China Tests DF-10 “Long Sword” Nuclear Capable Cruise Missile; Implications for U.S. Forces in the Pacific.

China Tests DF-10 “Long Sword” Nuclear Capable Cruise Missile; Implications for U.S. Forces in the Pacific.

The latest of China's new series of lethal Dongfeng (DF) missiles, the DF-10 cruise missile was designed to carry a nuclear warhead of up to 500 kilograms and strike targets at distances of up to 1,500km. Chinese media has published never before seen footage of the People's Liberation Army's DF-10 missiles, showing pair of rocket launcher vehicles each firing three missiles. Amid rising tensions with the United States and a growing U.S. military presence in the Pacific, the DF-10 represents a major asset to China's missile forces. The nuclear capable platform poses a significant threat to U.S. military bases in both Japan and South Korea, according to the People’s Daily. A combination of the platform's range, high payload, and above all its precision make it potentially lethal against such facilities and could well put them out of service within hours of a conflict breaking out. Numerous variants of the DF-10 have reportedly been developed, including supersonic variants, anti ship variants and stealth variants. China's Donfeng missile series has forced the U.S. military to make considerable adjustments to its plans for a potential war in the Pacific, the DF-21D 'carrier killer' being a key example which has restricted U.S. supercarriers to operating far from Chinese coasts. By expanding the range and accuracy of its missile forces, China can seriously undermine the United States Military's ability to operate in East Asia. The People's Liberation Army continues to develop on of the largest anti access area denial (A2AD) zones in the world, both at sea, on land and to a lesser extent in the air, which is set to encompass much of East Asia and almost entirely eliminate the U.S. military's ability to intervene in a strategically critical region where it has long been the world's dominant power. #Gm* (courtesy: Military watch magazine)