DF-21 IRBM TEL elevating into missile launch position (PLA). Photo from Air Power Australia.From War Is Boring:
A rumored anti-ship variant of China’s DF-21 ballistic missile, pictured, combined with recon satellites, is one of the major perceived threats driving U.S. naval thinking. One of the reasons the Navy gave for truncating the DDG-1000 stealth destroyer program to just three ships, was that it can’t shoot down ballistic missiles, whereas the older DDG-51 can.
The U.S. Naval Institute devoted several pages to the DF-21 in the current Proceedings magazine. The Institute even put artist Tom Freeman’s alarmist “missile-hits-aircraft-carrier” painting on the cover. Writers Andrew Erickson and David Yang call the missile “a game-changer, with profound consequences for deterrence, military operations and the balance of power in the Western Pacific.”
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My Comment: For all ye naval addicts, this is a must read piece from War is Boring.