Missile Dongfeng DF-41 (CH-SS-20)
Summary
| NATO Designation | CH-SS-20 |
| Category | Ballistic Missiles |
| Sub-type | ICBM |
| Origin country | 🇨🇳 China |
| Manufacturer | China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology |
| Status | In service |
| Year of service | 2017 |
Technical specifications
| Warhead | Nuclear MIRV |
| Warhead weight | 2500 kg (5,512 lb) |
| Diameter | 2,250 mm (88.6 in) |
| Length | 22,000 mm (866.1 in) |
| Weight | 80,000 kg (176,370 lb) |
| Range | 15,000 km (9,321 mi) |
| Max. speed | 31,425 km/h (Mach 31.4) |
Dongfeng DF-41 scale diagram
Operators
Description
The DF-41, designated by NATO as the CH-SS-20, is a fourth-generation solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile. Development of the system commenced in 1986 and progressed alongside the JL-3 program. The missile was officially revealed during the China National Day military parade in October 2019.
The missile employs a three-stage solid-fuel rocket motor and reaches a maximum speed of Mach 25. Guidance is provided via an inertial system, likely incorporating stellar updates and the BeiDou navigation satellite constellation, resulting in a circular error probable of approximately 100 meters. The DF-41 is designed for Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) delivery. The warhead configuration typically consists of three 425kT nuclear warheads, though the system is capable of carrying up to 10 re-entry vehicles. Payloads often include penetration aids intended to counter missile defense systems.
The People's Liberation Army Rocket Force placed the DF-41 into service in 2017. The system utilizes multiple basing modes, including hardened silos, road-mobile transporter erector launchers, and rail-mobile platforms. Flight testing was conducted multiple times between 2013 and 2017, including a November 2017 test in the Gobi Desert and a December 2015 test of the rail-mobile variant. Strategic missile brigades have been deployed to Heilongjiang and Xinjiang provinces. Silo fields are under construction in Gansu, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia to support the deployment of long-range nuclear missiles.