China’s advanced DF-17 hypersonic missile likely to have been part of recent military drill
- Footage aired on state television shows new and unidentified type of missile vehicle in PLA exercise
- Analysts say DF-17 is powerful enough to strike US bases in the region
Footage aired on Chinese state television last week shows a new and unidentified type of missile vehicle being used to transport a weapon in a recent assault exercise conducted by a People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force missile brigade.
Military analysts said the missile being transported in the footage was likely to be the DF-17.
The hypersonic missile drew attention when it made its debut in October 2019 at a huge military parade marking the 70th anniversary of Communist Party rule in China.
In the report on state broadcaster CCTV, footage shows the brigade conducting the assault exercise at night, in an undisclosed location.
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Wang Chunhong, an officer in charge of training in the brigade, told the broadcaster that the new weapon system reduced the time needed to launch a missile.