Pentagon spokesperson Cynthia Smith said China completed a test of the DF-31B on Sept. 25 and that the new missile system is probably a multi-warhead version of the DF-31 missile. It is designed specifically for travel on rugged terrain or other difficult road conditions, a Chinese military website stated. The state-run Russian newspaper said that China is currently the only nation except Russia to develop a land-based ICBM.
The United States devoted most of its resources to the development of submarine-launched ballistic missiles after the decommissioning of the LGM-118 Peacekeeper in 2005. The Russian-language newspaper said the Soviet Union developed various road-mobile ICBMs including the SS-20, the SS-24 and the Topol. With a range of 5,500 kilometers, the SS-20 was an extremely dangerous threat to the United States and its Western allies.
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With such mobility, it will be very difficult for US satellites to locate the Topol missiles on the ground. China has decided to develop road-mobile launchers as well because it has similar terrain to Russia. The newspaper said the DF-31B is China’s Topol. The attacking range of the Topol is 10,000 kilometers, while the details of the DF-31B are still unknown. The state-run Global Times however, stated that the attacking range of the DF-41 is estimated to be around 14,000 km.
Full article: DF-31 said to be China’s version of Russia’s Topol ICBM (Want China Times)
