| Country: |
People's Republic of China |
| Alternate Name: |
DF-11A |
| Class: |
SRBM |
| Basing: |
Road mobile |
| Length: |
8.50 m |
| Diameter: |
0.80 m |
| Launch Weight: |
4200 kg |
| Payload: |
Single warhead, 500kg |
| Warhead: |
Nuclear 2, 10, 20 kT, HE, submunitions, FAE, chemical |
| Propulsion: |
Single-stage solid |
| Range: |
350-530 km |
| Status: |
Operational |
| In Service: |
~1998 |
Details
The CSS-7 Mod 2 is a short-range, road mobile, solid propellant ballistic missile built in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). It is a member of the M family, which is a family of missiles developed specifically for export. The CSS-7, designated the M-11, was developed for sale to Pakistan as an improved, solid propellant ‘Scud B’ missile. The CSS-7 can be launched from ‘Scud B’ Transporter-Erector-Launcher (TEL) vehicles and was likely developed to directly compete with Russian ‘Scuds’. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) adopted the missile and it is currently deployed with PRC armed forces. In 1998 the PLA developed the CSS-7 Mod 2 as an improved CSS-7 and has since replaced it within the PLA.
The tactical use of the CSS-7 Mod 2 is similar to that of an Iraqi Scud missile. This involves using the missiles to strike at large military targets or to bombard civilian areas outside the range of traditional ordinance. The guidance system is sufficient for use against large targets such as manufacturing facilities, airfields, staging areas, and military bases. The CSS-7 Mod 2 has insufficient payload and range for use as a strategic asset, though it could likely inflict considerable damage on population centers if equipped with the appropriate warhead. It is likely intended for use against targets in India and Taiwan. In the event of an invasion of Taiwan, CSS-7 Mod 2 missiles will likely be deployed against crucial defense units.
The CSS-7 Mod 2 missile system can be deployed on standard PLA eight-wheeled trucks or on converted ‘Scud B’ TEL systems. The small size and weight of the system makes it mobile and well-suited for rapid deployment on the battlefield. The use of the CSS-7 as a tactical system enables the PLA to take advantage of the TEL vehicles’ range and mobility. The use of chemical weapons, fuel-air explosives (FAE), and submunitions can compensate for the poor accuracy of the system and allows for usage against specific military units.
The CSS-7 Mod 2 has a decreased payload of 500 kg. The exact range of the missile is unknown, but it is estimated to lie within 350 and 530 km (217 and 329 miles). Its warhead can be equipped with high explosives (HE), selectable nuclear yields of 2, 10 or 20 kT, submunitions, FAE or chemical agents. It has a length of 8.5 m, a diameter of 0.8 m and a launch weight of 4,200 kg. It uses an inertial guidance system with a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system and it may have optical correlation terminal targeting. The accuracy of the missile is unknown, with the terminal guidance system it is reported to have an accuracy of 20 to 30 CEP whereas without the terminal guidance system the accuracy is 200 CEP.
The development of the M family of missile systems began in 1984. The CSS-7 had its first flight test in 1990. The CSS-7 probably entered service in the PLA in 1992, with the CSS-7 Mod 2 entering in 1998. It is believed that a combined number of around 200 CSS-7 missiles had been put into service in the PRC by 1997, with another 100, including CSS-7 Mod 2 missiles, by 2003.
Approximately 30 of the export version of the CSS-7, the M-11, were exported to Pakistan in 1993, along with a number with mobile launch systems. In 1995 there were reports that between 30-50 missiles were exported to Iran with mobile launch vehicles, though this has not yet been confirmed. In addition, Iran is believed to have been helped by the PRC to develop the capacity to maintain and build M-11 missile systems domestically. The CSS-7 Mod 2 has likely not been exported, in order to avoid the political repercussions of openly violating the MTCR.(1)
Footnotes
- Duncan Lennox, Jane’s Strategic Weapons Systems 46 (Surrey: Jane’s Information Group, January 2007), 16-18.
Taiwan: 800 Chinese Missiles Targeting Island by 2006
September 30, 2004 :: Spacewar.com :: News
Taiwanese Defense Minister Lee Jye said today that their Communist neighbor to the North is likely to have a staggering 800 ballistic missiles aimed at Taiwan before the end of 2006. He noted, while speaking to a defense committee about a requested military budget, that China already has 600 short range missiles mostly within range of the small island nation.
Lee is quoted as saying that “The number of Dong Feng-11 and Dong Feng-15 ballistic missiles is expected to rise to 800 before the end of 2006.” The DF-11 is also know as the CSS-7; the DF-15 as the CSS-6.
Lee’s estimate is actually less than that put forward by Taiwanese vice president Annette Lu, who recently said that China’s SRBMs targeting Taiwan would reach 800 by 2005.
Lee also spoke of some 200 additional cruise missiles which China may fire during a potential attack, which he characterized as consisting of five waves, lasting a total of ten hours.
“Given (Taiwan’s) missile defensive capabilities, we are hardly able to cope with the threat.” (Article, Link)
» More stories on: China, Taiwan
» Missile details: CSS-6, CSS-7 Mod 2, CSS-7
