The annual Defense Department report on China’s military developments said it is overtaking the U.S. in land-based conventional ballistic and cruise missiles as well as air defense capabilities.
“Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China, 2020” underscored China has more than 1,250 ground-launched ballistic missiles (GLBMs) and ground-launched cruise missiles (GLCMs) with ranges from 500 to 5,500 kilometers. In contrast the U.S. currently fields only one type of conventional GLBM with a range of 70 to 300 kilometers and no GLCMS.
The U.S. and Russia previously operated under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) that banned nuclear and conventional land-based missiles with a range of 500-5,500 km, but the U.S. withdrew from the treaty last year after accusing Russia of violating the agreement (Defense Daily, Aug. 2).
However, the report noted China was never a party to the agreement and never faced those range limitations.
“The PRC has developed its conventional missile forces unrestrained by any international agreements,” the report said.
The Pentagon argued that in 2019 China launched more ballistic missiles for testing and training than the rest of the world combined.
The People’ Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) conventional missile forces include the CSS-6 (DF-15) short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) (725-850 km range); CSS-7 (DF-11) SRBM (600 km); CSS-11 (DF-16) SRBM (over 700 km); land-attack and anti-ship variants of the CSS-5 (DF-21) medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) (approximately 1,500 km); DF-26 IRBM (approximately 4,000 km); and the CJ-10 (DH10) ground-launched cruise missile (GLCM) (approximately 1,500 km).
The report highlighted the conventionally armed CSS-5 Mod 5 (DF-21D) anti-ship ballistic missile variant also gives China the ability to conduct long-range precision strikes against ships in the Western Pacific, including aircraft carriers. That missile has a range over 1,500 km, has a maneuverable reentry vehicle warhead and the Chinese military claims it can be rapidly reloaded in the field.
The Pentagon outlined the PLA has about 200 SRBM launchers and over 600 SRBMs in the 300-1,000 km range; fields about 150 conventional MRBM launchers and more than 150 1,000-3,000 range missiles; about 200 IRBM launchers and more than 200 3,000-5,000 km range missiles; about 100 ground-launched Land-Attack Cruise Missile launchers and over 300 missiles for standoff precision strikes; and a wide range of advanced anti-ship cruise missiles like the YJ-62, YJ-18, and YJ-12.
The report also noted China’s increasing air and missile defense capabilities.
The report said the PLAAF “possesses one of the largest forces of advanced long-range [Surface to Air Missile (SAM)] systems in the world, composed of Russian-sourced SA-20 (S-300) battalions and domestically produced CSA-9 (HQ-9) battalions.”
China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) is working to improve long-range air defenses by buying SA-21 (S-400) SAM system from Russia while also developing the CSA-21 (HQ-9B) to follow-on the SA-20s and CSA-9s.
The Pentagon said China is also developing an indigenous CH-AB-X-02 (HQ-19) air defense, “which will likely have a ballistic missile defense capability.”
The report added China is also developing kinetic kill vehicle technology for use on a mid-course missile defense interceptor, “which will form the upper layer of a multi-tiered missile defense.”
The Pentagon reiterated in 2016 official Chinese media confirmed the government’s intent to move forward with land and sea-based mid-course missile defense capabilities. By now, the HQ-19 has undergone tests to verify its capability against 3,000 km-class ballistic missiles and one HQ-19 unit “may have begin preliminary operations in western China.”
Chinese radars JY-27A and JL-1A reportedly provided target detection for the HQ-19. China’s government claimed the JL-1A was capable of precision tracking of multiple ballistic missiles.
The report found the PLA’s long-range SAMs also offer a “limited capability against ballistic missiles.”
The domestically-made CSA-9 (HQ-9) likely has a limited capability for point defense against tactical ballistic missiles while the SA-21 (S-400) SAMs “may have some capability to engage ballistic missiles, depending on the interceptors and supporting infrastructure.”