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DF-41 (Dong Feng-41 / CSS-X-20)

Last Updated 
April 23, 2024
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The DF-41 (Dong Feng [East Wind]-41, CSS-20) is Chinese road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). It has an operational range of up to 15,000 km, making it China’s longest-range missile, and is reportedly capable of loading multiple independently-targeted warheads (MIRV).

DF-41 at a Glance

Originated from
China
Alternate names
Dong Feng-41, CSS-X-20
Possessed by
China
Class
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)
Basing
Road-mobile, Rail-mobile, Silo
Length
20 – 22 m
Diameter
2.25 m
Launch Weight
80,000 kg
Payload
2,500 kg
Warhead
Up to 10 nuclear warheads; MIRV
Propulsion
Three-stage, solid propellant
Range
12,000 – 15,000 km
Status
In development
DF-41 TELs on parade, 2019. Photo: Global Times
DF-41
The DF-41 and its 8-axle TEL. Photo: PLA

DF-41 Development

China’s Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) began developing the DF-41 in July 1986.1 This initial project, named Project No. 204, was scheduled to conclude in 1999 but was instead absorbed into China’s DF-31 missile development effort. 2 China reportedly tested DF-41 prototypes under a renewed effort in 1994 and transferred deployment-ready missiles to the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) in 2010. 3 Photographs of the DF-41’s prototype launcher first began circulating in 2007, and on July 24, 2012, China conducted its first flight test of the system. 4

The DF-41 underwent its second test on December 13, 2013, flying from the Wuzhai missile launch center in Shaanxi province to a test target in western China, and a third test on December 13, 2014. 5 The 2014 test reportedly included an unknown number of dummy warheads. 6

On August 6, 2015, U.S. defense officials confirmed that China had flight-tested the DF-41 with two independently-targeted warheads. 7On December 5, 2015, China tested a canister-ejection system for a rail-mobile DF-41 launcher. 8The PLARF conducted additional flight tests on April 12, 2016 (2 guided warheads), and November 6, 2017. 9 Two additional tests may have taken place on December 12, 2016 and January 26, 2018. 10

The missile likely entered limited production by 2019, with 18 launch vehicles appearing at a training site in Inner Mongolia earlier that year. 11 On October 1, 2019, the People’s Republic of China unveiled 16 DF-41 launchers at its 70th anniversary parade.

DateNotes
July 24, 2012First test
December 13, 2013Launch from Wuzhai
December 13, 2014MIRV test
August 6, 2015MIRV test; 2 warheads
December 5, 2015Rail-mobile canister ejection test
April 12, 2016MIRV test; 2 warheads
November 6, 2017 
History of known DF-41 flight tests; more than 7 are thought to have taken place.

DF-41 Design

The DF-41 is reportedly 21 – 22 m long, 2.25 m in diameter, and weighs 80,000 kg at launch. Other sources speculate the missile is 16.5 m long and 2.78 m in diameter. 12 The DF-41 uses a three-stage solid propellant engine to reach ranges of 12,000 to 15,000 km. Chinese state-run media have claimed the missile can load up to 10 MIRV warheads with a total weight of 2,500 kg. A typical payload likely includes a few MIRV and several penetration aids to stress missile defense. It likely uses an inertial guidance system with stellar or satellite updates and possesses an accuracy of ~100m circular error probable (CEP). 13

The DF-41 is road-mobile and is launched from an 8-axle transporter erector launcher (TEL) derived from the DF-31AG‘s TEL chassis. Satellite imagery has suggested that China is also exploring a silo basing option for its DF-41 force. 14 As early as 2018, China had begun construction of several DF-41-sized siloes, and by 2021, had at least 16 under construction at its Jilantai training complex. 15 China has also tested a train-based launch system but it is unclear whether it will enter service.

Footnotes

    1. John Lewis and Hua Di, “China’s Ballistic Missile Programs: Technologies, Strategies, Goals,” International Security 17, No. 2 (Fall 1992).
    2. M.S. Prathibha, “China’s DF-41 Ballistic Missile Deployment and the Impact on its Nuclear Deterrence,” Journal of Defence Studies 13, No. 4 (2019), pp. 51 – 69, https://idsa.in/system/files/jds/13-4-2019-china-df-41-ballistic-missile-ms-prathibha.pdf.
    3. Ibid.
    4. Bill Gertz, “Manchu Missile Launch,” The Washington Free Beacon, August 15, 2012, https://freebeacon.com/national-security/manchu-missile-launch/.
    5. Bill Gertz, “China Conducts Second Flight Test of New Long-Range Missile,” The Washington Free Beacon, December 17, 2013, https://freebeacon.com/national-security/china-conducts-second-flight-test-of-new-long-range-missile/; Bill Gertz, “China Just Tested A Long-Range Ballistic Missile That Can Carry Multiple Warheads,” Business Insider, December 18, 2014, https://www.businessinsider.com/china-just-tested-a-long-range-ballistic-missile-that-can-carry-multiple-warheads-2014-12?r=UK.
    6. Bill Gertz, “China Tests New Long-Range Missile with Two Guided Warheads,” August 18, 2015, https://freebeacon.com/national-security/china-tests-new-long-range-missile-with-two-guided-warheads/.
    7. Ibid.
    8. Bill Gertz, “China Tests New ICBM from Railroad Car,” The Washington Free Beacon, December 21, 2015, https://freebeacon.com/national-security/china-tests-new-icbm-from-railroad-car/.
    9. Bill Gertz, “China Flight Tests New Multiple-Warhead Missile,” The Washington Free Beacon, April 19, 2016, https://freebeacon.com/national-security/china-flight-tests-multiple-warhead-missile/; Minnie Chan, “Did China test missile that could hit any target in US two days before Donald Trump’s visit?” The South China Morning Post, November 9, 2017, https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2119201/did-china-test-missile-could-hit-any-target-us-two-days; Bill Gertz, “Inside the Ring: China confirms DF-41 missile test,” The Washington Times, December 6, 2017, https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/dec/6/china-confirms-df-41-missile-test/;
    10. Henri Kehnmann, “9th test of DF-41 ICBM and othersm” East Pendulum, January 30, 2018, http://www.eastpendulum.com/9e-essai-icbm-df-41-bien-dautres.
    11. Hans Kristensen, “New Missile Silo and DF-41 Launchers Seen In Chinese Nuclear Missile Training Area,” Federation of American Scientists, September 3, 2019, https://fas.org/blogs/security/2019/09/china-silo-df41/.
    12. Sun Wenyu, “China’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile expected to be deployed next year,” People’s Daily, November 28, 2017, http://en.people.cn/n3/2017/1128/c90000-9297997.html.
    13. “DF-41,” in IHS Jane’s Weapons: Strategic 2015-2016, ed. James C. O’Halloran (United Kingdom: IHS, 2015), 21-22.
    14. Office of the Secretary of Defense, Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2018 (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Defense, 2018), https://media.defense.gov/2018/Aug/16/2001955282/-1/-1/1/2018-CHINA-MILITARY-POWER-REPORT.PDF.
    15. Hans Kristensen, “China’s Expanding Missile Training Area: More Silos, Tunnels, and Support Facilities,” Federation of American Scientists, February 24, 2021, https://fas.org/blogs/security/2021/02/plarf-jilantai-expansion/.
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Missile Defense Project, "DF-41 (Dong Feng-41 / CSS-X-20)," Missile Threat, Center for Strategic and International Studies, August 12, 2016, last modified April 23, 2024, https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/df-41/.