Weapons

Is China’s DF-17 Hypersonic Missile Really a Super-Weapon?

China’s new DF-17 hypersonic missile could penetrate U.S. missile-defense and destroy ports and air-defense systems, a Hong Kong newspaper warned.

The new boost-glide missile, which reportedly can travel faster than five times the speed of sound, could “transform” Beijing’s strategy for dealing with Taiwan, South China Morning Post reported.

But one American expert cautioned against assigning profound new capabilities to unproven hypersonic weapons.

The DF-17 first appeared in public in Beijing during a military parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of Communist China. “Observers were surprised to see 16 DF-17s on their launchers during the Oct. 1, [2019] National Day parade,” South China Morning Post reported.

The DF-17 is a two-stage weapon with a rocket booster and a high-speed gliding warhead. The DF-17 reportedly can strike targets over a distance of nearly a thousand miles. Its speed and flat trajectory could complicate interception attempts. Traditional ballistic missiles such as the DF-15 and DF-16 arc higher than the DF-17 does, making them easier to destroy mid-flight.