China Has A New High-Tech Missile That Can Reach A Major US Base In Guam

[xchrom]

http://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-new-missile-can-hit-guam-2014-9



National Security Advisor Susan Rice is in China this week, discussing recent sticking-points in trans-Pacific relations with her counterparts in Beijing, chief among them a mid-August confrontation between a U.S. surveillance plane and a Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea.
There's a lot for U.S. and Chinese security officials to talk through, from problematic Chinese territorial claims to alleged state-backed hacking of American government computer systems. One item that could be on the menu for the talks has to do with a newly-confirmed Chinese missile technology that could target American assets.

Back in March, Chinese officials confirmed the existence of the DF-26c, a road-mobile mid-range ballistic missile that can fire at targets of up to 3,500 kilometers with greater precision than any other comparable Chinese-made system. As an analysis on the military affairs website Strategy Page noted on September 8th, that puts U.S. bases in Guam within range of one of China's most advanced weapons.

Strategy Page's analysis doesn't conclude there are Chinese DF-26c batteries aimed at U.S. assets — it specifically notes China, like most countries, doesn't reveal who it's targeting with its ballistic missiles at any given time. However, the DF-26c has certain advantages over the rest of the Chinese arsenal. It's truck-mounted, and runs off of efficient, easily-stored, and relatively non-volatile solid-state rocket fuel. The DF-26c can be fueled quickly and covertly — in a way that wouldn't tip off western intelligence agencies as quickly or as obviously as launch preparations for other, earlier Chinese ballistic missiles.



Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-new-missile-can-hit-guam-2014-9#ixzz3CoKfgZ6c

[me b zola]

1. Interesting

Guam is where the cable guys work/are based out of. The article states that they haven't concluded that US assets are targets of the Chinese, but it would make sense for the Chinese to have an eye on Guam.

[ladjf]

2. If the Chinese wanted an intercontinental missile, they could have already built one. nt