Overview
- U.S. officials identify three silo fields—Hami, Yumen, and Yulin—with roughly 320 silos, of which just over 100 are assessed to contain DF-31-class ICBMs.
- Analysts link the silo deployment to China’s early-warning counterstrike concept, enabled by new space-based infrared sensors and long-range phased-array radars.
- New Pentagon maps and data estimate about 550 ICBM launchers and 400 missiles with ranges beyond 5,500 km, expanding target coverage from Taiwan and Guam to parts of the continental U.S.
- Open-source assessments suggest the DF-31BJ variant optimized for silos may carry MIRVs and reach 11,200–13,000 km, widening potential target sets.
- The U.S. assesses China’s stockpile in the low 600s through 2024 and projects roughly 1,000 warheads by 2030, with HEU constraints and PLA anti-corruption disruptions potentially tempering near-term growth and readiness.