DF-17

China's road-mobile DF-17 marries a medium-range ballistic missile booster to the DF-ZF hypersonic glide vehicle — a maneuvering, low-altitude payload built to outwit missile defenses and hit fixed high-value targets at 1,800–2,500 km.

Overview

The DF-17 (Dong Feng-17), assigned the US designation CH-SS-22, is a road-mobile medium-range ballistic missile system fielded by the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force. Its distinguishing feature is the DF-ZF hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) — a wedge-shaped, maneuvering payload that separates from the ballistic booster after ascent and glides through the upper atmosphere at speeds assessed between Mach 5 and Mach 10. The combination is designed to defeat layered missile defenses by flying a depressed, non-ballistic trajectory that evades mid-course intercept and compresses terminal warning times. The DF-17 was paraded in 2019 and is now assessed by U.S. intelligence analysts to be fielded, according to the Congressional Research Service; alongside Russia's ICBM-launched Avangard, it is one of the first HGV systems reported to be operational.

🔒 The full DF-17 file is for BattlePolicy Pro members. Below the line: development history, design and capabilities, variants, the combat record, advantages and limitations, comparable systems, outlook, the full specifications table, our sourcing, and the analyst assessment — procurement, suppliers and the BattlePolicy verdict. Unlock the full file with BattlePolicy Pro →