DF-41

China's road-mobile, solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile — capable of carrying multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) and reaching the continental United States from dispersed launch points deep inside China.

Overview

The Dongfeng-41 (DF-41) is the longest-range missile in China's nuclear arsenal and the backbone of the PLA Rocket Force's road-mobile intercontinental deterrent. It is a three-stage, solid-propellant ICBM that can deliver multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) to intercontinental ranges, first fielded operationally in 2020. The system improves survivability through high off-road mobility on an eight-axle transporter-erector-launcher (TEL) and, according to US assessments, is also being explored for rail-mobile and silo basing. With an estimated range of 12,000–15,000 km, the DF-41 can hold targets across the continental United States from launch points deep inside China, complicating adversary pre-launch targeting.

Development

China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) began work on a road-mobile ICBM in July 1986 under Project No. 204, originally scheduled for completion by 1999. The effort was absorbed into the DF-31 program but revived in the 1990s as Beijing sought to offset the erosion of its retaliatory capability by US missile defense deployments, according to Wikipedia. Deployment-ready missiles reportedly reached the PLA Rocket Force by 2010, and the first flight test occurred on 24 July 2012, as detailed by CSIS. The US Department of Defense first hinted at the system in its 2013 China Military Power Report, describing “a new road-mobile ICBM, possibly capable of carrying a MIRV.” Limited production likely began around 2019, and the missile made its public debut with 16 launchers at the 1 October 2019 National Day parade, an event that Chinese media said drew launchers from two brigades.

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