BEIJING, Aug. 19 (UPI) — China unveiled its latest long-range missiles through footage aired on state media on Wednesday — putting on a show of force that may have been aimed at Japan and the United States and impressing the Chinese public.
The images released by China’s People’s Liberation Army were of a military unit in Jinan in eastern China, state media outlet Global Times reported.
The artillery brigade in Jinan now controls a rocket equipped with the ability to hit land and sea targets, including flat land, mountainous regions and coastal areas. The weapon can be deployed at night and in bad weather conditions, and can navigate through snow, fog and rain, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
The rocket can travel 100 kilometers or 62 miles and uses a Chinese GPS system called Beidou, which means compass.
An unmanned aerial vehicle is deployed to scope out and mark the target area before the rocket is launched, according to Chinese state media.
Chinese military officials said the rocket is to play an increasingly important role in the “future of the battlefield” and is designed to enhance other military efforts on land.
China’s missile activities have escalated in recent weeks.
On Aug. 6, China tested its latest intercontinental ballistic missile, the DF-41 road-mobile missile, with two independently targeted simulated nuclear warheads, The Washington Free Beacon reported on Tuesday.
The Pentagon sees the DF-41, with a range of between 6,835 miles and 7,456 miles, as Beijing’s most powerful nuclear missile.
