China tested new missile capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads
Launch would come amid growing tensions with US, but one mainland expert warns the PLA is not trying to send a message to Donald Trump
China reportedly tested a new version of a missile that can carry multiple nuclear warheads last month, amid heightened anxiety over ties with the United States.
But one mainland analyst cautioned that such a test would not be tied to the change in American leadership, given the months of preparation it requires.
The Dongfeng-5C missile, carrying 10 dummy warheads, was launched from the Taiyuan Space Launch Centre in Shanxi province, and flew to a desert in western China, the Washington Free Beacon reported on Tuesday, citing two unnamed defence officials.
The missile is a new variant of the DF-5, an intercontinental ballistic missile that first went into service in the early 1980s.
“The [Defence Department] routinely monitors Chinese military developments and accounts for PLA capabilities in our defence plans,” Pentagon spokesman Commander Gary Ross was quoted as saying by the report.
For decades, the US has put the estimated number of warheads in China’s nuclear arsenal at about 250. But the report suggested that the latest test with 10 warheads meant the actual number could be larger.