China boasts missiles can 'hit anywhere in the world'

Chinese media said the country could field the DF-41 ICBM model with the ability to carry up to 10 nuclear warheads by early 2018.

DF-41 missile carrier and launcher. Photo: Sina

China's military plans to put into service the Dongfeng 41 (DF-41) intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of "hitting anywhere in the world" in the first half of 2018, Global Times, a publication of the People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, reported yesterday.

The DF-41 is said to have a maximum speed of about 12,350 km/h and is equipped with many features to deceive enemy defense systems.This ICBM can also carry up to 10 multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRV) nuclear warheads.

The DF-41 missile has been tested eight times since 2012, leading analysts to believe the project is complete enough for Beijing to put it into combat readiness.

The eighth test took place in early November at a secret location in the western desert region of China. A former officer in China's strategic missile force said the DF-41 is likely to have entered combat duty, as tests can still be conducted after the weapon is put into service.

The DF-41 is 15 meters long, two meters in diameter, weighs 30 tons, uses solid fuel and has a maximum range of 12,000 km. Each missile can carry 10 MIRV warheads or decoys.

According to VNE