The Dong Feng 21D missile

Since Saipan has a front row seat to the germinating Asian arms race, it’s time for an update. Let’s take a look at China’s Dong Feng 21D missile. This is the hot story in Pacific naval news.

We’ll call this weapon the DF-21D for short and, while I’m stirring up alphabet soup, I’ll note that the DF-21D is an ASBM, which means "Anti Ship Ballistic Missile."

Stars and Stripes, a newspaper for the U.S. military, said this in a May 12 Web article: "If its targeting system proves accurate, the Dong Feng would rank as the world's first mobile, land-based missile capable of hitting a moving aircraft carrier from nearly 2,000 miles away, depending on its payload and other factors."

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