China’s DF-21D “Carrier Killers” All Hype?

By Kris Osborn

Meet the DF-21D: The Chinese DF-21D anti-ship missiles, described as “carrier killers,” have been on the Pentagon’s radar for quite some time.

The ground-launched weapons have a reported range of 1,000 miles, ostensibly able to destroy aircraft carriers with advanced range and guidance systems.

DF-21D – U.S. Response

The existence of the DF-21D is likely a key part of why the U.S. Military services have been accelerating a strategic approach referred to as A2/AD, anti-access/area denial.

The idea with A2/AD is to develop weapons, multi-domain tactics and technologies sufficient to overcome an enemy’s effort by keeping forces too far away to attack.

With China for instance, the existence of long-range ballistic missiles and weapons such as the DF-21D represents an effort to make ocean and land territory too risky or too costly to approach. A Carrier Air Wing can launch F/A-18s and F-35Cs from the maximum distance its combat radius allows, a distance of roughly 300 to 500 miles.

This means that, in order to avoid being held at risk of full destruction by a DF-21D, a US Navy carrier would have to operate farther than 1,000 miles offshore.

This is a distance potentially out of range for carrier-launched fighter jets, therefore attack “access” to waters close enough to attack China is denied.