Secret China missile test by PLA's Second Artillery Corps

[ErnstBlofeld]

East Asia Intel:

China's secret long-range missile test on Sept. 25 may be the first flight demonstration of a new missile, according to Chinese Internet sites.


The missile test, first reported by the Washington Times, was followed by discussions on Chinese defense and space forums, including a report in the Science and Technology Daily that reported a recent "live" launch by the PLA's Second Artillery Corps.
The forum reported that the missile was a new medium range missile built by the 1st Academy and has been given names such as DF-23 and DF-27.

The missile was launched from the Taiyuan missile center, about 320 miles southwest of Beijing, to Korla, a city in western China some 1,800 miles away that in the past was associated with China's missile defense program, fueling speculation that the launch was part of the new ABM system first announced after a flight test in January.

The test was preceded by a Sept. 23 "notice to airmen" issued by the Chinese government. The notice warned aircraft to stay clear of a corridor of airspace stretching from Taiyuan to Korla until Sept. 25.

U.S. intelligence agencies are focused on watching China?s testing and development of a new anti-ship ballistic missile, based on a modified DF-21 medium-range missile.

In August, Navy Adm. Robert Willard, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, said the anti-ship ballistic missile "has undergone repeated tests and it is probably very close to being operational." The anti-ship ballistic missile has a range of up to 1,200 miles and is designed to attack U.S. aircraft carriers at sea, a difficult targeting problem because of the high speeds of missile warheads that re-enter the atmosphere and then must maneuver to ships with precision guidance.

Spokesmen for the Pentagon and CIA declined to comment on the test. Chinese Embassy spokesman Wang Baodong said he was not aware of the test but stated that if it took place, China's military "poses no threat to any other countries, and serves for peace and stability in the region and in the world at large."