Page 9 - ADT JULY - AUGUST 2022 Online Magazine

precision comparable to Iskander missiles. It has a claimed range than a half dozen development tests between
of more than 2,000 kilometres, a speed of more than Mach 10, and 2014 and 2016. Of the seven tests during this
an ability to perform evasive manoeuvres at every stage of flight period using its Wu-14 (DF-ZF) hypersonic
carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads. Reports have glide vehicle, six have been successful. And,
since indicated that the Kinzhal missile has entered service and Chinese media report that the Dongfeng-ZF
that up to 10 MiG-31s have been modified to carry the missiles. The had been tested over 10 in succession, all of
10 aircraft deployed on experimental combat duty in the Southern which have been successful, and the troops [ COVER STORY ]
Military District, bordering Ukraine and the Black Sea. have been actually equipped with this weapon.
The DF-ZF is launched during the last stage
of a missile and can reach nearly Mach 10, as
well as manoeuvre to avoid missile defences
and zero in on targets. This weapon can be
configured to carry a nuclear or conventional
warhead and China claims it is precise enough
to attack ships at sea. The DF-ZF is currently
operational.

Beijing also had showcased recently the
Dongfeng 17 (DF-17) hypersonic boost-glide
missile. The DF-17 is the weapon that the US
intelligence community estimated in 2017 to
become the first of its kind to see operational
deployment. The new boost-glide missile,
which reportedly can travel faster than five
times the speed of sound, could “transform”
The third and newest hypersonic weapons the Russians have Beijing’s strategy for dealing with Taiwan, South
claimed is 3M-22 Tsirkon or Zircon anti-ship missile (ASM). The China Morning Post reported late last year. The
Zircon’s estimated range is 500 kilometres at a low level and up to DF-17 first appeared in public in Beijing during
750 kilometres at a semi-ballistic trajectory, but the state-owned a military parade celebrating the 70th anni-
media in Russia reports the range as 1,000 kilometres. It’s a two- versary of the founding of Communist China.
stage missile that uses solid fuel in the first stage and a scramjet “Observers were surprised to see 16 DF-17s on
motor in the second stage. their launchers during the Oct. 1, 2019 National
Day parade,” the paper reported.

China Not Far Behind The DF-17 is a two-stage weapon with a rocket
China has been developing its hypersonic weapon capabilities booster and a high-speed gliding warhead. The
with advancements in both HGVs and HCMs. DF-ZF, a hypersonic DF-17 reportedly can strike targets over a dis-
glide vehicle known in the U.S. as the WU-14, has undergone more tance of nearly a thousand miles. Its speed and

LANDING TECHNOLOGY

SIN CE 1 9 3 6

Visit our booth at Farnborough in Hall 1 – Stand #1207 “Pioneer of change” area.
ASIAN DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY July/August 2022 | 9