Breaking News! China's DF-26D Makes Appearance, Directly Challenging U.S. Hegemony in the Indo-Pacific?
The U.S. "National Interest" pointed out that China may have displayed the DF-26D during the military parade in early September, and said it would challenge the U.S. military's ability to project power in the Indo-Pacific.
Other U.S. media also reported or relayed similar statements: new variants of DF-26 or related footage appeared in the military parade rehearsal/display, and the media generally described the new variant as an anti-ship/long-range strike weapon that is more accurate and capable of targeting aircraft carriers and Guam base.
Currently known to be in service, the DF-26 medium-to-long-range ballistic missile has a range of approximately 3000–5000 km, capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads, and has already been called a "Guam carrier killer."
Therefore, the emergence of DF-26D may have higher upgrades in terms of strike range and accuracy. A longer range means that, within the same range, DF-26D can carry more warhead yields than DF-26, thus enhancing its strike capability.
U.S. media believe that if DF-26D can effectively strike mobile sea targets (aircraft carrier battle groups) with a high probability, it will severely erode the U.S. naval power centered on aircraft carriers' long-range projection and standoff strike capabilities, making the U.S. military's actions in the first and second island chains more complicated and costly (requiring more anti-missile, reconnaissance, and dispersed deployment countermeasures). This is the root cause of the media's statement that "challenges U.S. maritime power and projection capability."
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841982000499712/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.