| Is Missile: | yes |
| DF-41 | |
| Type: | ICBM |
| Origin: | China |
| Engine: | Three-stage Solid-fuel rocket |
| Weight: | ~80000kg (180,000lb)[1] |
| Length: | ~22m (72feet) |
| Diameter: | ~2.25m (07.38feet) |
| Vehicle Range: | ~12000km-15000kmkm (7,000miles-9,000mileskm) |
| Filling: | 8 x 250 kt or 10 x 150 kt MIRVs |
| Speed: | Mach 25 (31,425 km/h; 19,625 mph; 8,660 m/s)[2] |
| Manufacturer: | China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) |
| Service: | 2017 |
| Used By: | People's Liberation Army Rocket Force |
| Guidance: | Inertial, likely with stellar updates and BeiDou[3] |
| Accuracy: | ~100 m CEP |
| Launch Platform: | Silo, road-mobile Transporter erector launcher, rail-mobile |
The Dongfeng-41 or DF-41 (; NATO reporting name: CH-SS-20[4]) is a fourth-generation Chinese solid-fuelled road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile operated by the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (formerly the Second Artillery Corps). DF-41 is the fourth and the latest generation of the Dongfeng series strategic missiles developed by China.[5] The missile was officially unveiled at the China National Day military parade on 1 October 2019.
The missile reportedly has an operational range between 12000to.[1] It is believed to have a top speed of Mach 25,[6] and to be capable of MIRV delivery (up to 10).[7] The development of the MIRV technology is reported to be in response to the deployment of the United States national missile defense system which degrades China's nuclear deterrence capability.[8] The project started in 1986,[7] and may now be coupled with the JL-3 program.
Though there have been reports that the DF-41 can carry 3 to 8 warheads, analysts think it most likely carries only three warheads, with the additional payload used for many penetration aids.[9]
In April 2013, Taiwan's National Security Bureau head reported to the Legislative Yuan that the DF-41 was still in development, and not yet deployed.[10]
The U.S. Department of Defense in its 2013 report to Congress on China's military developments made no explicit mention of the DF-41, but did state that "China may also be developing a new road-mobile ICBM, possibly capable of carrying a multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle (MIRV)", which may refer to the DF-41.[11]
In August 2014, China's Shaanxi Provincial Environmental Monitoring Center website accidentally published a news report about an environmental monitoring site for a DF-41 ICBM; the news report (and entire website) was taken down shortly after getting public attention.[12]
In August 2015, the missile was flight-tested for the fourth time.[3] In December 2015, the missile was flight-tested for the fifth time. In April 2016, China successfully conducted the 7th test of DF-41.
On January 23, 2017, China was reported to have deployed a strategic ballistic missile brigade to Heilongjiang province, bordering Russia, along with another strategic ballistic missile brigade deploying to Xinjiang.[13]
In November 2017, just two days before U.S. President Trump's visit to China, the DF-41 was tested in the Gobi desert.[14] [15]
On October 1, 2019, China publicly displayed the missiles for the first time on its 70th Anniversary National Day military parade.[16]
On 5 December 2015, China conducted a launcher test of a new rail-mobile version of the DF-41, similar to the Russian RT-23 Molodets.[17]
In 2021, the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) said China was building 120 missile silos for DF-41 near Yumen in Gansu and another 110 missile silos near Hami in Xinjiang.[18]
A third site was discovered to be under construction near Ordos in Inner Mongolia in August, 2021. The new site will hold more than 100 ICBM.[19]
Together, the three new missile bases will house 350 to 400 new long-range nuclear missiles, U.S. officials said.[20] [21]