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The Dongfeng 5 () or DF-5 is a second-generation two stage Chinese
The DF-5 was designed under the leadership of Tu Shou'e 屠守锷 at the China Academy of Launch Technology (CALT); Li Xu'e ��绪鄂served as deputy chief designer. The missile was produced at China's Factory 211 (Capital Astronautics Co. ��都航天机械公司 also known as the Capital Machine Factory ��都机械厂.
The DF-5 was first flight tested in 1971, with final tests into the
As with the DF-4, initially the DF-5 was stored in a horizontal position in tunnels under high mountains, and are launched immediately outside the mouth of the tunnel. The missiles must be moved into the open and fueled prior to firing, an operational mode dubbed ''chu men fang pao'' (firing a cannon outdoors), with the fueling operation apparently requiring about two hours. The initial deployment of a pair of DF-5s in silos in Central China was completed in 1981. That portion of the DF-5A force that is deployed in silos could be maintained in a ready-to-fire status. In order to enhance the survivability of these missiles, China has constructed a large number of decoy silos which consist of shallow holes excavations with headworks that resemble operational silos.
According to the US
China Tests Long-Range Missile With 10 Warheads Amid Tensions With Trump Administration
''Foxtrott Alpha''. 31 January 2017.
File:Dongfeng-5B head.JPG,
File:DF-5B, first stage.jpg, First stage of the DF-5B
File:Dongfeng-5B rear.JPG, Another view of the first stage
CSIS Missile Threat - Dong Feng 5 A/B
{{DEFAULTSORT:Df-5 1971 in spaceflight Intercontinental ballistic missiles of the People's Republic of China Cold War weapons of China Nuclear missiles of the People's Republic of China Military equipment introduced in the 1980s
intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range (aeronautics), range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more Thermonuclear weapon, thermonuclear warheads). Conven ...
. It has a length of 32.6 m and a diameter of 3.35 m. It weighs in at 183,000 kilograms and it has an estimated range of 13,000 to 16,000 kilometers. The DF-5 had its first flight in 1971 and was in operational service 10 years later. One of the limitations of the missile is that it takes between 30 and 60 minutes to load with liquid fuel (UDMH
Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (abbreviated as UDMH; also known as 1,1-dimethylhydrazine, heptyl or Geptil) is a chemical compound with the formula H2NN(CH3)2 that is primarily used as a rocket propellant. At room temperature, UDMH is a colorle ...
) and N2O4 oxidiser.
By 2012, the DF-5 was planned to be replaced by the solid-fuelled DF-41. Around 2015, the newest variant DF-5B force are believed to have received a MIRV
A multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) is an exoatmospheric ballistic missile payload containing several warheads, each capable of being aimed to hit a different target. The concept is almost invariably associated with i ...
upgrade; according to ''Business Insider
''Business Insider'' (stylized in all caps: BUSINESS INSIDER; known from 2021 to 2023 as INSIDER) is a New York City–based multinational financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Inside ...
'', with DF-5B: "China has the ability to deliver nuclear warheads nearly anywhere on earth (outside of South America, at least)".
History
The DF-5 was designed under the leadership of Tu Shou'e 屠守锷 at the China Academy of Launch Technology (CALT); Li Xu'e ��绪鄂served as deputy chief designer. The missile was produced at China's Factory 211 (Capital Astronautics Co. ��都航天机械公司 also known as the Capital Machine Factory ��都机械厂.
The DF-5 was first flight tested in 1971, with final tests into the Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
in May 1980. Two silo-based missiles were put into 'trial operational deployment' in 1981. It had a range of 10,000 to 13,000 km which allowed it to target western portions of the United States. Beginning in 1986 the Chinese started developing the improved DF-5A, with range increased to over 15,000 km and a more accurate guidance system. The DF-5A upgrade increased the throw-weight of the system from 7,000 kg to 10,200 kg.
Deployment
As with the DF-4, initially the DF-5 was stored in a horizontal position in tunnels under high mountains, and are launched immediately outside the mouth of the tunnel. The missiles must be moved into the open and fueled prior to firing, an operational mode dubbed ''chu men fang pao'' (firing a cannon outdoors), with the fueling operation apparently requiring about two hours. The initial deployment of a pair of DF-5s in silos in Central China was completed in 1981. That portion of the DF-5A force that is deployed in silos could be maintained in a ready-to-fire status. In order to enhance the survivability of these missiles, China has constructed a large number of decoy silos which consist of shallow holes excavations with headworks that resemble operational silos.
According to the US National Air and Space Intelligence Center
The National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) is the United States Air Force unit for analyzing military intelligence on foreign air forces, weapons, and systems. NASIC assessments of aerospace performance characteristics, capabiliti ...
, as of 1998 the deployed DF-5 force consisted of "about 25" missile
A missile is an airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight aided usually by a propellant, jet engine or rocket motor.
Historically, 'missile' referred to any projectile that is thrown, shot or propelled towards a target; this ...
s. From early 1999 to 2008 the total deployed DF-5 force was generally estimated at 20 missiles. As of 2017, there were about 20 operational DF-5 launchers.
Variants
DF-5B
According to a 2015 US report, ''Business Insider'', ''Jane's Defence Weekly
''Jane's Defence Weekly'' (abbreviated as ''JDW'') is a weekly magazine reporting on military and corporate affairs, edited by Peter Felstead. It is one of a number of military-related publications named after John F. T. Jane, an Englishman who ...
'', and '' The Diplomat'', China had begun to MIRV its DF-5s. It is believed that about twelve warheads can be placed on each MIRVed missile.
An improved version, named DF-5B, was shown to the public during the parade in Beijing celebrating 70 years since the end of World War II on 3 September 2015. By that time, the DoD estimated China of having approximately 83 DF-5 ICBMs, with 50 of them being DF-5B variants containing MIRVs. Although China has had the technology to field MIRV warheads for decades, they have only recently begun to do so, likely in response to the development of the American ballistic missile defense system.
DF-5C
China has begun testing a new variant of a DF-5 missile, which can carry 12 MIRV nuclear warheads. It is called the DF-5C.''Foxtrott Alpha''. 31 January 2017.
Gallery
Operators
* : ThePeople's Liberation Army Rocket Force
The People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, formerly the Second Artillery Corps, is the strategic missile, strategic and tactical missile force of the People's Republic of China. The PLARF is the 4th military branch, branch of the People's Li ...
is the only operator of the DF-5.
See also
* *References
External links
CSIS Missile Threat - Dong Feng 5 A/B
{{DEFAULTSORT:Df-5 1971 in spaceflight Intercontinental ballistic missiles of the People's Republic of China Cold War weapons of China Nuclear missiles of the People's Republic of China Military equipment introduced in the 1980s