Missile Dongfeng DF-16 (CH-SS-11)

The DF-16, designated by Western intelligence as CSS-11, is a medium-range ballistic missile operated by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Rocket Force. It was developed as a follow-on system to replace earlier short-range ballistic missiles like the DF-15.

The missile features a bi-conic warhead design capable of carrying conventional, terminally guided, deep-penetrating, or nuclear warheads. The DF-16 is launched from a wheeled transporter erector launcher that utilizes a protective shell structure around the missile rather than a traditional cold-launch storage tube. During flight, the missile reaches high apogees before re-entering the atmosphere, allowing gravitational acceleration to increase its final descent speed. This trajectory reduces the response window and engagement effectiveness of anti-ballistic missile defense systems, such as the MIM-104 Patriot PAC-3.

The system is operated exclusively by China. Deployments were reported by Taiwanese defense authorities in March 2011. The missile was first publicly displayed during the China Victory Day Parade in Beijing in September 2015.