DF-17

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DF-17
Dongfeng-17 sketch.svg
DF-17 missile on a road-mobile vehicle
TypeMRBM with Hypersonic Glide Vehicle
Place of originChina
Service history
In service2019
Used byPeople's Liberation Army Rocket Force
Production history
ManufacturerChina Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT)
Specifications
Mass~15,000 kilograms (33,000 lb)[1]
Length~11 metres (36 ft)[1]
WarheadThermonuclear weapon (claimed by the United States)[2] or conventional warhead [3]
EngineTwo-stage Solid-fuel rocket
Operational
range
~1,800–2,500 kilometres (1,100–1,600 mi)[3]
Guidance
system
Hypersonic Glide Vehicle[1]
Launch
platform
Road-mobile Transporter erector launcher

The Dongfeng-17 (simplified Chinese: 东风-17; traditional Chinese: 東風-17; pinyin: dōngfēng-17; lit. 'East Wind-17'), is a Chinese solid-fuelled road-mobile medium-range ballistic missile[2][1] that mounts the DF-ZF Hypersonic Glide Vehicle.[4] The DF-17's hypersonic armament gives China significant leverage over current conventional ABMs due to the glide vehicle's unpredictable trajectory.

The DF-17 along with the DF-ZF, was officially unveiled at the National Day military parade on 1 October 2019,[5] making this China's first operational hypersonic weapon systems and one of the world's first to be put in full initial operation.[6]

Design[]

The DF-17 uses the rocket booster from the already operational DF-16B short-range ballistic missile.[7][8] As such, the design of the missile itself did not require any major changes. The biggest change however, is the obvious usage of a hypersonic glide vehicle rather than a conventional re-entry warhead(s) found in normal ballistic missiles and MIRVs.

The DF-ZF HGV operates in a different manner from normal ballistic missiles or even intercontinental ballistic missiles in the first place. Rather than firing and landing in a normal arc, the DF-17's HGV suppresses its trajectory and accelerates to reach Mach 5.

Due to its suppressed, lower altitude trajectory, intercepting the glide vehicle with ABM shielding becomes far harder and more complex than that of a conventional re-entry vehicle. This is further complicated, as the gliding makes the DF-ZF far more maneuverable;[9] extending both its range and avoiding potential ABM shielding. As such, the DF-17 could hit regional targets despite its SRBM nature.[10] The DF-17 can also be used to mount a more conventional re-entry vehicle than the DF-ZF.[11]

Development[]

Testing of DF-17 prototypes was underway by 2014. At least nine test flights occurred between January 2014 and November 2017.[1]

The HGV test flight of 1 November 2017 launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia. The missile's payload flew approximately 1,400 kilometers with the HGV flying at a depressed altitude of around 60 kilometers following the completion of the DF-17’s ballistic and reentry phases. The test followed the first plenum of the Communist Party of China’s 19th Party Congress in October.[3]

The missile was officially unveiled during the National Day parade on 1 October 2019.[5]

Strategic implications[]

In March 2020, the United States Department of Defense proposes to accelerate the development of conventionally armed hypersonic glide vehicles (HGV) to keep pace with the Chinese development. Michael Griffin, former Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, presented House Armed Services Committee that the United States needs to develop hypersonic weapons "to allow us to match what our adversaries are doing."[12]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e "DF-17". CSIS Missile Defense Project. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Questions About China's DF-17 and a Nuclear Capability". The Diplomat. 16 February 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Introducing the DF-17: China's Newly Tested Ballistic Missile Armed With a Hypersonic Glide Vehicle".
  4. ^ "Check Out China's New DF-17 Hypersonic Glide Vehicle: A Real Killer? | The National Interest".
  5. ^ a b "China Brings Out the Big Guns for National Day".
  6. ^ Henri Kenhmann (2019-10-07) DF-17 : Ce que l’on sait de cette arme hypersonique chinoise (translated, French: DF-17: What is known about this Chinese hypersonic weapon)
  7. ^ "Four Of The Biggest Revelations From China's Massive 70th Anniversary Military Parade". Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  8. ^ "DF-16 short / medium-range ballistic missile".
  9. ^ Ankit Panda (October 07, 2019) Hypersonic Hype: Just How Big of a Deal Is China’s DF-17 Missile? A conventional-weapons-only boost-glide HGV mounted on endo-atmospheric fuselage
  10. ^ "DF-17".
  11. ^ "China rolls out new weapon systems, nuclear-capable missiles in military parade".
  12. ^ Reif, Kingston; Bugos, Shannon (April 2020). "Pentagon Tests Hypersonic Glide Body". armscontrol.org. Arms Control Association.
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