![]() ![]() The two missiles are very similar, each with an estimated range of 745 miles. The Hwasong-12 was tested six times in 2017, the first three launches ending in failure, and the second three a success of one measure or another.įinally, North Korea is developing the Pukkuksong 1 and 2 medium range ballistic missiles. In the meantime, the Hwasong-12 intermediate range ballistic missile has similar characteristics and can reach as far as Guam. With no launches in 2017, the project may have been abandoned. Of eight test launches in 2016, all eight failed. The Musudan intermediate range ballistic missile, a likely replacement for the No Dong, is under development but facing severe problems. The No Dong missile, an improvement on the Scud, can strike all of Japan and even farther into Russia and China.Įver industrious in the world of missile development, North Korea is developing new generation of missiles designed to replace the older ones. For use against regional targets, it has the Hwasong-6 short range ballistic missile, a derivative of the infamous Scud, which can strike all of South Korea and parts of Russia and China. North Korea has a bewildering number of missiles, though not all are operational. Over time, this has evolved into a strategy that involves deterring the United States by holding targets in Japan, South Korea, and even the United States at risk with conventional, biological, chemical, and now nuclear warheads. bases in Japan in the event of war on the Korean peninsula. North Korea’s missile program stems from a desire by Kim Il Sung, grandfather of the current leader Kim Jong Un, to strike U.S. Taiwan’s likely goal is a missile with a range of 1,100 miles -enough range to threaten Beijing itself. ![]() Taiwan also has a small number of Wan Chien (“Ten Thousand Swords”) air launched cruise missiles. According to reports, Taipei is preparing to field an extended range version. The Taiwan Strait is roughly 80 to 140 miles wide, meaning Taiwan can strike targets up to 290 miles from the China’s coastline. The current version can carry a 400-pound warhead up to 372 miles. Taiwan currently fields the Hsuing Feng (“Brave Wind”) IIE land attack cruise missile. If Taiwan had the ability to strike airfields, ports, refineries, electrical power stations, communications networks, and command centers supporting the invasion, it could cause Chinese leaders to doubt their ability to pull an invasion off, this deterring the invasion itself. War is not in China’s interest, but Taiwan wants the ability to deter China by holding targets on the mainland at risk. The Republic of China (colloquially Taiwan), always wary of the threat of invasion from the much larger People’s Republic of China, has long maintained an interest in the ability to strike the mainland. Hsiung Feng IIE subsonic land-attack cruise missile CSIS Taiwan As a cruise missile, the DF-10A flies low and subsonic, ideally flying below enemy air defense radars. The DF-10A is launched from land or sea, has a 932 mile range, and can attack targets on both land and sea. Navy carrier strike groups cannot operate.Ĭhina is also broadening its capabilities with the DF-10A cruise missile. The DF-21 and DF-26 are meant to create a “no-go zone” around Asia where U.S. ASBMs are difficult for existing sea-based air defenses to intercept due to their high ballistic flight profile and extremely fast reentry speed. Known as anti-ship ballistic missiles, or ASBMs, the missiles are based on the Chinese mainland and designed to strike moving ships at sea. In addition to conventional, chemical, or even nuclear warheads, the DF-21 and DF-26 both have “carrier killer” variants. The even longer range DF-26 intermediate range ballistic missile, also known as “The Guam Express,” can strike targets as far away as the American air and naval bases on the island of Guam. The DF-21 medium range ballistic missile can target the Vietnamese capital of Ho Chi Minh City, the Philippine capital of Manila, all of Taiwan, all of North and South Korea, and all of Japan. ![]() China’s territorial dispute with Japan in the East China Sea, with a number of its neighbors in the South China Sea, and budding rivalry with the United States, requires missiles capable of striking targets as far away as the island of Guam. Today, China’s more aggressive foreign policy dictates the need for longer range missiles. Play icon The triangle icon that indicates to play ![]()
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