China’s Newest Plaything: ICBMs Over the Pacific! 🎉
Folks, gather around! We’re diving into the latest nuclear antics from the land of dragons and dumplings! Last September 24th, China decided it was time to shake the Pacific Ocean a bit and tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time since 1980. That’s right; ICBMs are back and apparently ready to party! 🎊 The Ministry of Defense in Beijing was quick to assure us that this was all routine, like a Sunday barbeque but, you know, with nuclear weapons.
Details, Details… Where Are the Details?
Now, if you were expecting a detailed menu of what went down, think again! The big boys in Beijing didn’t give too much away—keeping it all under wraps like a magician with a card trick. 🃏 We know they fired it from the island of Hainan, which is about as usual for an ICBM launch as wearing socks with sandals. And what about the missile’s targets? Aren’t we just dying to know? Oh, the suspense! A long analysis by the Federation of American Scientists tried to spill the beans, but you know how it is; some secrets are harder to get out than a kid in a candy store on Halloween.
The Launch: A Cold Affair
Let’s break down the juicy bits: they launched a fancy missile called the DF-31AG. It’s a shiny new upgrade of the original DF-31 that’s been doing the rounds since 2006. Think of it as the latest iPhone but for nuclear delivery systems. Since 2007, the older model has officially retired. The DF-31AG, like the savvy gadget it is, uses a cold launch method. It’s launched with compressed gas—not your typical rocket fuel flames licking at the sky—so good luck finding where they launched it from! Unless you’ve got a drone and a keen eye, you won’t find any scorch marks to pinpoint this party starter.
The Dragon’s Aim
Now, where was this fiery beast launched from? The closest deployment for the DF-31AG is near the 632nd Brigade in Shaoyang, about 800 kilometers away from Hainan. Just picture it: the entire logistics of moving a fiery missile like a stealthy ninja from a military brigade to an island! They probably loaded it onto a rail car like it was an IKEA flat-pack and delivered it to Haikou Port before sneaking it to its launch site. If only assembling missiles was as easy as following a Swedish instruction manual!
What’s the Big Picture?
Now, why did they launch this bad boy from Hainan? Was it a military exercise? A tech demo? No, my friends, it was more like putting on a show! It screams to the world: “Look at me! I’m big, I’m tough, and I can launch things over oceans!” 🌊 With this, China is likely flexing its muscles—sending a friendly nudge (or maybe a not-so-friendly one) to its rivals. And let’s be honest, the US is regularly testing its intercontinental ballistic missiles over the open sea. It’s like a nuclear game of chicken out there! 🔥
The Takeaway
So, what does all this mean? Well, for starters, it shows that China is serious about asserting itself as a major world power—puffing out its chest just like at a beach full of competitors. So, whether this test is about showing off, military prowess, or just a routine exercise, one thing is clear: the Pacific Ocean just got a whole lot more interesting! ❤️ Or as I like to call it—the new frontier for international missiles and diplomatic barbecues.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to write my own memoir—“How to Launch Your Dreams: A Guide to ICBM Inspiration.” Because if they can have missile launches, I can have creative launches too, right?
Last September 24th China tested, for the first time since 1980, a intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in the Pacific Ocean. The Ministry of Defense in Beijing, without adding too many details, explained that the carrier had fallen “in the expected sea area”, that the test launch was routine and that it was part of annual training activities. Weeks later, many of them still remain gray areas on the teston the type of missile launched (this aspect would later be clarified, at least in part), on the objectives, on the site of the launch itself. Doubts and unknowns that a long analysis of Federation of American Scientists he tried to clarify as best he could.
What we know about the Beijing test
First, China launched its ICBM from the island of Hainanan unusual position for this type of missile. Furthermore, the return vehicle impacted the South Pacificat an estimated distance of 11,700 kilometers. As mentioned, it was the first time Beijing “targeted” the Pacific in a test since 1980, when it tested a DF-5 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center that year.
The first image of the operation, published by news agencies on September 25, showed an alleged missile DF-31AGa modernized version of China’s first road-based solid-fuel ICBM, the DF-31, which debuted in 2006. Since 2007, China has integrated and now completely replaced initial versions of the DF-31 with the DF- 31A long range.
The DF-31A launcher had limited maneuverability, so in 2017, China demonstrated the improved DF-31AG launcher for the first time. The DF-31AG uses a cold launch method. It means that the missile is ejected from the container using compressed gas o steam before the first stage engine fires. It also means it’s harder geolocate the launch site because it is unlikely that there will be burn marks, the same ones that would normally remain visible on the ground after the hot launch of a missile.
The Dragon Missile
The closest deployment of DF-31AG missiles is located at 632nd Brigade the location of Shaoyang in mainland China, about 800 kilometers away from Hainan. There is no confirmation that the missile came from this particular brigade, but the distance provides some perspective on the process and amount of time needed to bring a DF-31AG to the island. To transport it here it may have been placed on a rail car and stationed at a port such as the Yuehai Railway’s Beigang Pier, before being loaded onto a ship and transferred to Haikou Port. From there, the missile was likely guided, along with accompanying support vehicles, to a sheltered and protected area near the launch site finale.
According to numerous analysts, the general area where the launch is likely to have occurred is Wenchang. It should be a new military training area that could also be used in the future for further tests or tests of various kinds. But why did China choose to launch an ICBM from Hainan, in such a complicated place from a logistical point of view?
Having conducted the launch as part of a military exercise – and not a technology development program – it is safe to assume that Beijing intends to transmit military prowess and combat readiness to its rivals.
As if that weren’t enough, conducting such a test over the ocean also likely reflects China’s ambition to consolidate its international status as a major nuclear power. Moreover, the United States also regularly tests its intercontinental ballistic missiles in the open sea.
