DF-17 hypersonic boost-glide missile

 Dongfeng-17 (DF-17), glider vehicles for its ballistic missiles,  which is now capable of gliding in outer atmosphere at upwards of five times the speed of sound or more, making it more able to evade missile defence systems.

Dong Feng 17 (DF-17) hypersonic boost-glide missile. No effective defence against this weapons.

Unlike traditional ballistic missile re-entry vehicles, which are propelled to great heights by a booster rocket only to fall back to Earth on a roughly predictable trajectory, boost-glide vehicles leverage atmospheric lift and drag forces to glide – imagine a pebble skipping over the surface of a lake. As they glide they accumulate tremendous heat and speed. To a limited degree, they can manoeuvre low to evade radars designed to look for high-flying missile re-entry vehicles outside the Earth’s atmosphere. Because they give such little warning, in the final moments of flight, the weapons can catch point defences – such as short-range missile defence systems – off guard.


DF-17 was a conventional-only weapon.







DF 17, DF 100 & DF 41 make debuts at National Day parade