China's missile test simulates attack on American naval target
The Chinese conducted a mock warfare exercise against the United States, as reported by the Ukrainian portal Defense Express. In a specially prepared environment, Beijing simulated an attack on a mock American ship using a ballistic missile.
China organized additional tests of their anti-ship ballistic missile at a range located in the Taklamakan Desert. In the released video, one can see the missile being launched and impacting the ship mock-up. Analysts at Defense Express believe the missile is most likely the DF-21D model, which has a range of up to 1,540 kilometres and can carry either conventional or nuclear warheads.
Modern guidance systems
In the short video released online, the Chinese are seen launching a missile towards the Taklamakan Desert. This location was deliberately chosen, as a massive railway line of about 40 kilometres has been constructed there. Mock ships, including American ones, move along this line to simulate ship movements at sea.
The target dummies move on rails but are several times smaller than real vessels. Defense Express notes that the object hit by the DF-21D missile was about 80 metres long. This means the dummy is at least half the size of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. However, a smaller target provides a more challenging test for the missile, as it needs to be much more precise to strike the unit accurately.
The DF-21D missile, which the Chinese most likely used for testing in the Taklamakan Desert, is a two-stage anti-ship ballistic missile that uses solid fuel for propulsion and entered service in 2006.
The range of this missile is estimated to reach nearly 1,600 kilometres. The warhead on the DF-21D weighs up to 600 kilograms and can be conventional or nuclear. The primary advantage of this missile is its self-guidance system, which, among other features, uses GPS data to strike a small, moving ship with high precision.
