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Liu Zhen

A documentary broadcast on China’s state television has revealed details of test launches involving the world’s first operational hypersonic glide weapon system, the DF-17, highlighting its flexibility.
Monday’s episode of Securing Victory – a series marking the 99th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on August 1 – was devoted to the PLA Rocket Force, which oversees land-based missiles and a chunk of China’s nuclear arsenal.
In a rare glimpse during a test launch into the workings of the command-and-control centre, along with the research and development team and field operators, the episode showed an exercise involving missile transporter-erector-launcher (TEL) units.
The distinctive wedge-shaped profile and fins of the missiles on the TEL vehicles matched previous sightings of the DF-17, although the documentary did not identify them and did not give details of the time or location of the test.
The TEL vehicles, with their camouflage covers against the backdrop of a desert landscape and visible roads, as seen in the deployment footage, also matched the first official DF-17 launch video released in June.




During the filmed exercise, a TEL unit was ordered to abort its launch preparations. It was then directed to relocate and execute a delayed strike at a designated time.
According to the documentary, the missile’s internal thermal battery had already been activated but the unit was still able to safely conduct additional manoeuvres from a considerable distance before successfully launching the missile.
Under traditional operational protocols, once the internal battery is activated, the missile must be launched within a strictly limited time frame and from a fixed position. Long-distance mobility while powered is considered highly risky.
However, after reviewing the data, on-site scientists cleared the missile for continued manoeuvring and launch. The operators also expressed “full confidence” in both the weapon system and their own training, declaring they were ready to execute the launch.
“One of the missions of the exercise is to test the capability boundary of the equipment and push to its limits,” He Huafeng, a senior researcher at the PLA Rocket Force University of Engineering, said in the documentary.
“We must have the courage to take risks … to create sufficient operational margin for tactical innovation in our combat training,” said He, who was previously named by PLA Daily as chief designer of an unidentified new missile.
He added that the purpose of their research was to “empower our troops with greater tactical flexibility and faster deployment, ultimately ensuring that our strategic weapons can successfully penetrate enemy defences and secure victory”.
The DF-17, which made its debut at the National Day military parade in Beijing in October 2019, is China’s first operational hypersonic glide weapon and is generally regarded as the first of its kind to enter service anywhere in the world.
Its “wave rider” aerodynamic design gives it an unpredictable manoeuvrability which, combined with speeds of at least five times the velocity of sound, makes it extremely difficult for any existing air-defence system to intercept.

The DF-17 missile is believed to have a range of 1,800km to 2,500km (1,120-1,550 miles), which means it can reach the first island chain – a strategic arc of islands in the western Pacific that extends from Japan through Taiwan to the Philippines – and beyond.
Thanks to the joint efforts of researchers and frontline operators, the system was now in a constant state of readiness to fully unleash the strategic potential of the weapons, the documentary said.
In the episode, PLA Rocket Force officer Luo Tingrong said that moving from launching “at an opportune moment” to doing so “at will” meant the military could strike at any time.
“Shifting from fixed positions to all-domain mobility means we can strike anywhere. The evolution from phased readiness to year-round high-state operations means we can strike instantly upon command,” he added.


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PLA anniversary series suggests the world’s first operational weapon of its kind may have achieved a ‘constant state of readiness’


PLA anniversary series suggests the world’s first operational weapon of its kind may have achieved a ‘constant state of readiness’.


Hypersonic missiles and weapons

Is China’s DF-17 hypersonic glider ready to strike from anywhere at any time?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}PLA anniversary series suggests the world’s first operational weapon of its kind may have achieved a ‘constant state of readiness’

PLA anniversary series suggests the world’s first operational weapon of its kind may have achieved a ‘constant state of readiness’