OVERVIEW:  The  DF-26C aka Dong Feng 26C battalion is a road-mobile IRBM unit, using a single two stage, solid fuel DF-26C missile armed with a 1,200 - 1,800 kg conventional payload or a nuclear warhead.

DETAILS:  The DF-26 is based on the DF-21 IRBM.  It likely intended for use in long range, war-opening preemptive or suppressive strikes aimed at neutralizing an adversary’s forward forces and military infrastructure including logistics and power projection assets and opportunistic strikes against fleeting high campaign-value targets.  

The missile uses inertial guidance and probably both GPS and possibly radar based terminal guidance. The missile's long range, the mobility of the TEL and the likely short setup and take down times significantly reduce the launcher's vulnerability. Additionally, the DF-26 does not require pre-surveyed launch sites, further reducing its vulnerability.

Specifications:

Maximum Range:			2160-2700nm; (est)
CEP:		 		10-100 meters (est)
Reload time:			 12 minutes (est, based on DF-21)
Reaction Time			 several minutes
Mobility:				 road mobile
Set Up Time:			 10-15 minutes (est, based on DF-21)


NOTES:  IOC 2016.

SOURCES: DoD "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the PRC, 2019" https://media.defense.gov/2019/May/02/2002127082/-1/-1/1/2019_CHINA_MILITARY_POWER_REPORT.pdf, pg. 44; US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, "China's Expanding Ability to Conduct Conventional Missile Strikes on Guam" 10 May 2016, https://www.uscc.gov/sites/default/files/Research/Staff%20Report_China's%20Expanding%20Ability%20to%20Conduct%20Conventional%20Missile%20Strikes%20on%20Guam.pdf  ;  Administrator. DF-26 Intermediate-range Ballistic Missile Data Pictures Video | China Chinese Army Missile Systems Vehicles | Chinese China Army Military Equipment Armoured UK. January 13, 2019. https://www.armyrecognition.com/china_chinese_army_missile_systems_vehicles/df-26_intermediate-range_ballistic_missile_technical_data_sheet_specifications_pictures_video_11202167.html. ; China Touts Capabilities of DF-26 As ASBM. January 28, 2019. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/china-touts-capabilities-of-df-26-as-asbm. ; China Touts Capabilities of DF-26 As ASBM. January 28, 2019. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/china-touts-capabilities-of-df-26-as-asbm. ; DF-26 Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile | Military-Today.com. n.d. https://www.military-today.com/missiles/df_26.htm. ; DF-26 Intermediate-range Missile (The Guam Killer). February 1, 2019. https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2019/02/12/df-26-intermediate-range-missile-the-guam-killer/. ; DF-26. August 6, 2021. https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/dong-feng-26-df-26/#easy-footnote-bottom-11-3522. ; Dong Feng-26 – Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance. n.d. https://missiledefenseadvocacy.org/missile-threat-and-proliferation/todays-missile-threat/china/df-26/. ; Strategic Weapons: Potential Versus Proven Threats. n.d. https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/hticbm/articles/20190321.aspx.