Chinese sources claim the DF-26 has a range of over 5,000 km (3,100 mi) and may conduct precision nuclear or conventional strikes against ground and naval targets.[1][citation needed] It is China's first conventionally-armed ballistic missile claimed to be capable of reaching Guam and the American military installations located there;[3] this has led to the missile being referred to as the "Guam Express" or "Guam Killer".[6]
The possibility that a DF-26 unit could have nuclear warheads makes it likely an adversary would target these missiles in a first strike.[7]
The missile was officially revealed at the Chinese 2015 parade commemorating the end of the Second World War.[3] In April 2018, it was officially confirmed that the DF-26 was in service with the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF).[8] The United States believes the missile was first fielded in 2016,[1] with 16 operational launchers in 2017.[9][needs update]
Tests and deployments
On 26 August 2020, along with a DF-21D, a DF-26B was launched into an area of the South China Sea between Hainan and the Paracel Islands, one day after China said that an AmericanU-2spy plane entered a no-fly zone without its permission during a Chinese live-fire naval drill in the Bohai Sea off its north coast[10] (the US confirmed a U-2 sortie but denied it was improper.[11][12][13]) and came as Washington blacklisted 24 Chinese companies and targeted individuals it said were part of construction and military activities in the South China Sea.[14][15][16] US officials subsequently claimed that the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) had fired four medium-range ballistic missiles in total.[15][14] The missile tests drew criticism from Japan, the Pentagon and Taiwan and led to volatility in Asian markets.[17][15][14][18] As of 2019, the DF-26 has not been tested against targets at sea.[19]
^Lloyd Parry, Richard (August 26, 2020). "Beijing up in arms over US spyplane sorties". The Times UK. The US air force confirmed that a U-2 surveillance aircraft had made the flight but insisted that it did nothing wrong.
^"U.S. targets Chinese individuals, companies amid South China Sea dispute". Reuters. Reuters. Aug 26, 2020. A U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters that on Wednesday China launched four medium-range ballistic missiles that hit the South China Sea between Hainan Island and the Paracel Islands.
