China successfully conducted a land-based, mid-course antiballistic missile (ABM) technical test on February 4 in a move experts said showed China’s mastery of the technology as the country’s antiballistic missile system gradually matures and becomes more reliable. Liu Xuanzun reports in Global Times.
China conducted the test within its border, and the test reached the desired objective, the country’s Ministry of National Defense announced on Thursday in a statement. It was the fifth land-based ABM technical test China has publicly announced and the fourth land-based, mid-course ABM technical test publicly known.
Mid-course is the most vital phase in the interception of a ballistic missile, and a mid-course ABM means to intercept the missile while it is in its free flight phase outside of the atmosphere, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on February 4. While the duration of the mid-course phase is relatively long, the great difficulty of an interception lies in the high trajectory, Song said, noting that the target of interception is usually intermediate-range or intercontinental ballistic missile.
China has already mastered the mid-course ABM system, and conducting the latest test shows that the system is becoming mature, and the success rate and reliability of interceptions are increasing significantly, which is very important for China to build a complete ABM system, Song said.
Known ABM tests were carried out by China previously in 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2018, according to media reports and official statements.