China Develops Long-Range Air Target Missiles

The South China Morning Post reported that "China is working on developing a new type of air target missile capable of hitting its targets at long distances." In a post on the newspaper's website, "Chinese researchers have confirmed that they have developed a new surface-to-air missile that significantly outperforms its competitors and can strike aircraft at a distance of up to 2000 km, while air target missiles typically have ranges limited to several hundred kilometers." According to the newspaper, the new missile is 8 meters long, weighs no more than 2.5 tons, operates on solid fuel for vertical launch, and uses jet engines when moving in the upper layers of the atmosphere. The scientific team that worked on the new missile emphasized that "the missile will be able to shoot down early warning aircraft and bombers before they approach military operational areas."