DF-27 Hypersonic Ballistic Missile Can Reach 8,000Km
As an ultimate weapon, China is very strict about keeping its development of hypersonic ballistic missiles secret.
The reason is, with the capital of hypersonic ballistic missiles, China is believed to be able to attack the military bases of the United States and its allies in the Pacific region without being able to be deterred by air defense systems.
And a report released by the Washington Post on February 25, 2023, has raised the alarm for Washington.
Reports from the Washington Post said that Beijing had carried out a secret test launch of the Dongfeng (DF)-27.
The DF-27 is a type of Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) capable of hitting the hypersonic level.
According to the report, the DF-27 traveled for 12 minutes to a distance of more than 1,300 miles (2,100 kilometers) and was analyzed to penetrate US anti-ballistic missile defense systems.
The revelations of the test hint at the huge leap Beijing has made in its hypersonic missile program.
To the Western intelligence community, the DF-27 hypersonic missile remains a huge mystery, given how little is known or confirmed about its performance parameters.
The existence of Chinese hypersonic missiles documented and reported by the Pentagon has been documented and reported last based on the 2021 report.
Several years ago, the Pentagon explained that the missile DF-27 was still in the development stage.
However, very little information is known about the potential extent to which the DF-27 can actually be categorized as a hypersonic missile and its range.
An article in the South China Morning Post said the weapon was Chinese hypersonic and had been around for several years.
And Chinese internal sources say the DF-27 ballistic missile which is still in the development stage can reach targets in the range of 5,000 – 8,000 km.
With a range of 8,000 km, the DF-27 not only endangers Taiwan but also threatens US military bases throughout the Pacific region, including Guam which is 4,000 km from the coast of China.
The Chinese military has been trying to keep secret the capabilities of the DF-27 missile which can reach all major US bases in the Asia Pacific.
However, China's hypersonic capabilities are not limited to the DF-17 and DF-27.
US military officials have acknowledged this on several occasions.
On March 10, 2023, the chief scientist for science and technology at the Defense Intelligence Agency notified US legislators that China has now surpassed Russia in terms of support infrastructure and quantity in terms of hypersonic missile capabilities.