DF-61
Intercontinental ballistic missile
The Dongfeng-61 (simplified Chinese: 东风-61; traditional Chinese: 東風-61; lit. 'East Wind-61', DF-61) is an intercontinental ballistic missile developed by the People’s Republic of China. It is likely nuclear-armed and may be a variant or successor to the DF-41.
01Description
The DF-61 is a road-mobile missile and is likely nuclear-armed. The transporter erector launcher is seemingly identical to the one used by the DF-41; the DF-61 may be a variant or successor to the DF-41. Reported ranges include 7,500 miles (12,100 km) - similar to the DF-41- and 18,000 kilometres (11,000 mi)
02History
The missile made its first official public appearance during the 2025 China Victory Day Parade as part of the nuclear missile section. A Federation of American Scientists article described the appearance of the DF-61 as a "surprise" since it seemed similar to the DF-41, a missile already deployed at the time.
03Earlier "DF-61" program
The "DF-61" designation was used by a tactical nuclear missile development program from 1976-1977. It was a response to North Korea's interest to acquire 600 km range missiles from China, although no agreement was made. Development began as a counter to the Soviet Union. The decision not to emphasize tactical weapons in the nuclear weapons program probably ended development.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “DF-61”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
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