China’s military strategy includes a significant focus on expanding its arsenal of Dong-Feng 21 (DF-21D) ballistic missiles, known as “carrier killers,” to counter U.S. naval capabilities.
-The DF-21, first introduced in the 1990s as a successor to the Dong Feng-2, is crucial for China’s anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) tactics, designed to prevent U.S. intervention in regional conflicts.
-With over 1,000 missiles, the DF-21D variant specifically targets maritime threats with precision and can potentially threaten U.S. aircraft carriers over 1,000 miles offshore. These developments pose a serious challenge to U.S. naval dominance in the Western Pacific, underscoring the strategic shifts in modern military engagements.
China’s DF-21D Ballistic Missile: A Growing Threat to U.S. Aircraft Carriers
China continues to grow its stockpile of carrier-killing ballistic missiles, and the Dong-Feng 21 (DF-21) is a crucial part of this inventory.
According to a Pentagon report released last year, the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force possesses well over 1,000 of these medium-range weapons. The DF-21 is a two-stage, solid-fuel rocket projectile that plays a significant role in Beijing’s anti-access/area denial strategy. Since China currently operates just three aircraft carriers, compared to the U.S. Navy’s 11, Beijing depends on its arsenal of ballistic missiles to deter U.S. intervention.
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Author: Maya Carlin
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