China releases images of DF-26 ballistic missile, sending message to the US
(Baonghean.vn) - China has released images of its next-generation Dong Feng-26 (DF-26) ballistic missile demonstrating increased stability and accuracy, a move that analysts say is aimed at sending a message of military strength to the US.
 |
| The next-generation Dongfeng-26 (DF-26) ballistic missile. Photo: AP |
Images of the missile were first shown in a news report broadcast on state broadcaster CCTV, amid escalating military confrontation between China and the United States.
Military analysts say the four-way flight control system, shaped like a shark fin, is arranged symmetrically around the DF-26 missile's nose to increase maneuverability and adjust its flight trajectory to hit a moving target, such as a US aircraft carrier.
The intermediate-range ballistic missile is also known as the "Guam killer" because of its range of 3,000 km to nearly 6,000 km, putting the US island of Guam in the Western Pacific within striking range.
The DF-26 missile is also used in nuclear, conventional and anti-ship strikes, which means China could use the missile to attack US aircraft carriers and naval bases in the Asia-Pacific region.
Adam Ni, a China researcher at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, said the latest exercise by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force "sent a clear message to the US about China's growing missile capabilities, and put US strategic assets at risk, such as aircraft carriers and bases."
“This is an attempt to reinforce the view that the PLA is capable of sinking US aircraft carriers and causing unacceptable damage to US forces. If bilateral relations deteriorate, we will see more exercises,” the expert commented.
Meanwhile, Mr. James Floyd Downes, a lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said that the release of images of the missile exercise was a premeditated political act.
Zhang Baohui, director of the Center for Asia Pacific Studies at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, said the missile exercise was a deterrent amid rising tensions in the region.
"China has repeatedly claimed that its missiles can hit moving targets such as ships. While the possibility of a war between the US and China remains very low, Beijing is still concerned about recent changes in the confrontation between China and the US. The release of images of the DF-26 missile could mean strengthening China's deterrence capabilities," the expert said./.