Zhao Yan

Recently, the "China National Defense News," revealed the Second Artillery missile forces to build an underground cavern of the situation, the text quoted Western experts say China's underground missile base projection can withstand hundreds of thousands of tons equivalent rounds of nuclear bombs hit a row. This article raises the heat outside media, discussion, media analysis of China's such a deep way of actually higher than Russia and the United States to deploy a missile more accurate. Chinese media have dared to publish these are called "Underground Great Wall" of the strategic facilities showed that the Chinese system of its nuclear operations with unprecedented confidence and courage.



"China National Defense News" In related news, wrote, "This is only as bright as day light and never be more than the general color of camouflage in general." Here is the Second Artillery Force is an engineering construction of a missile positions, it is often called here for "underground Great Wall." Then, directly quoting a foreign newspaper reports that Western experts had estimated that China's Second Artillery missile positions are very strong, "if used ground-penetrating nuclear warheads to China's missile attack positions, then we will need a few pieces of hundreds of thousands of tons equivalent Continuous nuclear warheads before they hit the same point breakdown, instead of the completely destroyed, the need for more nuclear warheads "and so on.



Ta Kung Pao, a magazine, a signed article also describes the status of the Second Artillery underground positions. The article said that China's early adoption of a permanent-type medium-range ballistic missiles deployed on the ground positions, while the first intercontinental missiles ─ ─ Dongfeng -5 reinforced silo is used to deploy. China to begin deploying in 1979, Dongfeng -5 missiles, its true or a total of 24 silos, but these protective measures in an increasingly sophisticated reconnaissance satellites and increasingly precise stand-off missile attacks, appeared before the no longer valid. If the reinforced missile silo can not ensure safety, then completely buried in the launch position a few hundred meters underground, apparently the Second Artillery considered to be viable option. As early as the summer of 1995, "Liberation Army Daily," a prominent message is not mentioned at tens of thousands of officers and men of the Second Artillery Corps after 10 years of bloody fighting, we finally completed a major defense projects. March 24, 2008, China Central Television "military documentary" program would work in this part of the exposure of underground nuclear counterattack, outsiders called the "Great Wall Project."



Tunnel length of more than 5000 kilometers



Analysts believe that strong and hidden "underground Great Wall" of China to save the "second nuclear strike" capability of the important means. As China pursues a "no first use of nuclear weapons" policy, and how to ensure that minimum deterrence in the number of intercontinental missiles able to escape after the successful launch of enemy attack and successfully penetrate the enemy's missile defense system will be thrown into the targeting of nuclear warheads on the China's Second Artillery's most important task.



Although the United States and Russia's preference for low-cost land-based intercontinental missiles fired, the road mobile missile normally performed by transportation, erection, launching three cars to carry the implementation of road mobility, but such missiles are often self-positioning apparatus is relatively simple, relatively hasty pre-launch preparation time Therefore, a precision strike missiles fired from fixed positions was significantly lower than firing missiles, such as the Russian Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missiles launched from the underground when the accuracy is about 260 meters, but the road maneuver increased to 450 meters. The launch of the mobile security and accuracy of integrated fixed-fired a "deep deployment" approach, then the choice of China's Second Artillery Corps.



The so-called deep deployment of strategic nuclear missiles, is usually a few hundred meters deep drilled "underground home", the missile can be in the ground to complete all preparedness activities, war may be relying on underground network corridor from rail cars or heavy-duty trailer transporting missiles , equipment and personnel to a fixed launch sites in place, and all this only from the observations can not be found on the ground.



Experts speculate that China's Second Artillery Corps of the most important underground missile positions may be located in a mountainous area in northern China, the internal tunnel over a total length of 5000 km, strategic ballistic missiles in this "underground labyrinth" in mobile deployment, and from hundreds of true and false mixed groups in the underground launch silo. It is estimated that the nuclear counter-attack project, "the outermost layer of 1000 meters deep and covered with soil that does not include any artificial reinforcement layer", "missile launch, generally not in the cave launch is to pull the hole ... ... All firing points are fixed. "



The U.S. media said that a small number of Chinese nuclear weapons



Global Times Zhaibian the United States, "Bulletin of Atomic Scientists" (BuletinoftheAtomicScientists) website published December 8, "Nuclear weapons: a modern myth," the article, saying that China now has approximately 200-250 nuclear warheads, nuclear weapons, but China and Russia will not pose threat, nor will it shake the U.S. nuclear dominance.



The article said that the United States deployed a total of about 2,200 strategic nuclear warheads and 500 tactical nuclear warheads, while there are 2500 stocks of nuclear warheads. The U.S. submarine-launched missiles and ground-based long-range missiles now under way to extend the life of the project. For example, the Air Force will spend the next 10 years, six billion U.S. dollars to enhance the reliability of missiles and missile militias Ⅲ extend the life of 2030. From 1997 to 2001, the United States has produced and deployed a new type of B6 nuclear bomb, which is known outside the B61-11 earth-penetrating nuclear bombs.



After the Cold War, the U.S. submarine-launched missiles to destroy the Russian missile silos the success rate of only 12%, and now, W76 and W88 submarine-launched missiles to destroy the Russian silos, respectively, the success rate of 90% and 98%.



China's nuclear arsenal includes about 200 to 250 strategic nuclear warheads. China is also expanding nuclear arsenal, but it should be far less than the U.S. intelligence agencies estimated that the speed, the latter always like to overestimate the speed of the PLA's modernization project and content. China's new delivery systems, including solid-fuel-driven DF-31 long-range missiles, deployed in 2008, put into DF-31A intercontinental ballistic missiles and the JL-2 submarine-launched nuclear missiles. The development and deployment of these systems are surprisingly very slow pace: China in the last century, seven or eight decades decided to replace the old with the solid-fuel systems of liquid fuel systems, however, have only recently begun to deploy them.



China has a "summer class" strategic missile submarines. In addition, the outside world believe that China in early 2008 the deployment of a new "promotion" and nuclear submarines, and another 2-3 "promotion" and nuclear submarines are still under construction. However, China will be how to operate the sea-based missile defense system, is still unclear. Chinese ballistic missile submarine had not conducted any anti-missile patrol. And Russia, like China's nuclear capacity is also very strong. By inference, China may in the production of warheads for the new delivery systems.



Clearly, Russia and the slow progress of China's strategic modernization projects, the two will not pose a threat to the United States, nor will it shake the U.S. dominance in nuclear weapons.