Breaking news
Chinese Army has deployed the new short-range surface-to-surface tactical missile DF-12 M20 0208134.
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Defence & Security News - China |
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| Friday, August 2, 2013 03:47 PM | |||
| Chinese Army has deployed the new short-range surface-to-surface tactical missile DF-12 M20. | |||
The Chinese military has deployed a new advanced short-range missile known
as the DF-12 (M20) that was revealed for the first time in photos posted
on the Internet this week. Disclosure of the missile follows publication
of an Air Force National Space and Missile Intelligence Center (NASIC)
report describing China as having the most aggressive ballistic missile
development program in the world. |
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 "Chinese Army movement to deploy this new class of shorter range ballistic missiles stresses Taiwan by presenting a much shorter flight time, which can limit the ability of Taiwan’s missile defenses to react." said Rick Fisher, an analyst with the International Assessment and Strategy Center. |
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| The posting on official state-run media described what had previously been called the M-20 for the first time as the Dong Feng-12. The shift in designation from M-20 to DF-12 indicates the missile is being deployed with China’s Second Artillery Corps, the service in charge of missile and nuclear weapons. It is not known whether the DF-12 will be armed with conventional or nuclear warheads or whether it is dual-capable. The
DF-12 is a solid-fueled advanced short-range missile that China’s
claims is comparable to Russia’s new short-range missile known as
the Iskander, a short-range ballistic missile that Moscow recently said
would be deployed in areas close to Europe, raising fears of new Russian
military assertiveness. |
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