Foreign media recently reported on the amazing performance of China's new Dongfeng-27 missile, which is capable of accurately striking moving targets at sea at a distance of 5,000 kilometers, and its maximum range may reach 8,000 kilometers. This indicates a new step forward in China's regional denial system.
The area denial system was developed by China in response to the "sea-to-land" projection capability of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the main force of U.S. foreign intervention, and it has 11 aircraft carriers and other maritime forces, which can assemble and launch attacks on target areas in a short period of time, vying for air and sea supremacy. The United States also has many overseas bases, pre-positioned ships, and maritime capabilities, which can carry out amphibious landing operations or ground warfare when necessary to maintain US hegemony.
China's regional denial system is designed to undermine this U.S. capability. China has a lot of medium-range missiles that can cover most of the U.S. bases in the Asia-Pacific region, leaving the U.S. to rely on mobile forces such as aircraft carriers and amphibious ship groups. The DF-26 and DF-27 are specifically aimed at these maneuvering targets, which can eliminate US aircraft carriers and amphibious ships at long distances, weaken US sea supremacy, and give China an advantage in the region.
The United States is well aware of this, so it has strategically chosen to retreat to the second island chain. But the DF-27 could directly threaten Hawaii and Australia, which are exactly where the United States wants to increase its strategic deployment. The range upgrade of the DF-27 is taking into account this response of the United States.
Striking long-range maneuvering targets is not an easy task and needs to be supported by a well-developed kill chain. The most important thing is the reconnaissance, identification, location and evaluation of targets. For 5,000-kilometer-level missiles such as Dongfeng-26, satellites, drones and other means may be used to accomplish these tasks, but for 8,000-kilometer missiles such as Dongfeng-27, satellites may only be relied upon. We don't know the specifics, but we know that China will not casually increase the range, if there is no corresponding kill chain.
So, the real meaning of this message is that China already has the ability to accurately strike large targets within a range of 8000 kilometers in wartime, which the United States cannot ignore.