China released a picture on Thursday showing the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching most of the continental US, Miami Herald reports.
China Junhao, a media outlet of the Chinese military, published a photo of the test launch but did not disclose the type of missile or the location of the test. Judging from the photo, the missile was launched from a transport launcher. According to China Junhao, the launch tested “weapon performance” and the effectiveness of military training, and achieved its objectives.
According to Ankit Panda, a nuclear policy analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, it was a DF-31AG missile. The missile has a range of 6,959 miles, allowing it to reach most of the continental United States from most deployment areas in China, according to a Bulletin of Atomic Scientists report on China’s nuclear forces published in January.
US received “some prior notification” from China about the ICBM test
Meanwhile, the US Department of Defence confirmed on Wednesday that it had received “some prior notification” from China about the test. Sabrina Singh, deputy Pentagon spokeswoman, saw this as a positive development as it prevents misperceptions or miscalculations.
She called the notification a common sense, confidence-building measure, and Washington has been pushing Beijing to notify ballistic missile and space launches more regularly. The Chinese military said “relevant countries” were notified of the test in advance.
Bilateral agreement with Russia
China has a bilateral agreement with Russia on mutual notification of ballistic missile launches, but no agreement with its US counterpart. China has also not joined the Hague Code of Conduct, which requires participants to notify a launch in advance. In October 2023, the Pentagon said China had 500 launchers for 350 intercontinental ballistic missiles, a class of ballistic missiles with a range of more than 3,400 miles.
China’s intercontinental ballistic missiles consist of the operational DF-5, DF-31 and DF-41. The DF-31 is China’s first solid-fueled, road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 4,470 miles, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. The missile, which became known in 2006, could not reach the continental US from its home areas in China.
At least three variants of the DF-31 have been produced: the DF-31A, DF-31AG and a silo-based variant – with increased range and improved manoeuvring characteristics. The DF-31AG is the same missile as the DF-31A, but with a new launcher with improved off-road capabilities.
Civil aviation notices issued before Wednesday’s launch indicate the missile was fired from Hainan, a southern Chinese island province overlooking the South China Sea. Its mock warhead fell 7,400 miles away, north of Tahiti in French Polynesia. The launch of a strategic ballistic missile that crossed the sea and arrived on the island for a launch test was a historic, major breakthrough, a Chinese military observer said on social media.
