China missile scare: Beijing tests new warhead in fearsome warning to US

China missile scare: Beijing tests new warhead in fearsome warning to US
CHINA has tested its new long range missile – the DongFeng 4 – the Pentagon has confirmed, and the chilling warhead serves as a warning as the two countries battle for political and military dominance in the South China Sea and other proxy disputes.
The missile took flight last Friday, according to the Washington Times, with intelligence agencies in the US believing that the weapon matches the DF-41 that was showcased during China’s 70th anniversary celebrations.

On October 1, the country celebrated 70 years since it was founded, and flaunted its military prowess through the streets of Beijing.

The DF-41 is a ground-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile with a maximum range of 9,300 miles, capable of carrying multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles.
That impressive range means that the warhead could reach mainland US.

China has also been developing maneuverable warheads, decoys, chaff, and jamming techniques that could make the DF-41 more difficult to intercept.

The missile has been tested on three previous occasions according to the Washington Times – December 2016 and November 2017 and January and May of 2018.

Concern will be growing in the US given the defiant warning issued by Xi Jinping during the October military parade in locked-down Beijing.
He said in his speech: “There is no force that can shake the status of this great nation. No force can stop the Chinese people and the Chinese nation forging ahead.

“Long live the great Communist Party of China. And long live the great Chinese People.”

As well as the DF-41, unmanned aircraft, submarine launched missiles and other vehicles were on display, highlighting the huge investment President Xi Jinping has allocated to China’s military.

One of these weapons was the ‘Sharp Sword’, an unmanned drone which features a striking wing design and the exhaust is concealed giving it enhanced stealth capabilities.

The fact it is unmanned also means it can circle a target’s airspace for hours or days, free from the limitations of a manned aircraft and human error.

China reportedly had a flying prototype of the drone as early as 2013.

China’s military has become the centerpiece of Xi’s leadership, with the Chinese President engaged in various political and military tussles with the US.

The most recent military challenge came in the South China Sea last week when the US sent warships to the region to patrol waters contested by its counterparts in Beijing.

A statement, issued by Chinese People’s Liberation Army, reacted to the recent presence of the US ships near the Spratly Islands and Paracel Islands.

The PLA said: “The Chinese PLA sent ships and aircraft to conduct the whole-process monitoring and verification on the two US warships and warned them to leave.”

The Chinese military also warned an “accident” could occur should the US remain in the periphery of the waters, and were infuriated further when the US sent a patrol ship to Vietnam to help bolster Hanoi’s capacity to thwart Chnese encroachment.

China and the US continue to grapple for dominance, but the latest weapons test provides an indicator of how determined China is prepared to be in its pursuit of power.