Thread: Why no China?
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Old 10-03-2018, 09:55 PM
RN7 RN7 is offline
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In the mid-1990's the Chinese nuclear arsenal was very weak compared with the US and USSR in both real life and T2K timelines, and was in fact less capable than British and French nuclear forces. Even today it is still weak.

At this time China had two ICBM: DF-4 and DF-5.

DF-4 ICBM (Range: 5,500-7,000 km with 1x 3.3 Mt warhead)
DF-5 ICBM (Range: 12,000-15,000 km with 1x 4.5 Mt warhead)

The DF-4 was barely even an ICBM and could scarcely reach Moscow from the Chinese east coast. The DF-5 was a minimal Chinese strategic nuclear deterrent against both the US and USSR. Numbers for both missiles varies (from a dozen up to 40) but I doubt China had more than 25 of both missiles in total at this time.

China's force of IRBM's was more formidable, they had at least 50 DF-3 and maybe a dozen DF-21

DF-3 IRBM (Range: 3,100 km with 1x 3,3 Mt)
DF-21A IRBM (Range: 2,150 km with 1x 300 kt)

Depending on where they were launched both missiles could hit anywhere in the Soviet Far East, and also most of Siberia and Soviet Central Asia. China also had over 100 tactical ranged DF-15 SRBM with a range of 600 km that were nuclear capable.

The Chinese Navy had only one operations SSBN at this time, the single Xia Class with 12 J-1 SLBM with a range in the IRBM class. It was old and noisy and probably sunk early in the war. China's nuclear bomber force consisted of about 120 Xian-H-6, a Chinese built version of the Tupolev Tu-16. China's stock of air dropped nuclear bombs was about 20. The Xian H-6 would have been shot to pieces by the Soviet air defenses.
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