CZ-6 Rocket can Launch 20 Missiles at Once, Including DF-5B ICBM

Sunday's successful launch of 20 micro satellites into orbit simultaneously using the Long March 6 carrier rocket indicates that China will now also be able to fire 20 missiles at once using the same technology, reports the Beijing-based Sina Military Network.

The Long March 6 — or CZ-6 — carrier rocket was launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China's Shanxi province at 7:01am on Sept. 20, setting a new Asian record for the number of satellites launched by a single rocket.

Sina Military states that as microsatellites can be switched to warheads, the successful test means that the CZ-6, at 29.3 meters long and with a take-off weight of 103 tons, will also be able to carry the same number of missiles. While satellites are launched into orbit, missiles re-enter the atmosphere to strike targets, it noted.

Accordingly, a CZ-6 rocket can technically be a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) for up to 20 missiles, each of which is capable of being aimed to hit one of a group of targets. This offers a distinct advantage over multiple reentry vehicles (MRV), which can carry several warheads which are dispersed but not individually aimed.

However, MIRVs still have their weaknesses, as individual missiles are not as powerful as a batch of warheads all aimed at the same target. The heavier weight also means they cannot be fired using road launchers.

For a missile to reach the range of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) — necessary to strike the US mainland — solid-fuel rockets would not be appropriate, meaning this would rule out China's DF-31 ICBM. On the other hand, the technology would be perfect for the DF-5B three-stage ICBM, which relies on liquid fuel and must be fired from a missile silo.

The ability to simultaneously launch 20 missiles, including the DF-5B, provides a major boost to China's odds of penetrating US missile defense systems, Sina Military said.