China reach global nuclear strike capability with new DF-5C

Defence affairs - Def-Geopolitics

On September 3, 2025, China introduced the DF-5C intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) during the Victory Day Parade held in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, which was organized to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. 

The missile was paraded in three separate sections, consisting of its first stage, upper stage, and warhead section, a format reminiscent of the DF-5’s initial appearance in 1984. The event also showcased the land, sea, and air legs of China’s nuclear forces together for the first time, underlining the establishment of a nuclear triad.

The DF-5C is a two-stage, liquid-fueled, silo-based missile with a diameter exceeding 3 meters and a body design that requires separate transport of its components. Its first stage is powered by four engines, a factor suggesting significant payload capacity. Reports and commentary surrounding the parade attributed to the missile a range greater than 20,000 kilometers, which would allow it to target any point on Earth. According to various analyses and Chinese sources, the missile is able to carry multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), with numbers ranging from 10 to 12, or a single multi-megaton warhead. Other options mentioned include combinations of nuclear and conventional warheads, as well as decoys intended to complicate missile defense interception. Expert assessments also described the DF-5C as operating at very high speeds, measured in several tens of Mach, which would reduce interception windows for missile defense systems. Its guidance reportedly combines inertial systems, starlight navigation, and the Beidou satellite network, which together are intended to improve accuracy over intercontinental distances.

The DF-5C continues the progression of the DF-5 missile family that began in the late 1960s under Project 8201. The original DF-5 was first flight-tested in 1971 and entered service in 1981 as China’s first ICBM. At 32.6 meters in length and weighing approximately 183,000 kilograms at launch, the DF-5 had an initial range of 10,000 to 13,000 kilometers and carried a single large warhead. Improvements followed with the DF-5A, which extended the range beyond 13,000 kilometers, and the DF-5B, which introduced MIRV capability with three to five warheads. By 2015, open-source estimates suggested that China operated around 83 DF-5 ICBMs, with approximately 50 being DF-5B variants. Reports indicated the existence of 20 operational DF-5 launchers in 2017, supported by a network of decoy silos designed to complicate adversary targeting. A test in 2017 reportedly involved a DF-5C equipped with 10 MIRVs, confirming its role as a further step in the family’s progression. The 2025 parade thus presented the DF-5C as both a successor to older single-warhead DF-5A missiles and a heavier strategic option compared to the DF-5B.