DF-17

The Dongfeng-17 (simplified Chinese: 东风-17; traditional Chinese: 東風-17; lit.: 'East Wind-17'), is a Chinese solid-fuelled road-mobile medium-range ballistic missile[2][1] that mounts the DF-ZF Hypersonic Glide Vehicle.[5] The DF-17's hypersonic armament gives China significant leverage over current conventional ABM's due to the glide vehicle's unpredictable ballistic trajectory.

DF-17
TypeMRBM with Hypersonic Glide Vehicle
Place of originChina
Service history
In service2019
Used byPeople's Liberation Army Rocket Force
Production history
ManufacturerChina Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT)
Specifications
Mass~15,000 kilograms (33,000 lb)[1]
Length~11 metres (36 ft)[1]
WarheadThermonuclear weapon (claimed by the United States)[2] or conventional warhead [3]
EngineTwo-stage Solid-fuel rocket
Operational
range
~1,800–2,500 kilometres (1,100–1,600 mi)[3]
Maximum speed Mach 5 (6,125 km/h; 3,806 mph; 1.7015 km/s)[4]
Guidance
system
Hypersonic Glide Vehicle[1]
Launch
platform
Road-mobile Transporter erector launcher

The DF-17 along with the DF-ZF, was officially unveiled at the National Day military parade on 1 October 2019[6], making this China's first operational hypersonic weapon systems and one of the world's first to be put in full initial operation.[7]

Design

The DF-17 uses the rocket booster from the already operational DF-16B short-range ballistic missile[4][8]. As such, the design of the missile itself did not require any major changes. The biggest change however, is the obvious usage of a hypersonic glide vehicle rather than a conventional re-entry warhead(s) found in normal ballistic missiles and MIRVs.

The DF-ZF HGV operates in a different manner from normal ballistic missiles or even intercontinental ballistic missiles in the first place. Rather than firing and landing in a normal arc, the DF-17's HGV suppresses its trajectory and accelerates to reach Mach 5.

Due to its extreme speed and suppressed/lower altitude trajectory, intercepting the glide vehicle with ABM shielding becomes far harder and more complex than that of a conventional re-entry vehicle. This is further complicated, as the gliding makes the DF-ZF far more maneuverable;[9] extending both its range and avoiding potential ABM shielding. As such, the DF-17 could hit regional targets despite its SRBM nature.[10] The DF-17 can also be used to mount a more conventional re-entry vehicle than the DF-ZF.[11]

Development

Testing of DF-17 prototypes was underway by 2014. At least nine test flight occurred between January 2014 and November 2017.[1]

The HGV test flight of 1 November 2017 launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia. The missile's payload flew approximately 1,400 kilometers with the HGV flying at a depressed altitude of around 60 kilometers following the completion of the DF-17’s ballistic and reentry phases. The test followed the first plenum of the Communist Party of China’s 19th Party Congress in October.[3]

The missile was officially unveiled during the National Day parade on 1 October 2019.[6]

References
  1. "DF-17". CSIS Missile Defense Project. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  2. "Questions About China's DF-17 and a Nuclear Capability". The Diplomat. 16 February 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  3. "Introducing the DF-17: China's Newly Tested Ballistic Missile Armed With a Hypersonic Glide Vehicle".
  4. "Four Of The Biggest Revelations From China's Massive 70th Anniversary Military Parade". Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  5. "Check Out China's New DF-17 Hypersonic Glide Vehicle: A Real Killer? | The National Interest".
  6. "China Brings Out the Big Guns for National Day".
  7. Henri Kenhmann (2019-10-07) DF-17 : Ce que l’on sait de cette arme hypersonique chinoise (translated, French: DF-17: What is known about this Chinese hypersonic weapon)
  8. "DF-16 short / medium-range ballistic missile".
  9. Ankit Panda (October 07, 2019) Hypersonic Hype: Just How Big of a Deal Is China’s DF-17 Missile? A conventional-weapons-only boost-glide HGV mounted on endo-atmospheric fuselage
  10. "DF-17".
  11. "China rolls out new weapon systems, nuclear-capable missiles in military parade".
  • DF-ZF - Hypersonic glide vehicle and the main armament of the DF-17.
  • Avangard - Russia's ground-based hypersonic glide vehicle.
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