|
DongFeng 5 (CSS-4) Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
The DongFeng 5 (NATO reporting name: CSS-4) is the liquid-propellant, two-stage intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) designed and developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle (CALT, also known as CASC 1st Academy) based in Beijing. The PLA currently deploys around 20~30 improved DongFeng 5A missiles, which make up the the PRC's primary nuclear deterrent. The DongFeng 5 was also developed into the FengBao 1 (FB-1) and ChangZheng 2 (CZ-2, or Long March 2) space launch vehicles (SLV) that formed the foundation of the PRC’s space programme.
The DongFeng 5 is a two-stage rocket powered by a liquid bipropellant, with unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) as fuel and nitrogen tetroxide (N2H4) as an oxidiser. It carries a single 3,200kg three-megaton thermal nuclear warhead, and has a maximum range of 10,000~12,000km. The DongFeng 5 is the first true ICBM of the PRC, capable of reaching the west part of the United States and most part of the Europe.
The DongFeng 5 has been produced by the 062 Base (also known as Sichuan Aerospace Industry Corporation, Sichuan Space Bureau, Sichuan Academy of Space Technology, or 7th Space Academy) based in Chengdu, Sichuan Province and the 211 Factory (also known as Capital Machinery Factory, Capital Astronautic Corporation, or Beijing Wanyuan Industry Corporation) of the CALT in Beijing. 211 Factory has also been producing the CZ-2 series SLV for the PRC’s space programme.
An improved variant DongFeng 5A was introduced in 1986. The missile features improved reliability, better accuracy and an extended range of 13,000km, enabling it to cover most part of the United State. An 1992 report suggested that the DongFeng 5 missiles delivered in the 1980s were all upgraded to the DongFeng 5A standard. A further batch of eight DongFeng 5A missiles were produced in 1994~1995. By 2000, all missiles in operational service were in the DongFeng 5A variant.
Design
| |
DongFeng 5 ICBM on the launch pad at Jiuquan (Shuang Cheng Tzu) |
|
The DongFeng 5 adopts a two-stage design. The first-stage consists of four parallel 75t-thrust YF-20 chambers motors with swinging nozzles. The second-stage utilises a 75t-thrust YF-22 motor with a fixed nozzle, and a swivelling venire motor with four 4.8t-thrust chambers, which was designed for steering and sustaining propulsion for a further 190 seconds after the shutting of the main motor, and enabling a wide aiming arc for the re-entry vehicles in the upper atmosphere. Both stages burn the UDMH/N2O4 storable liquid propellant. The propellant tank of the missile was made of high-strength, lightweight aluminium-cooper alloy, and the warhead was fitted with a heat shield made of carbon/quartz materials.
The missile uses an inertial guidance with onboard computer. The CEP of the missile was reported to be 1,000m. The missile has a maximum payload of 3,200kg, and can deliver a single 3MT thermal nuclear warhead. The DongFeng 5 has the ability to carry one or more decoys along with the warhead. An U.S. report in 1999 suggested that the DongFeng 5A may be fitted with 4~6 lightweight independently-targeted re-entry vehicle (MIRV) warheads from the DF-31/JL-2 programme, but it is generally believed that neither DongFeng 5 nor DongFeng 5A possess MIRV capability.
Most of the DongFeng 5 flight tests were carried out from fixed launch pads in Base 20 (Shuang Cheng Tzu) and underground silos in Base 25 (Wuzhai). Early variants of the DongFeng 5 required about 5 hours for pre-launch preparation operation, but this may have been reduced to 1~2 hours using computerised launch control system.
| |
A DongFeng 5 ICBM without the warhead |
|
DongFeng 5s in operational service have two methods of launch: fixed and mobile. Most of the missiles are deployed in underground silos and maintained in a ready-to-fire status. The rest are stored in a horizontal position in tunnels under high mountains, and are launched immediately outside the mouth of the tunnel. The later was aimed to improve the survivability of the missile during a pre-emptive nuclear strike.
In order to enhance the survivability of these missiles, the PLA has constructed a large number of decoy silos which consist of shallow holes excavations with headworks that resemble operational silos. Sophisticated engineering and the introduction of the computerised launch control systems have greatly decreased the launch preparation time of these missiles.
Inventory
The exact number of the missile in service remains highly classified, and observer estimations vary significantly, ranging from less than 10 to over 30. According to some reports, by 2008 the DongFeng 5 units in the PLA Second Artillery Corps consisted of three launch brigades. Each brigade operates about 6~10 missiles. By the year 2000, all three brigades were believed to be equipped with improved DongFeng 5A ICBMs.
| |
Silo-based DongFeng 5 |
|
The first, the 801 Brigade (cover designator: 96261 Unit), is the oldest missile launch unit of the PLA Second Artillery Corps and subordinated to the 54 Base. The brigade is based in Lingbao City, Henan Province, in central China. In early 1995, PRC state media reported that the “Great Wall Project ” for the strategic missile force was finally completed after ten years of construction in the Tai-Hang Mountain Range between Hebei and Shanxi provinces. According to the news reports, "tens of thousands" of PLA engineers spent over 10 years there digging tunnels. According to some reports, this facility enables DongFeng 4 and DongFeng 5 missiles to be stored and mobilised through underground tunnels to increase their survivability. The 801 brigade is most likely to be associated to this facility considering its locations.
The second brigade is the 804 brigade (cover designator: 96263 Unit), which is also subordinated to the 54 Base. The unit is headquartered in Luanchan County of Luoyang City, Henan Province. The brigade is believed to deploy 6~10 silo-based DongFeng 5A/CSS-4 ICBMs in the nearby Funiu Mountain.
The third brigade, 803 Brigade (cover designator: 96311 Unit), was reportedly established in 1996 and is subordinated to 55 Base. The brigade is headquartered in Jingzhou county of Huaihua City, within the deep mountains of Hunan province. The brigade may have began operational duty since the late 1990s.
Chronology
| |
A DongFeng 5 ICBM on the launch pad at the Taiyuan (Wuzhai) Missile Test Centre |
|
With the intermediate-range DongFeng 3 (CSS-2) and long-range DongFeng 4 (CSS-3) development both underway, in 1965 the Chinese leaders decided to develop its first true ICBM capable of reaching North America. Technical and operational requirements for the DongFeng 5 ICBM was issued in March 1965. Two U.S.-trained rocket scientists, Tu Shou’e (deputy chief of the 1st Space Academy) and Ren Xinmin, were appointed to lead the development of the missile and its associated liquid-propellant rocket motor respectively. The programme aimed to have the missile ready for first flight test in 1971 and the design finalised in 1973.
Despite the experience learned in the DF-3 and DongFeng 4 development, the DongFeng 5 ICBM still proved highly challenging for the PRC. The missile served as the proving ground for a number of missile technologies, including the liquid-propellant rocket motor, inertial navigation guidance package, missile flight control, onboard computer, propellant pumping, warhead heat shield, etc.
To ensure that the missile achieves the required accuracy after flying over a long distance, a new inertial navigation guidance package based on the computer/platform arrangement was developed for the missile. The missile was fitted with the PRC’s first integrated circuits computer. High-strength, lightweight aluminium-cooper alloy was required for the propellant tank, and carbon/quartz materials were required for the heat shield of the warhead.
To ensure that the missile can be deployed in operational service, special care was taken in deciding the missile’s body diameter, the aerodynamic layout, the ratio between the length of the two stages, the heat protection measures on the missile body, and the jettison method of the first-stage.
The DongFeng 5 development entered the in May 1966. Following a slow start caused by the political impact of the ’Culture Revolution’, the DongFeng 5 programme entered intensive development in 1969 as requested by the Chinese leadership. The programme definition phase began in May 1966. The development of the first-stage rocket motor was completed on 14 June 1969. The design of the missile was completed in June 1970. The ground test of the rocket motor succeeded in November 1970. The first test missile 'Batch-01-Y1' rolled out in June 1971.
The first flight test of the DongFeng 5 in September 1971 from Shuang Cheng Tzu (Base 20) was only partially successful. Because of the design flaw in the software of the onboard computer, the second-stage of the missile shut down earlier than scheduled, resulting the missile missing its target spot by 565 km. The second missile was launched in November 1972, but two of the four rocket motor failed to ignite, causing an emergent shut down. The same missile was launched again in April 1973 but it exploded in the midair.
| |
Integrating the re-entry vehicle with the DongFeng 5 |
|
Following two failed flight tests, the Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai ordered the suspension of the DongFeng 5 in October 1973. The remaining four missiles of the same design were all converted into CZ-2 space launch vehicles (SLV) to support the PRC’s space programme. In November 1974, the first CZ-2 SLV was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, carrying a FSW recoverable satellite. The launcher lost control shortly after the launch and was ordered self-destruction, destroying the satellite onboard.
In May 1975, the PLA ordered to resume the DongFeng 5 development. In September 1977, the PRC leadership approved the full-range flight test of the DongFeng 5. 1st Space Academy modified the design of the missile’s first stage to improve its reliability. From November 1975 to January 1978, three consecutive launches of the CZ-2 SLV were all successful.
The first successful depressed trajectory (DT) flight test of the DongFeng 5 using the modified Batch-02 design took place in October 1978, and the test was wholly successful. Six subsequent launches carried out between January and October 1979 were all successful. During these tests, the DongFeng 5 was successfully launched from underground silos, suggesting that the missile was near ready for operational deployment. In November 1979, the DongFeng 5 design team made breakthrough in the warhead heat shield technology.
On 12 February 1980, the Chinese leadership officially approved the full-range (range: 9,000km; apogee: 1,000 km) flight test of the DongFeng 5. Preparation for the test began in March, including base exercises at the Shuang Cheng Tzu site and ship exercises in the Yellow Sea.
On 18 May 1980 at 10:00:23 local time, a DongFeng 5 (codename: 580A) was launched from the Shuang Cheng Tzu missile test site. After flying for 29 minutes and 57 seconds over a distance of 9,070km, the missile's re-entry vehicle hit its targeted landing spot ( 7° 42' 23'' S, 172° 15' 36'' E) in the South Pacific, where it was recovered by a PLA naval task force. A second missile (codename: 580B) was launched on 21 May at 11:19:32 local time. However, the second stage of the missile was shut down 6.4 seconds early, resulting the missile re-entry vehicle missing its targeted landing spot by 1,400km.
| |
A night launch of the improved DongFeng 5A |
|
The last flight test of the DongFeng 5 before its operational deployment took place on 7 December 1981, with a modified DongFeng 5 launched from a silo at Wuzhai for a high-ballistic flight test. Two DongFeng 5 missiles were delivered to the PLA Second Artillery Corps in 1981/82. The YF-20 rocket motor of the DongFeng 5’s first-stage was certified for design finalisation in 1983. On 1 October 1984, three DongFeng 5 missiles were demonstrated during the National Day military parade in Beijing to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the PRC.
211 Factory and Base 062 produced a total of 16 missiles for various flight test between 1978 and 1981, with 8 missiles fired and 2 delivered to the PLA Second Artillery Corps for operational deployment. The remaining were converted into the CZ-2C SLV for the FSW satellite launches. In July 1986, the nuclear warhead of the DongFeng 5 was certified for design finalisation. On 16 December 1986, the DongFeng 5 received its certificate for design finalisation.
Between 1987 and 1989, Base 092 produced five DongFeng 5 missiles in the Batch-03 design for operational deployment. One of the missiles was test fired in Autumn 1989. This was also the last known DongFeng 5 test. The remaining missiles were reportedly upgraded to the DongFeng 5A standard in the early 1990s. The Batch 04 of eight missiles were produced by Base 062 in 1994~95, possibly in the improved DongFeng 5A design.
Units
- 801 Brigade
- 803 Brigade
- 804 Brigade
Specifications
Official name: DongFeng 5 (DF-5)
NATO reporting name: CSS-4
Contractor: CASC 1st Academy
Service status: In service
Deployment: Silo or launch pad
Length: 33m
Body diameter: 3.4m
Launch weight: 183,000kg
Range: 12,000 (DF-5), >13,000km (DF-5A)
Re-entry vehicle mass: ~3,000kg
Warhead: One single 3,000kT
Guidance: Inertial + stellar update
Accuracy: ~1,000m CEP
Launch preparation time: 3~5 hours (launch pad), or 1~2 hours (in silo)
Last update: 15 February 2009 |
