On Wednesday (3), China unveiled the new intercontinental strategic nuclear missile DF-5C during the V-Day military parade, marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and in World War II.
According to experts, the weapon has an estimated range of more than 20,000 kilometers, covering the entire globe.
The liquid-fuel missile incorporates technologies developed throughout the Dong Feng (DF) series, drawing on advances from both the DF-5 and the more modern DF-41 models.
+ Video: Ukrainian Forces Destroy Russian Armored Convoy in Zaporizhzhia
According to Professor Yang Chengjun, a missile technology and nuclear disarmament expert quoted by the state-run news outlet Global Times, the system presents “significant strategic value” for China’s national defense.
DF-5C Features
Yang highlighted six main features of the new missile:
- New modular structure – The DF-5C is transported in three sections by different vehicles, allowing faster preparation and response time compared to its predecessors.
- Range of over 20,000 km – Capable of striking any military target worldwide that poses a nuclear threat to China.
- Multiple launch methods – Following the DF series tradition, it expands operational flexibility.
- High flight speed – Reaching dozens of Mach, it drastically reduces the interception window of missile defense systems.
- MIRV capability – Can carry multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, equipped with nuclear or conventional warheads, as well as decoys, making enemy defense more difficult.
- Advanced accuracy – Uses inertial guidance systems, stellar navigation, and China’s Beidou system, ensuring high precision even against distant targets.
Strategic Context
The Chinese government reaffirms that it maintains a defensive nuclear strategy, upholding the policy of “no first use” of nuclear weapons and of not threatening non-nuclear states or nuclear-weapon-free zones.
According to Yang, the display of the DF-5C and other strategic weapons at the military parade has symbolic and political significance. “These weapons remind the Chinese people not to forget history and, at the same time, demonstrate that the country is prepared to face external threats in an increasingly complex and challenging security environment,” he stated.
The DF-5C nuclear missile is expected to join China’s strategic arsenal in the coming years, strengthening its deterrence capability and consolidating its position among the world’s leading military powers.
Source and images: Global Times / CCTV. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
