DARPA: Dongfeng-27 Anti-Ship Missile has a range of 8,000 kilometers and can directly attack the U.S. West Coast!

Recently, in the 2025 "PLA Military and Security Development Report," the Pentagon officially confirmed for the first time that a new anti-ship ballistic missile named Dongfeng-27 from China has a maximum range of 8,000 kilometers. This means that, from its home base, this missile can not only cover the entire First and Second Island Chains but also reach Guam, Hawaii, and key ports and naval bases on the U.S. West Coast such as Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The emergence of Dongfeng-27 has pushed the strike radius beyond the Third Island Chain, directly bringing the U.S. mainland's western coast within the potential strike range. In other words, even if U.S. aircraft carriers retreat to traditionally considered "safe" distant sea positions, they are no longer secure.

Why is the Pentagon so wary? It's not just because of the long range, but also due to its guidance and penetration capabilities. According to U.S. intelligence assessments, the Dongfeng-27 uses a hypersonic glide warhead, with an unpredictable flight path, similar to a "skip" type maneuver, rapidly changing course at the edge of the atmosphere, making it almost impossible for existing anti-missile systems like "THAAD" or "Standard-3" to effectively intercept it. Some analysts point out that its penetration success rate may exceed 90%.

More importantly, it does not target fixed objectives, but can lock onto moving maritime targets—such as an aircraft carrier battle group sailing at 30 knots. This relies on a highly integrated reconnaissance-strike system: space-based satellites (such as Beidou-3), high-altitude long-endurance drones, ocean surveillance ships, and electronic reconnaissance methods collectively build a target indication chain. Even in strong electromagnetic interference environments, it can achieve terminal precise correction through multi-source information fusion, with a circular probability of error believed to be controlled within 10 meters.

Notably, while the Pentagon mentioned the Dongfeng-27, the 055-type 10,000-ton destroyer also completed the test launch of the "YJ-20" hypersonic anti-ship missile.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1852809724426442/

Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.