China missile tests DF-41 launch from railroad train

Originally published on 21 December, 2015

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China’s military has tested a railroad launch of a DF-41 long-range missile on December 5 that is capable of reaching US soil, The Washington Free Beacon reported.

The DF-41 reportedly has a range of 7,500 miles, or over 12,000 kilometers. Estimates by US intelligence agencies say that the DF-41 will carry up to 10 MIRVs when it’s deployed.
Mobile basing of missiles makes them harder to keep track of and more versatile in their range of targets.

According to Rick Fisher, an expert on the Chinese military program, there are 74,565 miles of rail lines in China, and 9,942 high speed rails, which makes the country’s ICBM missile systems harder to track down.

Phillip A. Karber, a defense expert who heads the Potomac Foundation told The Washington Free Beacon: “The combination of high-speed mobility, launch cars disguised as civilian passenger trains, tunnel protection and secure reloading of missiles, coupled with multiple warheads, makes the system extremely hard to regulate or verify the number of systems.”

“We have also seen imagery of huge tunnel complexes capable of hosting three missile trains side by side,” Karber added.

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