{
  "id": "china-land-based-nuclear",
  "name": "Chinese land-based nuclear missile force",
  "aliases": [
    "PLARF nuclear forces"
  ],
  "domain": "nuclear",
  "country": "CHN",
  "category": "Nuclear force component",
  "status": "active",
  "fielded": null,
  "operators": [
    "CHN"
  ],
  "summary": "PLA Rocket Force nuclear missiles: about 775 launchers for nuclear-capable missiles, 475 of them ICBM launchers.",
  "specs": [
    {
      "k": "launchers",
      "v": 775,
      "src": [
        "fas-nn-chn-2026"
      ],
      "conf": "medium",
      "note": "475 are ICBM launchers"
    },
    {
      "k": "wh_assigned",
      "v": [
        400,
        500
      ],
      "src": [
        "fas-nn-chn-2026"
      ],
      "conf": "low",
      "note": "Over 400 on ICBMs plus about 100 for regional missiles"
    },
    {
      "k": "delivery",
      "v": "DF-5A/B/C, DF-31A (about 24 launchers), DF-31AG (seven brigades), DF-31B, DF-41 (about 28 launchers, up to 3 MIRVs), DF-61, DF-26 (about 300 launchers, dual-capable)",
      "src": [
        "fas-nn-chn-2026"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "warhead_type",
      "v": "#535 (DF-31 class), #5x5 lower-yield design, #506 multi-megaton (DF-5A)",
      "src": [
        "fas-nn-chn-2026"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "bases",
      "v": "Six missile bases (61–66) controlling 6–8 brigades each; about 34 nuclear-capable brigades",
      "src": [
        "fas-nn-chn-2026"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    }
  ],
  "payloads": [],
  "variants": [],
  "art": "nuclear",
  "image": null,
  "verified": null,
  "changelog": [
    {
      "date": "2026-11-08",
      "change": "Entry created from Chinese nuclear weapons, 2026 (FAS Nuclear Notebook)"
    }
  ],
  "url": "https://www.defensepedia.com/systems/china-land-based-nuclear.html",
  "sources": {
    "fas-nn-chn-2026": {
      "title": "Chinese nuclear weapons, 2026",
      "publisher": "Federation of American Scientists Nuclear Notebook, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists",
      "url": "https://thebulletin.org/premium/2026-07/chinese-nuclear-weapons-2026/",
      "published": "2026-07-01",
      "tier": 2,
      "checked": "2026-11-08"
    }
  }
}