China shows DF-26B missile hitting U.S. carrier replica in Xinjiang test field
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV has aired images that appear to show a DF-26B ballistic missile striking a full-scale mock-up of a U.S. aircraft carrier at a test range in Xinjiang, underscoring Beijing’s investment in weapons meant to threaten large surface ships in any fight over Taiwan or disputed seas.
China’s latest public military message is aimed squarely at U.S. naval power. State television channel CCTV has broadcast footage that appears to show a ballistic missile slamming into a full-size replica of a U.S. aircraft carrier at a test site in the Xinjiang desert.
According to the report, the weapon used was a DF‑26B, an anti‑ship variant of the Dongfeng‑26 ballistic missile operated by the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force. The DF‑26 family is road‑mobile and designed to hit targets at intermediate ranges, and the B variant is described as configured for use against ships.
The video shows a missile descending onto a carrier-shaped structure, indicating a test of both the missile’s performance and the wider targeting system needed to locate and engage a ship-sized object at distance. The carrier mock-up forms part of a test complex built to resemble U.S. naval assets.
Beijing has long promoted such systems as a way to deter foreign militaries from operating near its coast during a conflict, especially U.S. carrier strike groups that could intervene over Taiwan or in the South China Sea. Broadcasting what looks like a direct hit on a carrier replica puts that deterrent message into the public domain.
For navies that operate aircraft carriers and large surface combatants, an effective anti‑ship ballistic missile poses a direct threat to both the vessel and the air wing and command functions it carries. Countering that threat requires better missile defenses, electronic warfare, and tactics that make targeting more difficult.
For U.S. allies and partners in the Indo‑Pacific, from Japan to Australia, the footage raises practical questions about how close carrier groups can safely operate to contested waters and how quickly they could respond to a crisis if they stay farther offshore.
Hitting a stationary target in Xinjiang isn’t the same as striking a moving, defended carrier at sea, but the test indicates continued progress on a capability that Western planners have watched closely for years.
Analysts will be watching for signs of expanded DF‑26B deployment, more frequent tests, or integration of this missile into larger exercises that practice finding and engaging naval targets. Any visible changes in U.S. carrier deployment patterns or missile defense drills in the region will also be read against this latest signal from Beijing.
Sources
- OSINT