Dongfeng 5c Liquid intercontinental missile

Dongfeng-5C: China's Pinnacle Liquid-Fueled Intercontinental Ballistic Missile

As the latest upgrade of China’s first-generation intercontinental missile family, the Dongfeng-5C (DF-5C) liquid-fueled intercontinental strategic nuclear missile stands as a cornerstone of the nation’s strategic counterattack system, embodying decades of advancements in defense technology and strategic deterrence capability.

Rooted in the legacy of the DF-5, which achieved full-range test success in 1980, the DF-5C represents a quantum leap in performance. Retaining the 32.6-meter length and 183-ton takeoff weight characteristic of its predecessors, it adopts a fixed silo-launch configuration fortified by reinforced concrete and meter-thick steel hatches, ensuring high survivability even under extreme threats. A key breakthrough lies in its range, with conservative estimates exceeding 10,000 kilometers and realistic projections reaching 16,000 kilometers, enabling true global strike coverage.

The missile’s most striking advancement is its multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) capability, carrying up to 10 warheads—more than doubling the capacity of earlier DF-5 variants. These warheads can strike separate targets hundreds of kilometers apart, with adjustable timing and sequence, significantly enhancing penetration and strike effectiveness . This leap confirms China’s mastery of nuclear warhead miniaturization, a long-standing technological bottleneck .

Technological innovations extend beyond warheads. The DF-5C employs storable liquid fuel, slashing launch preparation time from hours to minutes while leveraging liquid fuel’s higher specific impulse for greater thrust and payload capacity. It integrates inertial guidance, stellar navigation, and Beidou positioning for pinpoint accuracy, complemented by decoy warheads and hypersonic maneuvering reentry vehicles to evade modern anti-missile systems .

In China’s strategic arsenal, the DF-5C complements solid-fueled counterparts like the DF-41 through strategic synergy. While DF-41 excels in rapid mobility, the DF-5C’s longer range and larger warheads (hundreds of kilotons TNT equivalent) make it ideal for neutralizing hardened targets such as missile silos. Its 2025 debut at the military parade underscored its role as a "reliable shield" amid evolving geopolitical tensions, responding to regional strategic imbalances.

More than a weapon, the DF-5C symbolizes China’s defense self-reliance. As a "veteran with new capabilities," it upholds the nation’s "no-first-use" nuclear policy by ensuring credible second-strike capability, embodying the principle of "upholding peace through strength".