clarke (Air Force) and Subic Bay (Navy). However, due to the deterioration of Soviet-Chinese relations, up to 60 launchers were deployed along the borders of the USSR.
In 1986, the production of an improved version began - the DF-3A with a range of 2800 km (up to 4000 km with a lightweight warhead). The modernized DF-3A, when placing launch positions in the northwest of the PRC, was capable of shooting through about half of the territory of the USSR.
In the late 1980s, China delivered up to 50 DF-3A missiles with a specially designed high-explosive warhead to Saudi Arabia. Where are they still in service? According to experts, these Saudi missiles, equipped with conventional warheads, due to their low accuracy, do not have special combat value and can only be used for strikes against large cities.
In the PRC, the DF-3 / 3A missiles have been taken out of service, in combat units they were replaced by the DF-21 medium-range missiles. The DF-3 / 3A MRBMs being decommissioned are actively used in various tests of missile defense systems and radars being developed in the PRC.
On the basis of the DF-3 at the end of the 60s, the DF-4 BR was created, it is also equipped with a liquid-propellant engine, but has a second stage. In early 1975, the first missiles of this type entered the army.
BR DF-4 at the launch position
A missile weighing more than 80,000 kg and a length of 28 m is capable of delivering a charge weighing up to 2200 kg to a distance of 4800 km (standard combat equipment is a thermonuclear monoblock warhead with a capacity of up to 3 Mt). The firing range of the BR DF-4 was enough to "shoot through" the entire territory of the USSR and American bases in the Pacific Ocean. It was then that the DF-4 received the unofficial name "Moscow rocket"
The DF-4 was also the first Chinese missile placed in silos, albeit in an unusual way. The BR was only stored in the mine, before the start it rises with the help of a special hydraulic lift to the launch pad.
As of 2007, up to 20 DF-4 missiles were still in service with China. They are expected to be decommissioned by 2015.
The development of ballistic missiles in the PRC gave a powerful impetus to the development of rocket and space technology. In 1970, the Changzhen-1 launch vehicle based on the DF-4 launched the first Chinese satellite into space.
Satellite image of Google Earth: Jiuquan Cosmodrome
The first Chinese cosmodrome "Jiuquan", created in 1958, was originally intended for test launches of ballistic missiles. The Jiuquan Cosmodrome, located on the edge of the Badan-Jilin Desert in the lower reaches of the Heihe River in Gansu Province, is often called the Chinese Baikonur. This is the very first and until 1984 the only rocket and space test site in the country. It is the largest cosmodrome in China (its area is 2800 km²) and the only one used in the national manned program.
At the beginning of the 80s, a three-stage ICBM of the DF-5 heavy class was adopted. The Dongfeng-5 rocket uses asymmetric dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) as fuel, and nitrogen tetroxide is the oxidant. The launch weight of the rocket is 183-190 tons, the payload weight is 3.2 tons. The rocket warhead is thermonuclear with a capacity of 2-3 Mt. The firing accuracy (KVO) for a maximum range of 13,000 km is 3 -3, 5 km.
ICBM DF-5 before test launch
It was China's first truly intercontinental missile. ICBMs DF-5 are placed in reinforced single silo launchers (silos) under the cover of numerous false silos. But according to experts, the level of protection of Chinese silos by today's standards is clearly not sufficient, and differs from the same indicator for Soviet and American ICBMs at times. ICBM technical readiness for launch is 20 minutes.
Within the reach of this complex, whose silo launchers are deployed at the Liaoning and Xuanhua bases, objects throughout the United States, Europe, the USSR, India and a number of other countries fell. The delivery of DF-5 ICBMs to combat duty was extremely slow, this was partly hampered by parallel work on a space launch vehicle based on it. In total, about 20 DF-5 ICBMs were deployed.
In the late 1980s, the DF-5A land-based ICBM with MIRV was created. This version of the ICBM was adopted in 1993. It differs from the basic modification by the presence of an individual targeting multiple warhead (MIRV), has 4-5 warheads with a charge capacity of 350 Kt each. The maximum firing range with the MIRV is 11,000 km, in the monoblock version - 13,000 km. The modernized inertial control system provides an accuracy of hit (CEP) of the order of 500 m. In the late 90s, the Second Artillery Corps of the PLA had three brigades equipped with ICBMs of this type (803, 804 and 812, in a brigade of 8-12 missiles). To date, China is armed with 24-36 ICBMs DF-5A with multiple warheads, half of which are constantly aimed at US territory.
According to open publications in the US media, China produced from 20 to 50 such ICBMs. On the basis of technical solutions and assemblies of the DF-5 ICBMs, Chinese engineers and designers have created a number of variants of space launch vehicles of the "Great March" series, which have a similar layout with ICBMs.
By the mid-90s, the Chinese strategic nuclear forces (SNF) included more than a hundred ICBMs and MRBMs capable of hitting targets in Russia and the United States. A major drawback of Chinese ballistic missiles developed in the 60s and 70s was their inability to participate in a retaliatory strike due to the need for lengthy prelaunch preparation. In addition, the Chinese silos in terms of the level of protection against the damaging factors of nuclear weapons were significantly inferior to the Soviet and American missile silos, which made them vulnerable in the event of a sudden "disarming strike."
China's nuclear potential, late 1990s
In addition to ICBMs, work continued on shorter-range missiles in China in the 1970s and 1980s. At the end of the 80s, the first Chinese solid-fuel rocket DF - 11 entered service. Unlike rockets with liquid propellant engines, which required a lengthy prelaunch preparation process, this indicator on the DF - 11 does not exceed 30 minutes.
A single-stage missile weighing 4200 kg can carry 500 kg of warheads at a distance of up to 300 km. The DF - 11 is installed on a Chinese-made WA2400 8x8 mobile all-terrain chassis, the prototype of which was the Soviet MAZ-543.
DF - 11A
A modernized version of the DF-11A, which has an increased firing range of up to 500 km and increased accuracy, entered service with the Chinese army in 1999.
Initially, the DF-11 used an inertial navigation system and radio control, which provided a CEP of 500 - 600 m. On the DF-11A modification, a combined inertial-satellite guidance system with optical correction was used, which made it possible to reduce the CEP to 200 m.
According to Chinese representatives, the DF-11 / 11A was created mainly for sale abroad (supplies were carried out to Pakistan and Iran) with a high-explosive warhead. But there is no doubt that a nuclear warhead has been developed for these missiles in the PRC. Currently, the number of DF-11 / 11A in the PLA is estimated at 120-130 launchers, most of which were concentrated near the Taiwan Strait.
In 1988, at an arms exhibition in Beijing, the first model of the DF-15 operational-tactical missile system, also known as the M-9, was presented. The missile of the complex weighing 6200 kg with a warhead of 500 kg has a range of up to 600 km. DF - 15 uses a Chinese-made eight-wheeled cargo platform, which provides high mobility and cross-country ability of the complex. Since 1995, 40 units have been purchased, and by the beginning of 2000, China has already produced about 200.
DF-15
In 2013, the newest operational-tactical missile system DF-15C was shown. The main feature of the new complex, in contrast to the base model DF-15, is a rocket with a modified warhead.
The warhead of the missile uses a duplicated satellite navigation signal and an active radar homing system for guidance, which improves the accuracy of the complex. This missile system can be used to destroy especially important objects such as airfields of a potential enemy, important administrative buildings and industrial centers.
As a combat load, the DF-15 can carry a nuclear charge with a capacity of 50-350 kt or be equipped with various types of non-nuclear warheads. Published information about the presence of a high-explosive and cluster warhead. Recently, in the Chinese media, the modernized operational-tactical missile system of the DF-15C type began to be called the DF-16.
Chinese military leaders and specialists were not left indifferent by the successful development of land-based cruise missiles in the USSR and the USA. After the collapse of the USSR, technologies and documentation from this area were obtained in Ukraine.
According to experts, currently in the arsenal of the PRC there are several dozen land-based cruise missiles (GLCM) Dong Hai 10 (DH-10). They were created on the basis of the Russian Kh-55 long-range cruise missile.
Mobile launcher KRNB DH-10
This complex is a mobile unit on a four-axle cross-country chassis with three transport and launch containers. The missile is designed to accurately engage ground targets within a radius of up to 1500 km. It is assumed that it has a combined guidance system that combines inertial, contour-correlated and satellite guidance systems. The missile can have a nuclear or conventional warhead. The bulk of DH-10 missiles are based along the east coast of mainland China, near Taiwan. The DH-10 GLCM entered service in the late 2000s.
Taking into account the successes achieved in the creation of solid-fuel short-range missiles in the PRC in the mid-70s, the DF-21 solid-fuel medium-range missile program was launched, which was to replace the DF-2 and DF-3 / 3A on alert.
In the second half of the 1980s, a new two-stage solid-propellant medium-range missile DF-21 ("Dongfeng-21") was created. A missile with a launch weight of 15 tons is capable of delivering warheads to a range of up to 1800 km. Significant progress in the field of radio electronics allowed Chinese designers to create a new, more advanced missile control system. The hitting accuracy (CEP) was increased to 700 m, which, together with a powerful warhead of 2 Mt, made it possible to solve a larger number of strategic tasks. In the mid-90s, the DBK with the DF-21A missile began to enter service with the PLA missile units, replacing the old types of liquid-propellant missiles.
DF-21C
In the early 2000s, a new version of the DF-21C entered service. The inertial control system provides the missile with an accuracy of fire (KVO) up to 500 m. Based on mobile launchers of cross-country ability, the system provides the ability to escape from a "disarming strike" by means of air attack and ballistic missiles. Recently, a mention has appeared of a new version of the DF-21 complex, which in the PRC received the designation - DF-26.
The next major achievement of Chinese designers and rocket engineers was the creation and launch into production of the mobile mobile ground-based intercontinental missile system DF-31. This development was a huge breakthrough in China's nuclear weapons. The use of solid fuel on the DF-21 and DF-31 rockets made it possible to reduce the prelaunch preparation time to 15-30 minutes.
DF-31
Therefore, work on the missile complex began in the mid-80s. From the very beginning, the Chinese engineers were tasked with providing a mobile missile launch from mobile ground complexes like the Russian Topol ICBMs.
The main problem faced by the Chinese is the development of solid composite rocket fuels (by the way, the Soviet Union experienced the same difficulties in its time). For this reason, the first missile launch, scheduled in the early 90s, was postponed many times. It is known that during the experimental launch of the DF-31 in April 1992, the rocket exploded. In this case, 21 people died, and 58 were injured. The subsequent launch was also unsuccessful, and the first successful launch took place in 1995. This was followed by three more successful launches - two in 2000, during the PLA military maneuvers, and the third in 2002.
In the best Soviet tradition, on October 1, 1999, the Chinese demonstrated a new missile at a military parade in honor of the 50th anniversary of the PRC. Three HY473 missile carriers with TPK marched through the central square of Beijing, presumably containing new missiles. They are a standard 4-axle truck with a semi-trailer with 8 axles and are more like not combat launchers, but transport-loading vehicles. It is quite obvious that, in comparison with the Russian Topol ICBM launchers, these vehicles have very limited maneuverability and cannot be recognized as full-fledged combat systems.
The real performance characteristics of the DF-31 ICBMs are one of the most important military secrets of China. According to media reports, a three-stage solid-propellant rocket with a length of 13 m, a diameter of 2.25 m and a launch weight of 42 tons is equipped with an inertial guidance system with astronavigation. The firing accuracy (KVO - probable circular deviation) is, according to various estimates, from 100 m to 1 km. An ICBM can be equipped with a monobloc nuclear warhead with a yield of up to 1 Mt, or three individually guided warheads with a yield of 20-150 kt. In terms of its throwable weight, this missile is practically similar to the Russian Topol and Topol-M ICBMs (presumably 1, 2 tons).
It is believed that in the mobile ground-based mode, the DF-31 can be launched within 30 minutes (leaving the garage, delivery time to the launch position, raising the TPK to a vertical position and launching an ICBM). Probably, the Chinese used the so-called. cold (mortar) start, as on a TPU ICBM of the Topol series (launching a rocket to a height of 30 m by means of a pressure steam generator and then switching on the first stage of an ICBM).
The upgraded version of the DF-31A is a solid-propellant three-stage intercontinental ballistic missile launched from a mobile launcher. Although it is capable of over 11,200 km, the DF-31A missile has a shorter range and carries a lower payload than the Chinese silo-based DF-5A liquid-propellant ICBM. About 10 DF-31A missiles have been deployed in China, according to the US Department of Defense.
According to American estimates, DF-31 missiles with a firing range of about 7,200 km cannot reach the continental United States from Central China. But a modification of the missile known as the DF-31A has a range of over 11,200 km and can reach most of the continental United States from central China.
According to experts, the new modification of the DF-31A complex can be equipped with three multiple warheads with individual targeting warheads. In addition, the new missile implements the ability to autonomously refine the target location and correct the flight path in the ballistic segment. The Beidou satellite navigation system (the Chinese analogue of GPS) can be used to guide the missile.
Satellite image of Google Earth: mobile launchers of ICBM DF-31 at the launch site
Recent satellite imagery shows China is establishing launch sites for its new DF-31 / 31A mobile ICBMs in the central part of the country. Several launchers of new DF-31 / 31A ICBMs appeared in two districts of eastern Qinghai province in June 2011.
On September 25, 2014, China conducted the first test launch of a new version of a ground-based mobile ICBM, indexed DF-31B. The launch was made from a test site in central China. The missile is a further development of the DF-31A. In the past three months, the PLA's Second Artillery Corps has carried out at least two launches of DF-31 series missiles.
Currently, heavy liquid-fueled DF-5 ICBMs are being replaced by DF-31 and DF-31A solid-fuel mobile ICBMs. According to a US Department of Defense Report, the PRC has made significant progress in upgrading its ICBM fleet. The number of mobile solid-propellant ICBMs DF-31 and DF-31A for the first time exceeded the number of old liquid silo ICBMs DF-5. According to the report, there are about 20 DF-5 missiles, and about 30 DF-31 and DF-31A missiles.
In 2009, a mention of a new Chinese solid-fuel ICBM, the DF-41, appeared in open sources. It is believed that due to the increased range compared to other solid-propellant missiles, it will finally replace the old DF-5 liquid-propellant missiles. It is assumed that it has a range of 15,000 km and carries a multiple warhead containing up to 10 warheads and means of overcoming missile defense.
Taking into account the fact that even lighter mobile Chinese DF-31 ICBMs are experiencing certain difficulties during transportation, it can be assumed that the new DF-41 complex will be designed mainly for silo-based.
