The Chinese military has deployed a new advanced short-range missile known as the DF-12 (M20) that was revealed for the first time in photos posted on the Internet this week. Disclosure of the missile follows publication of an Air Force National Space and Missile Intelligence Center (NASIC) report describing China as having the most aggressive ballistic missile development program in the world.

The posting on official state-run media described what had previously been called the M-20 for the first time as the Dong Feng-12. The shift in designation from M-20 to DF-12 indicates the missile is being deployed with China’s Second Artillery Corps, the service in charge of missile and nuclear weapons. It is not known whether the DF-12 will be armed with conventional or nuclear warheads or whether it is dual-capable. The DF-12 is a solid-fueled advanced short-range missile that China’s claims is comparable to Russia’s new short-range missile known as the Iskander, a short-range ballistic missile that Moscow recently said would be deployed in areas close to Europe, raising fears of new Russian military assertiveness.



The missile’s official range is between 100 and 280 km but that its actual range could be as long as 400 km. The missile has inertial navigation and Global Positioning System guidance.



In the Chinese Army it can be expected that some DF-12 class SRBMs will be armed with tactical nuclear warheads.

