Latest news with #DF-17
South China Morning Post
08-05-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Can China launch hypersonic glider from satellite? Rocket force study suggests possibility
China 's hypersonic weapons can travel at extreme speeds of up to Mach 20, strike global targets within half an hour and even be launched from space , according to a new study. Advertisement Researchers from the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) summarised the capabilities and vulnerabilities of China's re-entry glide missiles , revealing they can travel up to 21,000km/h (13,000 miles per hour) in high altitudes within the atmosphere. Certain variants may even be launched from space-based platforms, making them 'capable of drastically compressing the adversary's early-warning system response time and operational scope, thereby enhancing the probability of successful penetration', researchers wrote. The analysis, published last month in China's authoritative academic journal Acta Aeronautica et Astronautica Sinica, likely disclosed some details for the first time and corroborated earlier reports from the US that critics dismissed as hype. In 2021, The Financial Times cited US military intelligence claiming China tested two hypersonic weapons released from near-Earth orbit, but some military experts called the orbital bombardment tech ' science fiction '. Chinese military vehicles carrying DF-17 roll during a parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of Communist China in Beijing in 2019. Photo: Handout
Asia Times
22-04-2025
- Science
- Asia Times
Japan's railgun ready to zap Chinese hypersonic missiles
Japan's ship-mounted railgun offers a cost-effective and rapid response to potential missile saturation threats by utilizing electromagnetic energy to launch projectiles at hypersonic velocities. This month, Naval News reported that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) disclosed the deployment of its advanced railgun aboard the test ship JS Asuka, marking a significant milestone in electromagnetic weaponry. Developed by Japan's Ground Systems Research Center (GSRC) under the Ministry of Defense's Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA), railgun research began in 2016 and achieved its first shipboard firing test in October 2023. The weapon system demonstrates enhanced muzzle velocity, reaching 2,000 meters per second, and stability for firing up to 120 rounds, overcoming challenges of rail erosion and projectile flight stability. Current research aims to transition to a complete 'gun system,' integrating continuous firing, flight stability improvements and a tailored fire control system. Japan's railgun could bolster naval missile defenses, provide new options for land-based artillery such as counter-battery fire and coastal strikes, and theoretically contribute to intercepting specific high-speed missile threats. However, a miniaturized power supply remains pivotal for practical deployment. Japan also collaborates with France and Germany's Research Institute of Saint-Louis to advance railgun technologies, reflecting international scientific cooperation. This breakthrough positions Japan's railgun as a cornerstone for future defense systems, promising technological and operational maturity through FY 2026. Unlike the US Navy, which halted its railgun project in July 2021 because of significant power, overheating and rail wear challenges, Japan continues to pursue the technology to address the possible shortcomings of missile-based defense and strike capabilities. Missiles offer powerful long-range strike options but are extremely expensive and limited by shipboard magazine capacity. US Navy destroyers and cruisers carry only 96–122 missiles in their Vertical Launch System (VLS) cells. During operations against Houthi rebel forces from 2023 to 2025, the US expended hundreds of difficult-to-replace, multi-million-dollar missiles to down relatively cheap drones and ballistic missiles, highlighting an unsustainable cost curve and dangerously shallow magazines. Japan faces a similar problem. In December 2022, Kyodo News reported that Japan had only 60% of the interceptor missile stockpiles deemed necessary for national defense. Underscoring the missile threat, Newsweek reported in March 2025 that China has significantly increased the number of its missiles capable of hitting Japan. According to the report, new bases in China's Jilin and Shandong provinces house three types of missiles—the DF-17 medium-range ballistic missile and the CJ-10 and CJ-100 ground-launched cruise missiles (GLCM), which can penetrate Japan's existing missile defenses. Beyond limited magazine depth, the inability to reload VLS cells at sea presents another major constraint. In a March 2024 article for the Georgetown Studies Review, Tyler Koteskey mentions that despite their effectiveness, US Mk41 VLS must be reloaded in port. Koteskey notes that early attempts to install foldable cranes on US vessels failed, given the challenges of loading heavy canisters of munitions in rough seas. He adds that, depending on the availability of such facilities, returning to a port capable of reloading VLS can take weeks. He stresses that large-scale missile salvo attacks could rapidly deplete US VLS magazines in a high-end combat scenario. Japan is already building large Aegis System Equipped Vessels (ASEVs) to compensate for magazine limitations. However, concentrating so much capability on a few high-value ships makes them prime targets for North Korea and China attacks. Railguns may offer a critical solution to these missile defense bottlenecks. In a December 2011 Proceedings article, Maxwell Cooper notes that railguns can deliver many rounds at distances comparable to most missiles with the same lethality and accuracy, while at lower costs and greater quantities. Cooper explains that railguns fire projectiles at hypersonic speeds, with the round itself using its massive kinetic energy for destructive effects—no explosive filling is required. He also suggests that rounds could be equipped with GPS units for greater accuracy and that the absence of explosive propellant frees up some magazine space. However, while railgun rounds are smaller and cheaper than missiles, they still require substantial onboard power and projectile storage. Further, Cooper mentions that the lack of a capable multi-mission gun has forced US Navy commanders to use expensive, limited, high-end missiles for all types of targets, creating a gap in the ability to economically engage lower-end threats such as patrol boats, undefended coastal targets and basic ballistic missiles, which would otherwise be engaged with low-cost gun rounds. Railguns could also provide an economical means to counter saturation missile attacks. An April 2022 US Congressional Research Service (CRS) report mentions that it takes 300 seconds to detect a missile launch signature, track the projectile, and calculate a vector for defensive projectiles. The report states that an 11-kilogram railgun projectile can disperse more than 500 three-gram tungsten impactors capable of destroying incoming missiles through sheer kinetic energy. While railguns offer promise, Japan still faces critical questions: Can Japan integrate and scale the technology fast enough to counter China's growing missile arsenal? And, can it avoid concentrating too much capability on a few vulnerable ships?
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
China could sink entire US carrier fleet in 20 minutes, Pentagon chief warns
In a rare admission, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that the Chinese hypersonic missiles can destroy all US aircraft carriers in just 20 minutes. 'So far our [US] whole power projection platform is aircraft carrier and the ability to project power that way strategically around the globe,' said Hegseth in a recent interview. However, Hegseth added that China's 15 hypersonic missiles 'can take out 10 aircraft carriers in the first 20 minutes of the conflict,' added Hegseth. Hegseth said that the US 'loses to China in every war game' run by the Pentagon. 'China is building an army specifically designed to destroy the US.' Hegseth blamed the US bureaucracy and slow rate of weapon acquisition for China's growing edge in the conflicts with the US. The US Defense Secretary also noted China's risk to the Panama Canal, an artificial 82-kilometer (50.9 miles) Panama waterway connecting the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. According to Sobel Shipping Network, approximately 40% of US container traffic relies on this route annually, with the United States as the canal's largest user. In 2021, over 73% of all vessels transiting the canal were destined for or departing from US ports. Since Panama's 2017 diplomatic recognition of China over Taiwan, Beijing has expanded its regional presence, investing heavily in infrastructure projects near the canal. China's influence includes control over ports at both ends of the canal through Hutchison Ports PPC, a Hong Kong-based company with ties to Beijing. Hegseth admitted, 'China poses an ongoing threat to the Panama Canal, but together the United States and Panama will keep it secure.' A joint deal, signed by top security officials from the US and Panama in early April, allows military personnel from the US to deploy to Panama-controlled facilities for training, exercises, and a range of other activities. Since returning to power in January, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that China has too much influence over the canal. With this latest deal, his administration planned to "take back" control of the United States' strategic waterway funded, built, and controlled until 1999. According to a US Department of Defense (DoD) report published in December 2024, China's hypersonic missile technologies have greatly advanced during the past 20 years. Many PRC missile programs are comparable to other international top-tier producers. China's deployment of the DF-17 hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV)-armed medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) will continue to transform the People's Liberation Army's (PLA's) missile force, the DoD added. The system, which was fielded in 2020, may replace some older short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) units and be used to strike foreign military bases and fleets in the Western Pacific. The DF-27 may have an HGV payload option in addition to conventional land-attack, antiship, and nuclear payloads. Official Chinese military writings indicate this range class spans 5,000–8,000 km (3,107–4,971 miles), designating the DF-27 as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), and the local media indicates that it can potentially range as far as Alaska and Hawaii. On July 27, 2021, China tested an ICBM-range HGV that traveled 40,000 km (24,854 miles). In April 2019, the PLA Navy revealed during its 70th-anniversary celebration that its new guided-missile cruiser can employ long-range, land-attack cruise missiles and, in 2022, launched the YJ-21 hypersonic missile designed to defeat aircraft carriers. According to the DoD, China has the world's leading hypersonic missile arsenal and has dramatically advanced its development of conventional and nuclear-armed hypersonic missile technologies.
Asia Times
07-04-2025
- Business
- Asia Times
Japan's Tomahawk-like missile shows fading faith in US
As China and North Korea's missile threats close in and US stockpiles run thin, Japan is racing to build a Tomahawk-like missile, aiming to strike farther, faster and on its own terms. This month, Naval News reported that Japan's Ministry of Defense (MOD) signed a 32.3 billion yen (US$219 million) contract with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) to develop a new 'Surface-to-Ship/Surface-to-Surface Precision Guided Missile.' The missile aims to improve its anti-ship and anti-ground performance through advancements in range, precision guidance and flight capabilities. Development is scheduled to run from fiscal year 2024 to 2032, leveraging upgrades from MHI's Type 12 surface-to-ship missile and elements of Kawasaki Heavy Industries' 'New Anti-Ship Missile for the Defense of Remote Islands.' The missile features a fuel-efficient engine and aerodynamic wings, enabling extended horizontal flight, similar to the US Tomahawk. Intelligence satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will bolster targeting accuracy and penetration capabilities against high-value enemy targets. As Japan accelerates efforts to counter China's maritime aggression and North Korea's missile advances, this defense initiative underscores Japan's strategic shift to standoff weapons. An official from Japan's Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Agency (ALTA) noted that key project specifics, including engine design, remain undetermined. The initiative complements Japan's broader military modernization strategy, with tensions across East Asia fueling the urgency. In October 2023, Asia Times reported that Japan planned to acquire 400 US Tomahawk missiles, driven by escalating threats from China and North Korea. Underscoring the evolving nature of China's missile threat to Japan, Newsweek reported in March 2025 that the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) has deployed advanced missile systems capable of penetrating Japan's ballistic missile defenses. China's DF-17 medium-range ballistic missile, equipped with hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs), and the CJ-10 and CJ-100 ground-launched cruise missiles pose significant risks to Japan's mainland. These missiles, stationed in northeastern Jilin and eastern Shandong provinces, have ranges of between 1,500 and 2,500 kilometers, covering Japan's four main islands. Additionally, the DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile, operational in Anhui province, extends China's strike capability to 4,000 kilometers. Meanwhile, USNI reported in January 2025 that North Korea's hypersonic missile test that month signals its intention to strengthen strategic deterrence capabilities. State media KCNA reported that the missile traveled 1,500 kilometers at Mach 12, following a 'dual peak' trajectory before falling into the Sea of Japan. However, Japan's MOD and South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff provided contradictory data, indicating a maximum range of 1,100 kilometers and the absence of the claimed second peak. Still, US Tomahawk missile production challenges may have influenced Japan's decision to develop a similar indigenous missile. Reuben Johnson notes in a March 2025 article for 1945 that the US Navy faces a critical shortage of Tomahawk cruise missiles due to rapid expenditure rates outpacing production capabilities. Recent conflicts, including the 2024 Yemen strikes, depleted stockpiles, with over 80 missiles used in a single day. Industry challenges stem from fluctuating procurement demands and insufficient production rates, compounded by a 'just-in-time' manufacturing model that limits surge capacity. Efforts to expand production through exports have yet to yield significant results. Additionally, unstable demand has caused bottlenecks in key components, such as rocket motors, further delaying replenishment. Current production rates remain inadequate, with orders from 2023 expected to deliver only five missiles monthly by 2025. In a January 2023 report for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Seth Jones notes that in nearly two dozen simulations of a US-China war in the Taiwan Strait, the US expended 400 Tomahawk missiles in just three weeks of conflict, with a Tomahawk Block V missile taking 25 months to replace. This potential rapid depletion of stocks may leave little to spare for allies like Japan. However, upgrading the Type 12 into a longer-range, more powerful missile presents various technical challenges, says Masashi Murano in a March 2024 article by the US Studies Center (USSC). An improved, longer-ranged Type 12 would require a satellite data link and its existing guidance system to enable real-time flight course updates, allowing for targeting time-sensitive targets, such as transporter-erector-launchers (TELs). An upgraded Type 12 would also need various warhead types to crater runways and destroy hardened targets such as bunkers. China and North Korea are also likely to deploy robust defenses, necessitating the acquisition of electronic warfare decoys capable of imitating the signatures of strike aircraft to deceive their adversary's defenses. In addition, Murano points out that the long-range strike systems Japan is developing are expensive and that Japan has limited production capacity for such weapons. But to shoot far, Japan needs to see far. In a March 2025 Breaking Defense article, Christopher Woody highlights that Japan's reliance on the US for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) remains significant, with gaps in its 'kill chain' capabilities necessitating US support for target detection and tracking. This leaves the possibility that the US will withdraw those critical capabilities when Japan would need them the most. Notably, the temporary suspension of US intelligence sharing with Ukraine in 2025 highlighted how such actions can significantly impact a nation's defense operations, prompting US allies to reconsider their dependence on US military support and technology. In the case of Ukraine, the loss of US intelligence support enabled Russia to retake significant parts of Kursk, upending Ukraine's strategy of holding Russian territory as a bargaining chip for peace negotiations. Such a decision may leave Japan facing a simple yet difficult choice – to build its independent counterstrike capabilities without US dependence or to continue embracing US technology while mitigating the risk of abandonment. Veerle Nouwens and others note in a January 2024 report for the Institute for International and Strategic Studies (IISS) that while Japan has launched a reconnaissance satellite and pledged to launch small satellites for target detection and build over-the-horizon (OTH) radars, it will likely continue to depend on the US for these capabilities due to the cost and complexity of the associated equipment. Further, Woody notes that the Trump administration's transactional approach to alliances has further strained US-Japan relations, with demands for increased Japanese defense spending and critiques of Japan's contributions to the alliance. While Japan has pledged to double defense spending to 2% of GDP by 2027, political and economic challenges, including public resistance to tax hikes, complicate these plans. As Japan pivots from dependence to deterrence, the test will be whether its missiles fly farther than US assurances hold firm.
