The DongFeng-41 (DF-41, NATO codename: CSS-X-10) is a three-stage, solid-propellant, intercontinental-range ballistic missile developed in the 1990s as a successor to the DF-5 (CSS-4) ICBM. The 12,000km-range DF-41 was developed in parallel with the 8,000km-range DF-31. Like the DF-31, the DF-41 will also have a mobile launch capability providing greatly improved survivability compared with previous Chinese intercontinental missiles. Other features may also include a independently-targeted re-entry vehicle (MIRV) capability and penetration aids such as decoys and flares to complicate enemy missile warning and defence.
However, due to the end of the Cold War and the changing security strategy, the DF-41 development programme may have already been stopped, with no flight test reported. Instead, the PLA is now developing an enhanced version of the DF-31 ICBM known as DF-31A as the future mainstay of China’s ICBM arsenal.
