What You Need to Know: China’s increasing production of the DF-26B, dubbed a “carrier killer,” signals a significant shift in the Indo-Pacific’s strategic landscape. With over 250 DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missiles reportedly deployed, the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) aims to counter U.S. naval power.
-Known for its ability to target U.S. carriers and land-based assets within a 3,100-mile range, the DF-26B can carry a 1,200–1,800 kg nuclear or conventional warhead.
-The system’s reach and maneuverability create a formidable deterrent, as China could potentially deploy hundreds of these missiles to challenge U.S. carriers and regional security dynamics.
Beijing has been increasing the production of its DF-26B (Dong Feng-26) road-mobile, two-stage solid-fueled intermediate-range ballistic missile, and according to recent reports, the People's Liberation Army Rocked Force (PLARF) may have more than 250 in service.
International military analyst firm Janes reported, "Umbra synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery captured at 1045L on 9 September 2024 shows that 59 DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) transporter-erector-launchers (TELs) remain parked in a new staging area at the Beijing Xinghang Electromechanical Equipment Factory."
Janes further warned that "the number of TELs identified in 2024 could constitute up to two full 36 TEL brigades."
The findings are consistent with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) report, "Nuclear Challenges; The Growing Capabilities of Strategic Competitors and Regional Rivals," which was released earlier this year and warned that the PLAF continues to expand its stockpile of intermediate range missiles.
The DF-26 was developed to carry out precision strikes on both land and naval surface targets, notably United States Navy aircraft carriers. The mobile launcher can carry a 1,200 to 1,800 kg nuclear or conventional warhead, while the missiles, which are produced by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) and have a range exceeding 3,100 miles, have been described as a "carrier killer" for its potential to take out a Nimitz- or Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. It has also earned the equally ominous moniker "Guam Express" as it could be used to take out U.S. military assets on the U.S. island territory.
As reported by Brandon J. Weichert for The National Interest earlier this month, "China's DF-26B is the primary ASBM system that China has," and Beijing "can mass produce these systems and deploy them to the frontlines of the Indo-Pacific in any military engagement with the Americans in relatively short order.
Given the vastness of the Indo-Pacific, China would need to get lucky just once to sink an aircraft carrier, but it could have 400 to 500 chances thanks to the DF-26B and other missiles. Those aren't great odds for those on a U.S. flattop.
"Without doubt, in a war at sea, the PLA, if it had the inventory to do so, would be perfectly happy to trade a missile (or several), costing perhaps in the order of US$20 million each, for a destroyer that would cost billions to replace," former U.S. Navy submarine commander Tom Shugart told the EurasianTimes.
In April 2022, the Russian Navy learned a costly lesson – that land-based launches can sink a warship, notably the Black Sea Fleet flagship guided-missile frigate Moskva. The United States Navy faces an even more serious threat with the DF-26B, a carrier killer in the truest sense of the word.
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.
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