DOD Claims These Chinese Missiles Could Reach Hawaii

It's not new that the People's Republic of China and its People's Liberation Army (PLA) has the capability to launch conventional intercontinental ballistic missiles that have enough range to strike targets in North America or Western Europe. The Dongfeng DF-31 is an intercontinental ballistic missile has been in service since at least the early 2000s, and has a range of upwards of 7,270 miles. It's capable of being deployed via a mobile truck-based system.

Now, according to the Department of Defense's report from the end of last year, a new missile has showed up in China's arsenal, the Dongfeng DF-27. It has a range of 4,970 miles, which puts it past Hawaii, if launched from China's eastern borders. As opposed to previous ICBMs, the DF-27 can do double duty as an anti-ship missile, which puts it at the bleeding edge of current missile technology. Additionally, it's a hypersonic weapon system, which means it can travel at least five times the speed of sound (3,836 mph at sea level).

Whether or not China has any inclination to use such weapons anytime in the near future is a different geopolitical question entirely, and there's still a bit that's unknown about the DF-27. The Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance reports that it's unknown how many DF-27s the PLA has in service or, of course, where launch systems are stationed. Additionally, it is unknown how big the warhead on the anti-ship variant is, apart from being billed as a "carrier killer." 

Hypersonic missiles are a relatively new weapons delivery system and can be deployed via a multi-stage "glide vehicle" system like the DF-27 where the warhead glides to the target after reaching hypersonic speeds. The United States is currently developing its own hypersonic weapon by the "Dark Eagle" moniker. Air-launched hypersonics are also in the works. The technology is still in its infancy and given the velocity of such ordnance, it's difficult to intercept, although you can be sure that every country with a hypersonic arsenal is also devising ways to defeat hypersonic threats.