China tests missile with 10 nuclear warheads: Report

TIL Desk/World/Beijing-China has reportedly tested a new version of a missile that can carry up to 10 nuclear warheads, signalling a major shift in its nuclear capability as Beijing gears up for a possible military showdown with the US under Trump Presidency. The flight test of the DF-5C missile was carried out last month using 10 multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, or MIRVs.

The test of the inert warheads was monitored closely by US intelligence agencies, said two officials familiar with reports of the missile test. The Dongfeng-5C missile, carrying 10 dummy warheads, was launched from the Taiyuan Space Launch Centre in Shanxi province, and flew to a desert in western China, the report said. The missile is a new variant of the DF-5, an intercontinental ballistic missile that first went into service in the early 1980’s.

“The [Defence Department] routinely monitors Chinese military developments and accounts for PLA capabilities in our defence plans,” Pentagon spokesman Commander Gary Ross was quoted as saying by the report. For decades, the US has put the estimated number of warheads in China’s nuclear arsenal at about 250. But the report suggested that the latest test with 10 warheads meant the actual number could be larger. China also began adding warheads to older DF-5 missiles in February last year, according to US intelligence agencies.