Intercepting the DF-41 in the air is as challenging as trying to shoot a rifle bullet into another, Karl Josef Dahlem, chief advisor of air defense with the European guided weapons manufacturer MBDA, told Die Welt during an interview. Early detection by reconnaissance and radar facilities is a must for the US to intercept intercontinental missiles, Dahlem said.
“Depending upon the flight path a missile takes roughly 20 to 25 minutes to launch from Asia to a target in the USA,” said Dahlem. The DF-41 is capable of ascending over 1000 kilometers into space, twice as far as the International Space Station circling the Earth. For this reason, it is better for the defender to destroy the incoming missile when it is still far away from the ground.
With an attack range between 12,000 and 15,000 kilometers, Die Welt said that DF-41 has very similar abilities to the US rocket Minuteman or Russiam RS-24M Yars. Any countermeasures cannot guarantee the security of the United States completely from intercontinental missile attacks.
Full article: Chinese DF-41 missile can penetrate US air defense: German expert (Want China Times)
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