Yibada:
China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is likely to make a public display of the latest variant of its DF-31 long-range, road-mobile, solid-fuel rocket intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at the high-profile military parade next month to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Asia, Duowei News, a U.S.-based Chinese political news outlet, reported.
According to the report, the DF-31 is one of the several strategic missiles of the PLA’s Second Artillery Corps recently reported by state media along with the DF-5 three-stage ICBM and the latest DF-41 nuclear solid-fueled road-mobile ICBM.
The DF-31 is China’s first solid-fuel ICBM and its predecessor, the liquid-fuel DF-22, ceased production in 1985, as the PLA decided to develop a solid-fuel missile to follow what other world powers such as Russia and the U.S. have made.
The original DF-31, which reportedly took 14 years to develop, has a range of 8,000 kilometers. It was also capable of carrying a 700-kg nuclear warhead. The missile was first tested on Aug. 2, 1999, and less than two months later, it was featured in the finale of the Beijing military parade celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
The report said that the DF-31, however, has only a range of 8,000 km, and would only cover the U.S. west coast, barely crossing China’s limit for ICBMs.
China’s missile program was placed in limbo in the 1990s, when Wo Weihan, a Taiwanese scientist and entrepreneu– and later, found to be a spy–stole top secret information about the DF-31 from missile expert Guo Wanjun. The information was then passed on to Taiwanese authorities then handed over to the U.S. The two were found guilty of spying and were executed in 2008.
After the incident, China was forced to develop the DF-31A, which made its maiden test flight on Nov. 22, 2002. It officially entered service at the end of 2006. As the primary weapon of the Second Artillery Corps, the DF-31A’s range was increased to 11,500 kms, and after the newer DF-41 and JL-2 strategic missiles enter into service.
Twelve DF-31As also appeared in the 2009 National Day military parade in Beijing, the article said.
Aside from China, Russia is the only other country in the world that has developed road-mobile intercontinental missiles, which is equipped with the RT-2PM2 Topol-M and the superior RS-24 Yars. To catch up to Russia, the country began developing a new variant, the DF-31B, which made its maiden test flight on Sept. 25, 2014.
Experts believe that the DF-31B will likely make an appearance at the military parade in Tiananmen Square on Sept. 3.
