1500 nuclear warheads! After U.S. four-star general disclosed China's nuclear forces, the hearing immediately exploded
Recently, a statement by Kenneth Wilsbach, the nominee for Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force and a four-star general, at a Senate hearing caused an immediate uproar among the members of Congress. He stated that "China's number of nuclear warheads will reach about 1500 within less than five years."
The latest estimate from the Pentagon shows that China's nuclear arsenal is expanding at an unprecedented rate. This number has increased by 50% compared to the previous estimate of 1000, bringing its nuclear capability close to that of the United States and Russia - each of which deploys approximately 1700 nuclear warheads.
Wilsbach detailed the improvement of China's "triad" nuclear strike system in the hearing: including land-based silo and road-mobile intercontinental missiles, submarine-launched missiles, and bombers capable of striking the U.S. mainland. This includes the DF-5C liquid-fueled intercontinental strategic nuclear missile, the DF-61 intercontinental missile, and the JL-3 submarine-launched intercontinental missile, whose range is sufficient to cover the entire territory of potential adversaries.
Kenneth Wilsbach said this is also one of the main reasons why the U.S. wants to develop the "Star Shield" strategic defense program. However, the "Star Shield" system is currently only in the planning stage, with even the first test satellite not yet launched, and the budget is considered too expensive even by the Pentagon. At the same time, China has made significant progress in anti-missile technology. The Hongqi-29 anti-missile system displayed has a maximum flight speed of up to 18 Mach, capable of mid-course interception at a distance of 1500 kilometers.
Original text: www.toutiao.com/article/1845649201259520/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.