Supersonic cruise missiles DF-100 of the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) have two designations: "East Wind" or "Long Sword". The first is accepted in the units of the PLA missile forces, the second – in the PLA Air Force. This circumstance indicates that these cruise missiles (KR) are in service with units of these types of the Chinese Armed Forces.
PGRK "East Wind-100" at the parade dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the creation of the People's Republic of China in 2019
The design of the DF-100 cruise missile
According to available information, the length of the Vostochny Veter-100 CR reaches 9 m, the hull diameter is 0.7 m, and the total take-off weight is 4000 kg. Currently, the launch of such missiles is possible only from mobile ground-based missile systems (PGRCS) created on the basis of five-axle chassis. To apply the considered missile defense system from the board of promising URO destroyers of the 055A project, Chinese specialists are developing a new vertical launcher (PU) with a height of 10 m.
Structural elements of the KR DF-100
The analysis of photographic materials allows us to identify the following structural elements of the CD (enumeration from left to right): a launch solid-fuel accelerator, a ramjet engine, a solid-fuel engine of a hypersonic combat unit (equipped with 4 maneuvering nozzles) and the combat unit itself with installed navigation equipment and a warhead (warhead).
With regard to solid-fuel engines, it is known that their manufacture is entrusted to plant No. 7416, which is part of the 4th Research Institute of the Chinese Aerospace Scientific and Technical Corporation (KANTK), whereas the liquid-fuel ramjet engine (RAMJET) is manufactured in 101NIO of the 6th Research Institute of KANTK. The choice in favor of a liquid-fuel RAMJET is due to the fact that the fuel contained in the rocket tanks partially performs the function of a cooler and prevents overheating of the rocket's onboard systems over most of the trajectory.
Admitting part of the RAMJET KR "East wind-100"
According to Chinese sources, a significant part of the rocket body is made using reinforced carbon fiber (with the addition of ceramics and silicon carbide), which, compared with the use of titanium alloys, reduced the weight of the product by 30% and reduced its cost by 50%. In addition, the rocket body is covered with a special compound that absorbs radiation from radars operating in the millimeter range.
Observers of Chinese specialized military-technical publications indicate that the cost of the CR in question is 5 times lower than that of the Vostochny Wind-17 BRSD, for the marine version of which a 12 m high VPU is being developed. The comparison of the two ammunition is due to the comparable firing range.
With regard to the warhead of the Vostochny Veter-100 missile system, it is known that designers have developed two main models by weight – 350 and 500 kg, whereas, depending on the nature of the target, the warhead can be high-explosive, penetrating, cassette, electromagnetic pulse, nuclear.
The use of the DF-100 cruise missile
The guidance of the radar to the target is provided by a complex system consisting of an inertial module, a TERCOM electronic system and a multi-channel receiver of the Beidou global positioning system, which provides simultaneous data acquisition from 4 spacecraft. In addition, thanks to the two-channel encrypted space communication system, the guidance unit can receive target data ("target image") from the Kunjing-500 type DRDiN aircraft.
After launch, the solid–fuel accelerator takes the rocket to a minimum altitude of 20 thousand meters at a speed of at least 4 MACH and thereby provides the rocket with an average trajectory acceleration. After receiving the data, the navigation system initiates the operation of a liquid–fuel ramjet, which allows the rocket to maneuver in near space - at altitudes from 30 to 40 km, which allows it to leave the affected area of most existing missile defense systems of a likely enemy. Thanks to the use of liquid fuel of the electric valve system, Chinese designers managed to achieve a launch range of 1,500 km. The maximum launch range is probably 2,200 km.
In the extreme part of the flight, the rocket includes a thermal imaging target detection system to verify the real image with the information recorded before launch. After that, the ballistic computer calculates the optimal trajectory and gives the command to dive with a maximum speed of up to 7.5 MACH. It should be noted that DF-100 cruise missiles can operate as part of a group and the first missile can perform a descent to a target along a funnel-type trajectory in order to overload the computing systems of the air defense radar of ships or ground forces as much as possible, and also so that enemy air defense units maximize their capabilities to repel a missile strike.
The JP-10 liquid jet fuel is used as fuel in the RAMJET supersonic KR "Long Sword-100", the development of which and the commissioning of production of which by 2017 were successfully carried out by employees of the Institute of Chemistry of the University of Tianjin and the Liming Research Institute of Chemical Industry (LimingResearch & DesignInstituteof ChemicalIndustry CO, prov. Henan, Luoyang).
Based on the materials of Chinese specialized military-technical publications.
