China suddenly releases rare images of DF-100 cruise missile

Beijing [China], August 12: China has released rare footage of the DF-100 supersonic cruise missile, shedding light on the technical specifications and mobility of the weapon believed to have great deterrence potential against warships and military bases of many countries in the region.
The latest footage of the DF-100 missile , which lasts about two minutes, is part of the final episode of a recently aired documentary about the People's Liberation Army ( PLA ) .
The footage marks one of the few public appearances of the rocket since its 2019 debut. In previous appearances, the rocket has been obscured on the launch pad, making it difficult to discern its technical specifications and operating model.
The program is part of activities to celebrate the 98th anniversary of the founding of the PLA, according to the South China Morning Post on August 12. The People's Liberation Army is expected to hold a grand military parade in Beijing on September 3 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of China's victory over Japan in World War II and the international victory over fascism.
In the footage, a missile brigade conducts a pre-dawn communications training exercise. The scenario requires the unit to quickly establish a wired communication line before launching a missile amid attempts by enemy forces to jam it.
"We have to be on duty for a long time. Sometimes we can't sleep well for days. Our target is mobile, and so is our position," Lieutenant Colonel Zhang Guodong, deputy commander of the brigade, told CCTV.
Before the missile launch, the footage showed urban scenes - a rare change from the remote desert locations typically used for weapons testing.
"The urban setting is clearly intended to illustrate the flexibility and mobility of the DF-100's launch capability," said Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center . "If it can be launched near an urban area, it will be more difficult for an adversary to locate, identify, target, and destroy it."
Additionally, from the footage released by the PLA, the DF-100 missile appears to have a sharp conical warhead to aid in hypersonic penetration and a much larger tail fin than similar missiles, suggesting that the missile has high speed and high maneuverability.
The DF-100 uses a three-stage propulsion system, with a solid-fuel rocket for launch, a supersonic ramjet engine for sustained flight, and a high-altitude rocket booster for terminal acceleration. The DF-100's aerodynamic design includes long wings for increased stability and maneuverability, and a specialized warhead to evade low-altitude attacks.
China's unveiling of the DF-100 missile is aimed at "demonstrating military strength to rivals at a time of increasing global turmoil," said Yang Zi, an associate research fellow at NTU's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
The DF-100 was first unveiled in 2019 during the parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The DF-100 has a range of 3,000 - 4,000 km, reaches a speed of Mach 4 (4 times the speed of sound), has strong penetration capabilities, high accuracy and fast reaction time. In other words, it can hit the target about 40 minutes after launch.
The DF-100's maximum range allows it to strike far beyond China's periphery, covering both the first and second island chains. This puts key military headquarters and major logistics hubs in Taiwan , Japan and South Korea, along with US bases in Okinawa and Guam , within range, the South China Morning Post said.
James Char, associate professor at the China Program at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies at Nanyang Technological University (NTU-Singapore), said that the DF-100 "has a dual platform and can be deployed via land-based terrain launch vehicles or from H-6N bombers if deployed in the air, thereby extending the attack range by 6,000 km".
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper