The People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, formerly the Second Artillery Corps, is the
strategic and tactical
missile
A missile is an airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight aided usually by a propellant, jet engine or rocket motor.
Historically, 'missile' referred to any projectile that is thrown, shot or propelled towards a target; this ...
force of the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. The PLARF is the 4th
branch
A branch, also called a ramus in botany, is a stem that grows off from another stem, or when structures like veins in leaves are divided into smaller veins.
History and etymology
In Old English, there are numerous words for branch, includ ...
of the
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...
(PLA) and controls China's arsenal of land-based ballistic, hypersonic, cruise missiles—both
nuclear and conventional. The armed service branch was established on 1 July 1966 and made its first public appearance on 1 October 1984. The headquarters for operations is located at
Qinghe,
Beijing
Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
. The PLARF is under the direct command of the
Chinese Communist Party
The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...
's
Central Military Commission (CMC).
The name was changed from the PLA Second Artillery Corps to the PLA Rocket Force on 1 January 2016. Despite claims by some, there appears to be no evidence to suggest that the new generation of Chinese ballistic-missile submarines will come under PLARF control.
The PLARF comprises more than 120,000 personnel and six ballistic missile "Bases" (units at roughly
corps
Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...
or
army group
An army group is a military organization consisting of several field army, field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area. An army group is the largest field organizatio ...
grade), plus 3 support Bases in charge of storage, engineering, and training respectively. The six operational Bases are independently deployed in the five
Theaters
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...
throughout China.
and each controls a number of brigades.
China has the largest land-based missile arsenal in the world. According to
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...
estimates, this includes 400 ground-launched
cruise missile
A cruise missile is an unmanned self-propelled guided missile that sustains flight through aerodynamic lift for most of its flight path. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large payload over long distances with high precision. Modern cru ...
s, 900 conventionally armed
short-range ballistic missiles, 1,300 conventional
medium-range ballistic missile
A medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) is a type of ballistic missile with medium range (aeronautics), range, this last classification depending on the standards of certain organizations. Within the United States Department of Defense, U.S. D ...
s, 500 conventional
intermediate-range ballistic missile
An intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) is a ballistic missile with a range (aeronautics), range between (), categorized between a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) and an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Classifying ball ...
s, as well as 400
intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range (aeronautics), range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more Thermonuclear weapon, thermonuclear warheads). Conven ...
s. Many of these are extremely accurate, which would allow them to destroy targets even without nuclear warheads.
The ''
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists'' and
Federation of American Scientists estimated in 2023 that China has a stockpile of approximately 500 nuclear warheads,
while a 2024 United States Department of Defense estimate put the number of nuclear warheads at 600.
In 2025, FAS estimated the Chinese nuclear stockpile at around 600 warheads (the majority stored and not directly operationally), while the Pentagon estimates that the PRC will have around 1,000 warheads by 2030.
History
China established the Second Artillery as a branch of the PLA designed to operate its nuclear missiles.
Top political leadership retained centralized control over the nuclear arsenal.
In 1967, the CMC issued the ''Temporary Regulations on the Second Artillery's Basic Tasks and Command Relationships'', which established a direct line of command to the nuclear missile units and specified that "force development, deployments, maneuvers, and especially its combat
perationsmust all be under the collective leadership of the CMC; extremely strictly
ndextremely precisely, obeying and carrying out the orders of the CMC."
In 1980, the CMC stated that the Second Artillery should operate under the principles of "close defense" to ensure survivability of the nuclear force and "key point counterstrikes" to carry out retaliation.
In 1984, the Second Artillery added a third principle, reflecting
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping also Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Teng Hsiao-p'ing; born Xiansheng (). (22 August 190419 February 1997) was a Chinese statesman, revolutionary, and political theorist who served as the paramount leader of the People's R ...
's preferences, that the nuclear force be "lean and effective".
In the late 1980s, China was the world's third-largest nuclear power, possessing a small but credible
nuclear deterrent
Nuclear strategy involves the development of doctrines and strategies for the production and use of nuclear weapons.
As a sub-branch of military strategy, nuclear strategy attempts to match nuclear weapons as means to political ends. In addit ...
force of approximately 100 to 400 nuclear weapons. Beginning in the late 1970s, China deployed a full range of nuclear weapons and acquired a nuclear
second-strike capability. The nuclear forces were operated by the 100,000-person Strategic Missile Force, which was controlled directly by the
General Staff
A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...
.
China began developing
nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear exp ...
s in the late 1950s with substantial
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
assistance. With the
Sino-Soviet split
The Sino-Soviet split was the gradual worsening of relations between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) during the Cold War. This was primarily caused by divergences that arose from their ...
in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Soviet Union withheld plans and data for an
atomic bomb, abrogated the agreement on transferring
defense
Defense or defence may refer to:
Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups
* Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare
* Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks
* Defense industr ...
and
nuclear technology
Nuclear technology is technology that involves the nuclear reactions of atomic nucleus, atomic nuclei. Among the notable nuclear technologies are nuclear reactors, nuclear medicine and nuclear weapons. It is also used, among other things, in s ...
, and began the withdrawal of Soviet advisers in 1960. Despite the termination of Soviet assistance, China committed itself to continue nuclear weapons development to break "the
superpower
Superpower describes a sovereign state or supranational union that holds a dominant position characterized by the ability to Sphere of influence, exert influence and Power projection, project power on a global scale. This is done through the comb ...
s' monopoly on nuclear weapons," to ensure Chinese
security against the Soviet and American threats, and to increase Chinese prestige and power internationally.
China made rapid progress in the 1960s in developing nuclear weapons. In a 32-month period, China successfully tested its first
atomic bomb on October 16, 1964, at
Lop Nor, launched its first
nuclear missile on October 27, 1966, and detonated its first
hydrogen bomb
A thermonuclear weapon, fusion weapon or hydrogen bomb (H-bomb) is a second-generation nuclear weapon design. Its greater sophistication affords it vastly greater destructive power than first-generation nuclear bombs, a more compact size, a lo ...
on June 17, 1967. Deployment of the
Dongfeng-1 conventionally armed
short-range ballistic missile and the
Dongfeng-2 (CSS-1)
medium-range ballistic missile
A medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) is a type of ballistic missile with medium range (aeronautics), range, this last classification depending on the standards of certain organizations. Within the United States Department of Defense, U.S. D ...
(MRBM) occurred in the 1960s. The
Dongfeng-3 (CCS-2)
intermediate-range ballistic missile
An intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) is a ballistic missile with a range (aeronautics), range between (), categorized between a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) and an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Classifying ball ...
(IRBM) was successfully tested in 1969. Although the
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...
disrupted the
strategic weapons program less than other scientific and educational sectors in China, there was a slowdown in succeeding years.
Gansu
Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...
hosted a missile launching area.
China destroyed 9
U-2 surveillance craft while two went missing when they attempted to spy on it.
In the 1970s, the nuclear weapons program saw the development of
MRBM,
IRBM and
ICBM
An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range (aeronautics), range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more Thermonuclear weapon, thermonuclear warheads). Conven ...
s and marked the beginning of a deterrent force. China continued MRBM deployment, began deploying the Dongfeng-3 IRBM and successfully tested and commenced deployment of the
Dongfeng-4 (CSS-4) limited-range ICBM.
By 1980, China had overcome the slowdown in nuclear development caused by the
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...
and had successes in its strategic weapons program. In May 1980, China successfully test launched its full-range ICBM, the
Dongfeng-5 (CCS-4); the missile flew from central China to the
Western Pacific, where it was recovered by a naval task force. The Dongfeng-5 possessed the capability to hit targets in the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
and the western
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
In 1981, China launched three
satellite
A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...
s into
space orbit from a single
launch vehicle
A launch vehicle is typically a rocket-powered vehicle designed to carry a payload (a crewed spacecraft or satellites) from Earth's surface or lower atmosphere to outer space. The most common form is the ballistic missile-shaped multistage ...
, indicating that China might possess the technology to develop
multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs). China also launched the
Type 092 submarine SSBN (Xia-class) in 1981, and the next year it conducted its first successful test launch of the
Julang-2 submarine-launched ballistic missile
A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from Ballistic missile submarine, submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of which ...
(CSS-NX-4).
In addition to the development of a sea-based nuclear force, China began considering the development of
tactical nuclear weapons. PLA exercises featured the simulated use of tactical nuclear weapons in offensive and defensive situations beginning in 1982. Reports of Chinese possession of tactical nuclear weapons had remained unconfirmed in 1987.
In 1986, China possessed a credible deterrent force with land, sea and air elements. Land-based forces included ICBMs, IRBMs, and MRBMs. The sea-based strategic force consisted of SSBNs. The
Air Force
An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...
's
bomber
A bomber is a military combat aircraft that utilizes
air-to-ground weaponry to drop bombs, launch aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploy air-launched cruise missiles.
There are two major classifications of bomber: strategic and tactical. Strateg ...
s were capable of delivering
nuclear bomb
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear exp ...
s but would be unlikely to penetrate the sophisticated
air defense
Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (Submarine#Armament, submarine-lau ...
s of modern military powers.
During the 1999
NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Serbia and Montenegro, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombing ...
, the
United States bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.
Believing that the bombing was intentional, Chinese leadership worried that China was significantly lacking in leverage against the United States.
Among the measures China took to close its lack in leverage were efforts to develop precision missiles and accelerating plans to expand conventional missile forces.
China's nuclear forces, in combination with the PLA's conventional forces, served to deter both nuclear and conventional attacks on the Chinese lands. Chinese leaders pledged to not use nuclear weapons first (''
no first use
In nuclear ethics and deterrence theory, no first use (NFU) refers to a type of pledge or policy wherein a nuclear power formally refrains from the use of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in warfare, except for as a se ...
''), but pledged to absolutely counter-attack with nuclear weapons if nuclear weapons are used against China. China envisioned retaliation against strategic and tactical attacks and would probably strike
countervalue
In nuclear strategy, countervalue is the targeting of an opponent's assets that are of value but not actually a military threat, such as cities and civilian populations. Counterforce is the targeting of an opponent's military forces and faciliti ...
rather than
counterforce targets.
The combination of China's few nuclear weapons and technological factors such as range, accuracy, and response time limited the effectiveness of nuclear strikes against counterforce targets. China has been seeking to increase the credibility of its nuclear retaliatory capability by dispersing and concealing its nuclear forces in difficult terrain, improving their mobility, and hardening its
missile silos.
The
CJ-10 long-range cruise missile made its first public appearance during the military parade on the
60th Anniversary of the People's Republic of China
The 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China took place on 1 October 2009. A military parade involving 10,000 troops and the display of many high-tech weapons was held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing and various celebra ...
; the CJ-10 represents the next generation in rocket weapons technology in the PLA.
In late 2009, it was reported that the Corps was constructing a long underground launch and storage facility for nuclear missiles in the
Hebei
Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...
province. ''47 News'' reported that the facility was likely located in the
Taihang Mountains
The Taihang Mountains () are a Chinese mountain range running down the eastern edge of the Loess Plateau in Shanxi, Henan and Hebei provinces. The range extends over from north to south and has an average elevation of ; its principal peak is ...
.
The
DF-ZF hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) made its first flight test on 9 January 2014;
it likely entered service by October 2019.
It is believed to have atop speed of Mach 10, or .
Two Chinese technical papers from December 2012 and April 2013 show that China has concluded that hypersonic weapons pose "a new aerospace threat" and that they are developing satellite directed precision guidance systems. China is the third country to enter the "hypersonic arms race" after Russia and the United States. The U.S. Air Force has flown the
X-51A Waverider technology demonstrator and the U.S. Army has flight tested the
Advanced Hypersonic Weapon. China later confirmed the successful test flight of a "hypersonic missile delivery vehicle," but claimed it was part of a scientific experiment and not aimed at a target.
US Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
National Air and Space Intelligence Center estimated that as of 2023 the number of Chinese nuclear warheads capable of reaching the United States has expanded well over 200.
In June 2021, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies has found out that China is constructing new missile silo field in
Gansu
Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...
in western China. According to the satellite picture, 119 missile silos for
intercontinental ballistic missiles are under construction near
Yumen City. In July,
Federation Of American Scientists found out there are another 110 silos being built in
Hami
Hami ( zh, c=哈密) or Kumul () is a prefecture-level city in eastern Xinjiang, China. It is well known for sweet Hami melons. In early 2016, the former Hami county-level city merged with Hami Prefecture to form the Hami prefecture-level city ...
,
Xinjiang
Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...
. The two significant expansion projects include silos more than ten times the number of ICBM silos in operation of PLARF today.
In July 2021, China tested globe-circling hypersonic missile including the unprecedented launch of a separate 2nd missile from the ultra-high-speed vehicle according to the Financial Times and Wall Street Journal. The test showed China's development of its strategic, nuclear-capable weapons as more advanced than any had thought, surprising Pentagon officials, the two newspapers said. Neither the United States nor Russia has demonstrated the same ability, which requires launching a missile from a parent vehicle traveling five times the speed of sound. According to reporting by the Financial Times, this weapons system consists of two parts: a fractional orbital bombardment system (FOBS) and a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV).
In July 2023, ''
South China Morning Post
The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remaine ...
'' reported that PLARF commander
Li Yuchao and deputy commander Liu Guangbin were under the investigation by the
CMC Commission for Discipline Inspection. Later that month, both Li Yuchao and Liu Guangbin were officially removed from their posts, while
Wang Houbin was appointed as the commander of the PLARF.
Additionally,
Xu Xisheng was appointed as the political commissar. Li Yuchao and Liu Guangbin's expulsion has not been formally explained. There are rumors that they are being investigated for corruption or disclosing military secrets. Furthermore, it was thought to be an odd decision to replace the Rocket Force commander with military personnel from outside the branch, and this led to concerns about the security, credibility, and integrity of the PLA as well as its participation in China's military tactics during the Taiwan Strait conflict.
On 25 September 2024 at 00:44
UTC, the PLARF performed its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test over the Pacific Ocean since the early 1980s. The specific ICBM that was launched was not stated.
Missile ranges
File:PRC Conventional Strike Ranges 2022.png, Chinese Conventional Strike Ranges as of 2022
File:China Nuclear Ballistic Missile Ranges.png, Chinese Nuclear Ballistic Missile Strike Ranges as of 2022
Ranks
Officers
Enlisted
Equipment
Firearms
The Special Operations Regiment has been seen using with
QBZ-95
The Type 95 automatic rifle () or QBZ-95 is a bullpup assault rifle designed and manufactured by Norinco, and issued since 1995 as the service rifle for the People's Liberation Army, People's Armed Police, and various law enforcement in China, la ...
rifles and
QBU-88 sniper rifles.
The
QBZ-03 has also been used by the PLARF.
Active missiles
As of at least 2024, China has the largest land-based missile arsenal in the world.
Retired missiles
*
DF-3A, CSS-2 (IRBM) – In service from 1971 to 2014
Transporter erector launchers
*
TA580/TAS5380
*
TA5450/TAS5450
*
HTF5680A1
*
WS2300
*
WS2400
*
WS2500
*
WS2600
Tractor trucks
*
Hanyang HY4260
*
Hanyang HY4330
Structure
The PLARF is directly subordinated to the CMC. and headquartered in
Beijing
Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
. It is organized into six operational bases and three support bases; these are corps leader or corps deputy
grade units.
The operational bases cover geographical areas, and their ordnance mix reflects their location and mission. They are similarly structured with six to eight missile brigrades, support regiments, and at least one hospital. Base equipment inspection regiments are responsible for storing nuclear warheads.
Bases have peacetime administrative control of nuclear forces. In wartime, the CMC has direct control over nuclear forces. Control over conventional forces is unclear; in 2022, there was evidence of continuing integration with
theater commands.
The
Military Unit Cover Designators (MUCD) from the April 2017 system for PLARF units are 5-digit numbers starting with "96" with the remaining digits organization details. MCUD's starting with "961" or "965" are from the pre-2017 MUCD system.
Headquarters
PLARF headquarters has four administrative departments: Staff Department, Political Work Department, Equipment Department, and Logistics Department.
Wang Houbin became PLARF commander in July 2023,
Xu Xisheng was the political commissar in 2022.
Base 61
(第六十一基地) is an operational base covering eastern and some of southeastern China with headquarters in
Huangshan,
Anhui
Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...
. It was created in 1965.
Base 61 includes a brigade for testing its large short-ranged conventional missile inventory and an
unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft with no human pilot, crew, or passengers onboard, but rather is controlled remotely or is autonomous.De Gruyter Handbook of Dron ...
regiment for
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
ISTAR stands for Military intelligence, intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance. In its macroscopic sense, #ISTAR, ISTAR is a practice that links several battlefield functions together to assist a combat force in employ ...
.
Base 62
(第六十二基地) is an operational base covering most of southeastern China with headquarters in
Kunming
Kunming is the capital and largest city of the province of Yunnan in China. The political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province, Kunming is also the seat of the provincial government. During World War II, Kunming was a Ch ...
,
Yunnan
Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...
. It was created in 1966.
Base 63
(第六十三基地) is an operational base covering southern inland China with headquarters in
Huaihua
Huaihua () is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Hunan province, China. It is known as the "Western Gate" of Hunan and is the largest prefecture-level city in the province.It covers and is bordered by Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous P ...
,
Hunan
Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...
.
Base 63 includes a regiment responsible for fueling liquid-fuelled missiles.
Base 64
(第六十四基地) is an operational base covering northwest and north-central China with headquarters in
Lanzhou
Lanzhou is the capital and largest city of Gansu province in northwestern China. Located on the banks of the Yellow River, it is a key regional transportation hub, connecting areas further west by rail to the eastern half of the country. His ...
,
Gansu
Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...
.
Base 64 has an equipment inspection brigade instead of a regiment.
Base 65
(第六十五基地) is an operational base covering eastern and northeastern China with headquarters in
Shenyang
Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the list of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Liaonin ...
,
Liaoning
)
, image_skyline =
, image_alt =
, image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong
, image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg
, ...
. It was formerly Base 51.
Base 66
(第六十六基地) is an operational base covering central China with headquarters in
Luoyang
Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...
,
Henan
Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...
. It was established in 1966.
Base 67
(第六十七基地) is a support base headquartered in
Baoji
Baoji ( zh, s= , t= , p=Bǎojī; ) is a prefecture-level city in western Shaanxi province, People's Republic of China. Since the early 1990s, Baoji has been the second largest city in Shaanxi.
Geography
The prefecture-level city of Baoji had a ...
,
Shaanxi
Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
, responsible for the storage, maintenance and distribution of China's nuclear weapons. Base 67 was created in 1958 as Unit 0674 in Haiyan County, Qinghai. It was transferred to the
Commission for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense in 1969 and moved to
Shaanxi
Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
, and then to the Second Artillery Corps in 1980. It was known as Base 22 until 2017.
Base 67 includes the subterranean nuclear weapons storage complex in
Taibai County in the
Qin Mountains. Preparations to move the nuclear weapons storage facility to Taibai began in 1969. In 2010, relatively few warheads were maintained at operational base-level for extended durations. The distribution of warheads is reliant on the country's transportation network. The construction of the
Baoji–Chengdu railway by the PLA in the 1960s may have been to support warhead distribution. A derailment inside a tunnel during the
2008 Sichuan earthquake
An earthquake occurred in the province of Sichuan, China at 14:28:01 China Standard Time on May 12, 2008. Measuring at 8.0 (7.9–8.3 ), the earthquake's epicenter was located boxing the compass, west-northwest of Chengdu, the provincial ...
shutdown the Baoji–Chengdu railway for 12 days. In another incident, a Second Artillery Corps crane was used to clear a
multiple-vehicle collision caused by icy roads in the Qin Mountains.
The Missile Technical Service Brigade is the main unit overseeing the Taibai facility. Its main focus seems to be warhead storage and maintenance. It is complemented by the brigade-sized Unit 96038 which seems focused on inspection and testing of certain warhead components. Unit 96038 includes a security battalion with the 38-member "Sharp Blade" Special Operations Team for
site defense and the "Guardian Spirits of the Restricted Zone" Security Company. According to ''
Ta Kung Pao'' in 2019, "Sharp Blade" also performed nuclear missile escort, warhead security and offensive tasks.
Base 68
(第六十八基地) is an engineering support base responsible for constructing physical infrastructure headquartered in
Luoyang
Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...
,
Henan
Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...
.
Base 68 was created as the PLARF Engineering Base in 2012 from the Engineering Technical Zongdui (ETZ); ETZ was created in 1962 to handle installation of test platforms for nuclear
weapon and satellite tests. It was combined with 308th Engineering Command in 2017 to create Base 68.
Base 68 contains six engineering brigades plus support regiments.
Base 69
(第六十九基地) is a training support base created in 2017 headquartered in
Yinchuan
Yinchuan is the capital of the Ningxia, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China, and was the capital of the Tangut people, Tangut-led Western Xia, Western Xia dynasty. It has an area of and a total population of 2,859,074 according to the 2020 C ...
. It has four Test and Training Districts and various independent test and training regiments.
The 1st Test and Training District provides training in desert environments, and provides measurement and control support for missile tests. The 2nd Test and Training District hosts a
opposing force (OPFOR) regiment for PLARF training. The 3rd Test and Training District provides training in plateau operations, hosts the PLARF's
electronic warfare OPFOR unit, and supports the
Gobi Desert test range. The 4th Test and Training District provides cruise missile and rail transport training.
Command, control, and communications
The PLARF has operated a separate command and control structure from the rest of the PLA since 1967. The goal of the system is to ensure tight control of nuclear warheads at the highest levels of government. This is done by the Central Military Commission having direct control of the PLARF, outside of the structure of military regions.
For nuclear weapons, the command structure is believed to run from the CMC, to the headquarters of the PLARF in Beijing, from there to each Rocket Base, and from each Rocket Base down to the individual Brigade. From there, the Brigade transmits firing orders to the launch companies under its control. In the case of conventional ballistic missiles, it is reasonable to assume that more autonomy will be provided in wartime, with command likely being issued from the Bases, which are believed to coordinate with their respective Military Regions on targeting and conventional missile use.
Chinese nuclear C3 capabilities are centered around fiber-optic and satellite-based communication networks, replacing older radio command networks that made up the-then Second Artillery's C3 infrastructure before the 1990s. While historically Chinese nuclear missile forces had to launch from pre-prepared sites, the newest generation of nuclear-capable missiles (the DF-26 and DF-31AG) have been seen deploying to, and launching from, unprepared sites in exercises.
This would corroborate reports that PLARF communications regiments are being trained in the ability to set up telephone and command networks "on-the-fly". The reason for these changes likely has to do with concerns about PLARF survivability; China's commitment to a no-first-use policy means that its nuclear forces have to be capable of both surviving a first-strike, and receiving the orders required to fire back.
Operations in Saudi Arabia
The PLARF Golden Wheel Project (Chinese Wikipedia:
金轮工程) co-operates the
DF-3 and
DF-21 medium-range ballistic missile
A medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) is a type of ballistic missile with medium range (aeronautics), range, this last classification depending on the standards of certain organizations. Within the United States Department of Defense, U.S. D ...
s in
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
since the establishment of
Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force in 1984.
See also
*
Dongfeng (missile)
The ''Dongfeng'' () series, typically abbreviated as "DF missiles", are a family of short, medium, intermediate-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles operated by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (formerly the Second ...
*
Nuclear triad
*
List of states with nuclear weapons
Nine sovereign states are generally understood to possess nuclear weapons, though only eight formally acknowledge possessing them. Five are considered to be nuclear-weapon states (NWS) under the terms of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation ...
*
Qian Xuesen (also known as Tsien Hsue-shen)
Notes
References
Citations
Sources
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External links
Official homepage
Further reading
* Everleth, Decker
"People's Liberation Army Rocket Force Order of Battle 2023" Middlebury Institute of International Stuides at Monterey. "At time of publication, it is estimated that the PLARF has 162 to 216 SRBM launchers, 87 to 96 MRBM launchers, 78 to 96 GLCM launchers, 216 IRBM launchers, and 110 ICBM launchers within its active force. By 2028 this force will grow to at least 108 to 144 SRBM launchers, at least 156 to 192 MRBM launchers, at least 78 to 96 or more GLCM launchers, at least 252 IRBM launchers, and 507 or more ICBM launchers. It is worth emphasizing that everything in the current estimate is counting something that the PRC has already built or is in the process of building." (p38)
* Federation of American Scientists et al. (2006)
Chinese Nuclear Forces and U.S. Nuclear War PlanningChina Nuclear Forces GuideFederation of American Scientists
* Enrico Fels (February 2008)
Will the Eagle strangle the Dragon? An Assessment of the U.S. Challenges towards China's Nuclear Deterrence Trends East Asia Analysis No. 20.
{{Strategic forces
4
Strategic forces
Theater Command grade units of the Armed Forces of China