China has unveiled its newest intercontinental ballistic missile, the DF-61, during a massive military parade in Beijing celebrating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The solid-fuel missile, with an estimated range exceeding 12,000 kilometers, is capable of reaching the continental United States.
Military analysts worldwide focused on Beijing’s display of advanced weaponry, which included the previously unseen DF-61. Transported on an eight-wheel mobile launcher, the missile measures over 20 meters in length and is believed to be an evolution of China’s DF-41 system.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the DF-61 can carry up to 10 multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs). With a range between 12,000 and 15,000 kilometers, it significantly enhances China’s strategic deterrence capabilities against the U.S., whose west coast lies approximately 9,000 kilometers from China.
The official Xinhua News Agency stated that these new long-range weapons demonstrate China’s “triad nuclear capability” across land, sea, and air platforms for the first time, calling them “strategic assets for safeguarding national sovereignty and dignity.”
The DF-61 designation reappeared after decades—previous references to a missile with this name date back to a liquid-fuel project abandoned in 1978. Its unveiling marks a major step in China’s ongoing modernization of its nuclear forces.
