Chinese Missile Development News

[ety]

These two missiles are not hypersonic missiles.

Chinese official agencies have a strict definition of "hypersonic".

高超音速导弹是指能够在临近空间或大气层内，以超过5倍音速（5马赫） 进行持续可控飞行，并可做大范围不规则机动的导弹。​

A hypersonic missile is operationally defined as a missile capable of sustained controllable flight at speeds exceeding Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound) within the atmosphere or near-space, while also being able to conduct substantial and unpredictable maneuvers.​

DF41/DF61 clearly do not meet these standards.

AI Overview


Yes, the DF-41 (Dongfeng-41) is a Chinese intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching hypersonic speeds, with estimates suggesting a maximum speed of up to Mach 25. As a road-mobile, solid-fuelled missile, it is designed to carry multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) and can strike the continental US within 30 minutes.

• Hypersonic Speed: The DF-41 operates well above Mach 5, with reports identifying it as a hypersonic ballistic missile.
• Capabilities: It is designed for long-range, strategic nuclear deterrence with a range of 12,000 to 15,000 km.
• Payload: The missile can carry up to 10 or 12 nuclear warheads (MIRV) and is highly maneuverable in flight, making it difficult to intercept.
• Deployment: The DF-41 is road-mobile and can be stored fully fueled, providing a rapid response capability compared to liquid-fueled missiles.

While it is often grouped with China's broader arsenal of hypersonic weapons (like the DF-17), it serves as a primary strategic nuclear deterren.




Summary and Key Points: China is advancing its hypersonic missile capabilities, with a growing arsenal that includes the DF-17, DF-41, and DF-ZF, capable of reaching speeds over Mach 5 and bypassing air defenses.

The Chinese Hypersonic Missile Arsenal​

Today, the Chinese military’s hypersonic arsenal includes three projects. The DF-17 medium-range ballistic missile has a hypersonic glide vehicle and a range of approximately 1,000 miles. The DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missile also has a hypersonic glide vehicle. And finally, the DF-ZF hypersonic glide vehicle has a range of around 1,300 miles.

The U.S. Military 'Freaks' over China's Hypersonic Missiles

Summary and Key Points: China is advancing its hypersonic missile capabilities, with a growing arsenal that includes the DF-17, DF-41, and DF-ZF, capable of reaching speeds over Mach 5 and bypassing air defenses. -These weapons, which can carry both conventional and nuclear payloads, present...

nationalinterest.org

 

[Michael]

AI Overview


Yes, the DF-41 (Dongfeng-41) is a Chinese intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching hypersonic speeds, with estimates suggesting a maximum speed of up to Mach 25. As a road-mobile, solid-fuelled missile, it is designed to carry multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) and can strike the continental US within 30 minutes.

• Hypersonic Speed: The DF-41 operates well above Mach 5, with reports identifying it as a hypersonic ballistic missile.
• Capabilities: It is designed for long-range, strategic nuclear deterrence with a range of 12,000 to 15,000 km.
• Payload: The missile can carry up to 10 or 12 nuclear warheads (MIRV) and is highly maneuverable in flight, making it difficult to intercept.
• Deployment: The DF-41 is road-mobile and can be stored fully fueled, providing a rapid response capability compared to liquid-fueled missiles.

While it is often grouped with China's broader arsenal of hypersonic weapons (like the DF-17), it serves as a primary strategic nuclear deterren.




Summary and Key Points: China is advancing its hypersonic missile capabilities, with a growing arsenal that includes the DF-17, DF-41, and DF-ZF, capable of reaching speeds over Mach 5 and bypassing air defenses.

The Chinese Hypersonic Missile Arsenal​

Today, the Chinese military’s hypersonic arsenal includes three projects. The DF-17 medium-range ballistic missile has a hypersonic glide vehicle and a range of approximately 1,000 miles. The DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missile also has a hypersonic glide vehicle. And finally, the DF-ZF hypersonic glide vehicle has a range of around 1,300 miles.

The U.S. Military 'Freaks' over China's Hypersonic Missiles

Summary and Key Points: China is advancing its hypersonic missile capabilities, with a growing arsenal that includes the DF-17, DF-41, and DF-ZF, capable of reaching speeds over Mach 5 and bypassing air defenses. -These weapons, which can carry both conventional and nuclear payloads, present...

nationalinterest.org

You can use the standards I mentioned above to have the AI re-analyze. These standards are publicly available from Chinese official institutions (CCTV, PLA Daily, and other official media). They are not standards I made up.

 

[niubi]

Hypersonic is usually always used in these contexts as in > mach 5 sustained speed minimum throughout flight after booster accelerates missile past mach 5 AND is both controllable and maneuverable.

Ballistic missiles following a pure ballistic trajectory are pretty much all hypersonic in speed in mid course and terminal phase. These missiles however are not "hypersonic weapons" in the context of how modern military jargon considers hypersonic weapons.

MaRVs are barely hypersonic weapons and somewhere in between since hypersonic weapons mostly refer to hypersonic gliders (HGVs) or hypersonic cruise missiles (HCMs). Since MaRVs are basically minimally maneuverable payloads boosted by IRBM or ICBMs, they are somewhat controllable and maneuverable. Since China's anti-ship ballistic missiles of previous generations used MaRV to hit moving ship targets, these are nearly considered "hypersonic weapons" even though their mid course and terminal speeds are well in excess of mach 15 for the DF-21D and DF-26 AShBMs.

DF-41 is one of China's road mobile ICBMs. It is around mach 25 but not a hypersonic weapon. It likely just houses China's older MIRV warheads or maybe MaRV with penetration aids. This doesn't quite make it "hypersonic weapon" by this modern definition.

Only weapons that qualify as hypersonic weapons are HGVs and HCMs owing to their greater degree of maneuverability compared to MaRV and to their controllability.

So you have weapons like DF-17, DF-27, YJ-17, YJ-19, and CJ-1000. Russia has Avangard and Tsirkon. US is working on completing their HAWC and ARRW both are still in development.

India's LRAShM is NOT one since it is not a glider or an air brething cruise missile. The Indian LRAShM is an attempt to build an analogue of a MaRV capable anti ship ballistic missile similar in range and energy to a DF-21D from the 2000s era which is China's first gen attempt at A2AD weapon called assassin's mace program which yielded DF-21D service before 2010 and declassified in the mid 2010s.

USA's LRHW which is based on their common hypersonic glider program is a simple double conical glide body which is also a HGV design type that Iran (and China and Russia too) also use. This is a very simple and old technique which was experimented with since the 1980s with tests. US has been trying to complete development of a wedge shaped glider like China's DF-17 with the ARRW program. All their previous experiments since the 1990s with hypersonic cruise missiles and wedge gliders will help them advance in this field. China too has been playing with this stuff since 1960s but lacked the supercomputing and wind tunnels until the 1990s.

DF-61 is a very different beast though the hints on DF-61 and another mysterious global ranged FOBS like weapon (these two are different) indicate a combination of mach 20+ speed typical of ICBMs and hypersonic glider or slow down in atmosphere to a speed air breathing engines can operate (ie probably not mach 20+).

 

[Deino]

Interesting find; for the first time a Serbian AF MiG-29 was seen carrying two Chinese CM-400AKG standoff missiles, indicating that Serbia is - after Pakistan - the second confirmed export customer of this missile system.

This also explains the "unusual" flights of transport aircraft to Serbia in recent months.

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[Shui]

Interesting find; for the first time a Serbian AF MiG-29 was seen carrying two Chinese CM-400AKG standoff missiles, indicating that Serbia is - after Pakistan - the second confirmed export customer of this missile system.

This also explains the "unusual" flights of transport aircraft to Serbia in recent months.

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View attachment 184675

That's Indeed interesting.

 

[Fatman17]

The latest image (March 2026) indicated that Serbian AF also acquired an unknown number of CM-400AKGs for its Mig-29 feet.
- Last Updated 3/9/26

 

[Deino]

Another one with a LS-6 gliding bomb

 

[FHN]

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[Deino]

Yes, some claim this could be the first leak of a PL-16 under a J-16

 

[Michael]

Interesting find; for the first time a Serbian AF MiG-29 was seen carrying two Chinese CM-400AKG standoff missiles, indicating that Serbia is - after Pakistan - the second confirmed export customer of this missile system.

This also explains the "unusual" flights of transport aircraft to Serbia in recent months.

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View attachment 184675

Well... does this count as confirmation?

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[东风夜放花千树]

Now you are moving the goal post before you implied in your posting that "blah blah plasma shield" prevents radar from finding the target. Now the speed?

How do you think air-to-air missile find their target? Duh, they use radar too! If the radar can find targets on the ground which is more difficult because of clutter. It should be easier to find targets in the air with no clutter. Ever heard of active radar homing?

There are a whole lot of supersonic missiles mach 5 or over. So does satellite rendezvous docking with tremendous speed but they docked. They used radar too so speed and guidance are no problem It has been done every day

Supersonic air-to-air missiles travel at speeds of Mach 1–5, which is 767 miles per hour–3,836 miles per hour. Here are some examples of supersonic air-to-air missiles and their speeds:

• R-37M
  This Russian missile travels at Mach 6 and has a range of up to 400 kilometers. It is considered one of the most potent munitions in Russian combat aviation.
• Kh-31A
  This missile has a maximum flight speed of 1,000 meters per second and a firing range of 7.5–70 kilometers.

My friend, there is no need to argue with him.

We don't have advanced weapons. We don't have hypersonic weapons, we don't have laser weapons, we don't have microwave weapons, we don't have fifth or sixth-generation aircraft, we don't have dual-pulse missiles, we don't have missiles with a range of over 200 million miles, we don't have next-generation radar, we don't have a space force, we don't have supersonic communication technology, we don't have plasma-constrained nuclear fusion. We are a developing country, and our military capabilities are not as strong as those of the United States, India, Israel, or Japan. This is a picture of the Chinese military greeting the people nationwide during the Chinese New Year.




We encourage potential enemies to misunderstand us. But the soldiers who have to face them are the ones who are unlucky. Ignorant people will choose politicians who boast, and politicians who boast will ruin a country.

 

[Shui]

wtf is this?

 

[Zoyou]

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[Bilal]

wtf is this?

View attachment 186298

SH16 artillery?

 

[Fatman17]

China’s PL-17 Revealed: 400km ‘AWACS-Killer’ Missile Signals Major Shift in Global Airpower Balance - Defence Security Asia

High-resolution imagery of China’s PL-17 ultra-long-range air-to-air missile confirms a 400km engagement capability designed to target AWACS, tanker aircraft and bombers, a development analysts say could fundamentally change modern air warfare and challenge Western air superiority.

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PL-17 revealed