DF-25
The land-based mobile-launch DF-25 is a a two-stage solid-fuel missile with a range of 1,700 kilometers. While the ranges of DF-25 and DF-21 are approximately the same, the nuclear-tipped DF-21 has a throw-weight of 600kg, compared to the conventionally armed DF-25's 2,000kg. The DF-25 is derived by removing the third stage from the three-stage DF-31 and substituting a modified second stage. Potential missions of the DF-25 include providing rapid fire support over long distances to defend the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea.
In 1996 it was reported that China had abandoned development of the DF-25, even though it had been anticipated to enter service in the 1996 timeframe. This report was apparently correct, since there have subsequently been no indications of the development or deployment of this system. A 1993 report suggesting that the DF-25 may have been a joint project with Iran has remained unconfirmed.
The Dongfeng-25 (DF-25 or East Wind 25),
Specifications
|
| Contractor | Academy of Rocket Motors Technology - ARMT |
| Operator | Second Artillery Corps |
| Basing | |
| Configuration | Two Stage |
| Length [meters] | |
| Diameter [meters] | |
| Mass [kilograms] | |
| Propellant | Solid |
| Guidance | Inertial |
| First Flight | 19 |
| IOC | 19 |
| Deployment | mobile |
| Range (km) | 1,700 |
| Re-entry Vehicle Mass (kg) | 2,000 |
| Warhead | conventional (non-nuclear) |
| CEP (meters) | |
Sources and Resources
- "China's canceled DF-25" Jane's Defence Weekly, 4 December 1996
- "China's Ballistic Missile Programs Technologies, Strategies, Goals" by John Wilson Lewis and Hua Di, International Security, Fall 1992 [vol. 17 no. 2]
http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/china/theater/df-25.htm
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Updated Friday, September 03, 1999 6:32:37 AM
