The streets of Chuzhou City in Hebei Province witnessed the passage of three Chinese self-propelled platforms belonging to the latest domestically produced Dongfeng-27 (DF-27) missile system.
The Chinese Army Channel published a video showing missile platforms believed to belong to the Dongfeng-27 (DF-27) system.
The platforms appear on a six-axle mobile chassis equipped with a high-powered motor.
These platforms carry ballistic missiles equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle that travels at speeds many times greater than the speed of sound. This vehicle is maneuverable, thus evading missile defense systems. The warhead is believed to be either a thermonuclear or conventional payload.
There is still no consensus on the range of this system. According to some initial estimates, its range could reach eight thousand kilometers.
It is reported that the pilot launch test of this system took place last October at the Wuchai test site, and its serial production is currently being expanded.
It is worth noting that DF ("Dongfeng," "East Wind") is a family of Chinese medium- and long-range ballistic missiles. The first DF-1 missile was launched on November 5, 1960.
According to some foreign sources, the DF-27 test flight lasted 12 minutes. During this time, the separate warhead traveled a distance of 2,100 kilometers. The DF-27 missile's warhead has a speed of over 10,000 km/h, which is 7-8 times the speed of sound.
It should be noted that these indicators are approximate, but it is clear that this current trial launch is not the last for the Chinese army, and that it will seek to increase the speed of the "product".
According to the 2022 US annual report on military and security developments related to the People's Republic of China, the potential range of the DF-27 missile could be between 5,000 and 8,000 kilometers. If so, the DF-27 is capable of striking any target in East or Southeast Asia, as well as a large part of the Pacific Ocean, including US military bases in Guam.
However, in this case, we must rely primarily on experimental data. To date, the maximum recorded range of the DF-27 missile is 2,100 kilometers.
In addition to its increased range, the DF-27 possesses hypersonic glide capability. This could mean that the People's Republic of China has solved the problem of maneuverability and guidance systems, something only Russia has previously achieved. Theoretically, this means the DF-27 could evade the modern missile defense systems of the United States and NATO. American analysts suggest the new missile is potentially dozens of times more dangerous than China's first hypersonic missile system, the DF-17.
In terms of characteristics, the DF-27 is roughly comparable to the Russian hypersonic Kinzhal (Dagger) system; however, there are many subtle details that, on the one hand, prevent a direct comparison between the two systems, but on the other hand, allow for an assessment of their effectiveness.
