The jump in the designation of Dongfeng-61 hides a major shift in China's strategic missile technology route. This new missile may adopt a flight trajectory and penetration method completely different from traditional intercontinental ballistic missiles.

During the 93rd military parade, the sudden appearance of Dongfeng-61 surprised all observers. Even more surprising was that this missile skipped the designation of Dongfeng-51 and was directly named "61".

This designation jump is not arbitrary, but indicates a fundamental change in the technical route. If it were just an improved version of Dongfeng-41, its designation would likely be Dongfeng-41X. But by skipping Dongfeng-51 and directly naming it Dongfeng-61, it indicates that it is a completely new design with a different technical route.

China's missile naming system has its own internal logic. Generally, improved versions add letters or numbers to the original model, such as Dongfeng-31AG or Dongfeng-26B.

Skipping Dongfeng-51 and directly naming it Dongfeng-61 itself indicates the issue. This reminds people of the development process of China's YJ series anti-ship missiles: YJ-17, YJ-18, YJ-20, and YJ-19 represent **different technical routes**.

Dongfeng-61 is likely not a traditional intercontinental ballistic missile, but a strategic strike system that uses a new flight mechanism. This jump in naming indicates that its technical characteristics are fundamentally different from the existing missile family.

Traditional intercontinental missiles like Dongfeng-41 follow a parabolic trajectory, with a relatively predictable flight path. Although modern multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) technology increases the difficulty of interception, the basic physical laws determine its trajectory characteristics.

Dongfeng-61 may use a completely different flight mode. Hypersonic glide warhead technology is one of the most likely choices. This technology allows the warhead to glide in the near space, making its trajectory flexible and variable.

It's like giving the missile "wings," allowing it to "skip" on the edge of the atmosphere. This flight method makes it almost impossible for traditional missile defense systems to effectively intercept, as interceptors cannot predict its next maneuvering trajectory.

Existing missile defense systems are mainly designed for traditional ballistic missiles, with early warning systems and interceptors based on the physical laws of parabolic trajectories.

The new penetration method used by Dongfeng-61 will completely revolutionize this defense concept. The glide warhead not only has an unpredictable trajectory, but also flies at a lower altitude, significantly reducing radar detection range.

More importantly, hypersonic glide vehicles can perform large-scale lateral maneuvers, enabling attacks from different directions simultaneously, overwhelming the enemy's defense system. This multi-axis, multi-directional attack pattern is difficult for traditional missile defense systems to deal with.

Dongfeng-41, China's current most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile, uses solid fuel and MIRV technology, representing the peak of traditional missile technology. Dongfeng-61, however, is likely to break through the traditional framework, achieving a leap in the technical route. The differences between the two are not only reflected in performance parameters, but also in the basic working principles.

This technological breakthrough will redefine the balance point of strategic deterrence. Traditional nuclear deterrence calculations based on quantity comparisons may no longer apply, as quality advantages are having a disruptive impact.

For potential adversaries, Dongfeng-61 represents an "unknown unknown" - not only do they not know its specific performance, but they also don't understand its working principle or methods of counteraction. This uncertainty itself is a powerful deterrent. This technological superiority is not only reflected in the weapon itself, but also in the entire weapon system's supporting infrastructure: including early warning, command, communication, and support systems need to be upgraded accordingly.

The blunt head design of Dongfeng-61 suggests that it may carry a hypersonic glide vehicle. This design can withstand aerodynamic heating during high-speed flight, while providing space for a complex guidance system.

The transport-erect-launch vehicle of the missile shows extremely high mobility in deployment, combining with its unique flight characteristics to form a strike system that is difficult to detect, track, and intercept.

In the future balance of power among great nations, innovative weapons like Dongfeng-61 will become key factors in changing the game. It represents that the development of strategic weapons is shifting from simply pursuing range and yield to a new era emphasizing penetration capability and operational effectiveness.



Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7550129107300925994/

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