BEIJING/WASHINGTON -- The Chinese military conducted an exercise on July 1 in which it fired six anti-ship ballistic missiles from mainland China toward the South China Sea, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
The missiles are believed to be the Dongfeng-21D (DF-21D), which have a range of about 1,500 kilometers and could be deployed for an attack on a U.S. aircraft carrier among others.
According to sources close to the United States and China, the six missiles are believed to have been launched from several points in southern China on the morning of July 1, and they landed almost simultaneously in the sea north of the Spratly Islands, where China is militarizing.
Prior to the exercise, China's Maritime Safety Administration had prohibited the operation of ordinary ships in the area from June 29 to July 3, citing "military training."
This is the first confirmed testing of anti-ship ballistic missiles by China in the South China Sea. Some of the missiles flew more than 1,000 kilometers to their target. According to an analysis by sources, it is highly likely that these missiles were DF-21Ds, judging by their flight distances and trajectories.
The DF-21D is nicknamed the "aircraft carrier killer." It is operated by China's Rocket Force, which is a strategic missile unit. Developed with mobile launch pads, these missiles can be deployed almost anywhere.
China, meanwhile, has strongly opposed the increased frequency of Freedom of Navigation operations by the U.S. military, in which it sends ships to international waters in the South China Sea.
A source close to the U.S. military said, "If there are increased possibilities that naval vessels will be put at risk in an emergency, [the military] may hesitate to deploy."
The Chinese Defense Ministry has so far said only that they "practiced live ammunition shooting" in the South China Sea, without specifying a date and time, but has not confirmed any missile launches.
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