A recently-produced Chinese missile capable of targeting the United States may be getting an upgrade—improved accuracy, different payloads, and a new, off-road mobile launch platform that would make the threat harder to neutralize. According to experts, the changes represent a further hardening of China’s nuclear capabilities, and another potential threat from China for the United States to monitor.
An Off-Road Launcher?
Shown in a photo published Feb. 19 on People’s Liberation Army Pictorial, a Chinese military magazine, is a 16-wheel ballistic missile launch truck, known in more technical terms as a transporter erector launcher. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) uses TELs produced by the Tai'an company for its newer missiles.
According to reports, this new launcher may carry the DF-31B, a Chinese intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) reported to be in development. If deployed, it would join the DF-41, a long-range ICBM most recently tested by the Chinese military last December.
What sets the new TEL vehicle apart from its predecessors is its apparent all-terrain characteristic. According to Richard Fisher, a Senior Fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center, the Chinese military at present stores its missiles in bases hidden underground. The weapons, loaded onto their TELs, must then be driven along paved roads to suitable launching sites.
