preface
As one of the military powers, China's military weapons are also constantly upgrading, refreshing people's horizons again and again.
With the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) into the relevant high seas of the Pacific Ocean, it once again sparked heated discussions among the majority of netizens.
Some people praise the strength of China's intercontinental ballistic missiles and their accuracy, while others say that the range is enough to shock the world.
But others countered that the missiles of United States and Russia easily exceeded the 10,000-kilometer mark, and Chinese missiles are estimated to have overtaken the United States and Russia.
There are many opinions on the Internet, so how far is the range of China's ICBMs? Can it surpass the United States and Russia?
United States Minuteman-3 missiles
The "Minuteman 3" intercontinental ballistic missile is an important element of the United States' triad nuclear deterrence.
In addition, it is also the only land-based ICBM in the US military, with a range of up to 10,000 kilometers.
The range of 10,000 kilometers is also seen as a watershed, and the United States' "Minuteman 3" has obviously exceeded it, but it has more than one advantage.
The "Minuteman 3" was installed in the US military in the 70s of the last century, and it is the world's first real multi-warhead missile.
At that time, it was at the forefront of the world's weapons with its split-guided multiple warheads.
To put it simply, in addition to one main warhead, it also carries several sub-warheads.
Just like the "Celestial Maiden Scattered Flowers", it is capable of striking several different targets with a single launch.
Moreover, the missile not only has a very impressive range, but also a large number, according to relevant data, the United States has about 400 such missiles in service.
Although "Minuteman 3" sounds very powerful, it still has a fatal flaw.
That is the "wound of age", and the expected service life of "Minuteman 3" at the beginning of the design was only ten years.
In fact, it has been in service for more than 50 years, so it should have been "retired" a long time ago.
Although the United States has continued to extend and upgrade the life of the "Minuteman 3" in the past few decades, the years have shown no mercy, and it is imperative to replace it.
There is no best, only better, and apparently United States understands this.
The United States Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center is already testing the Sentinel ICBM and plans to begin gradually replacing the aging Minuteman 3 in 2029.
However, there are still some skeptical voices occasionally, saying that the "Sentinel" is estimated to reach the scheduled plan in 2031.
Reference source: Observer.com2024-03-21The U.S. military tests the third-stage solid rocket engine of the "Sentinel" intercontinental missile
"Sarmat" in Russia
After talking about United States ICBMs, Russia's "Sarmat" is also an ICBM.
After its successful test launch, Russia President Vladimir Putin praised it for "hitting any corner of the earth."
From the mouth of the Russian side, we learned that the "Sarmat" missile can attack enemy targets in the other hemisphere, and the anti-missile systems of other countries are unable to deal with it.
This "Sarmat", which has made the president make bold statements, has a range of 18,000 kilometers, and its range really makes the world tremble.
It is also known as one of the world's most deterrent weapons, and it is believed that there will be no missiles of similar range for a long time in the future.
In addition to this, "Sarmat" is an intercontinental missile with multiple warheads, including even hypersonic warheads.
Moreover, it is capable of carrying 10 heavy nuclear warheads and reaching a range of 10 thousand kilometers.
However, the "Sarmat" missile is a land-based intercontinental missile, which is launched on a fixed basis, and this method of launch leads to a disadvantage.
That is, it is easy to be exposed, and since the launch position is fixed, it is not as concealed as a mobile ICBM.
To put it simply, the fixed launch target is large and easy to be detected by the enemy.
Back in the 80s of the last century, the United States "Keyhole-11" could already use reconnaissance images with a resolution of 0.1 meters.
Not to mention the high-definition resolution of the ground with the development of modern science and technology.
Therefore, Russia's "Sarmat" missile has a very powerful range, but it is still inevitably flawed.
Reference source: The Paper 2022-04-21Russia successfully test-fired the "Sarmat" missile, expert: an important milestone
The "true range" of the DF-51
After learning about the ICBMs of the two military powers, United States and Russia, the mainland also has missiles that rival them.
I believe that many people have heard the phrase "Dongfeng Express, the mission must be achieved".
Although it is a popular phrase on the Internet, in fact, it refers to the mainland's Dongfeng series of missiles, and netizens say that it has the strength to fight wherever it is.
The DF-51 is the mainland's latest intercontinental missile, and its name may not be familiar to many people, because it really hasn't been seen much.
The true range of the DF-51 is also a mystery.
After the PLA successfully launched the DF-51 on September 26, people speculated about its range based on the location of the target.
Among them, the most mentioned is 15,000 kilometers, and some people even boldly predict that the maximum range of the missile will reach 20,000 kilometers.
In the midst of all the opinions, let's review the range of the Dongfeng series of missiles.
The DF-31 missile made its debut at a military parade in 1999 and shocked the world as soon as it appeared.
The DF-31 missile was finally successfully developed after more than 10 years of arduous efforts by countless scientific research workers.
And its maximum range has reached 12,000 kilometers, you know, that was in the last century, and the strength is so strong.
The DF-41 is the "trump card" of China's strategic nuclear forces, making its first public appearance at the 2019 National Day parade.
As soon as it was unveiled, it attracted widespread attention around the world, and it was shocked by its maximum range of about 14,000 kilometers.
According to the announced range of the Dongfeng series of missiles, everyone also has a rough judgment about the Dongfeng-51 missile.
epilogue
With the continuous development of the mainland's scientific and technological strength and the successive appearances of the heavy weapons of major powers, our military strength has gradually attracted the attention of the world.
However, as old military powers, United States and Russia will still be ranked ahead of China in terms of military strength.
However, in fact, China's military weapons are constantly being updated and developed, such as the Dongfeng-51 intercontinental missile, which has just been successfully launched, and has successfully completed its mission.
The outside world has speculated about its true range, which also reflects the recognition of China's military strength, which can be comparable to United States and Russia countries.
This series of achievements is a powerful proof of the mainland's military modernization process, and also shows a new look for us in the global military arena.