Chinese missile ranges: China’s missiles | The Economist

Dec 6th 2010, by The Economist online

An interactive graphic showing the range of a selection of China’s missiles

MISSILES have been a pillar of China’s military modernisation. After awesome demonstrations of American firepower, in Operation Desert Storm in the first Gulf war, and then in 1996, when the United States sailed two carrier strike groups close to Taiwan to deter Chinese aggression, China felt that it could no longer depend on sheer manpower for its defence. So it has invested heavily in the strength and technical sophistication of its missiles. The Pentagon has described China’s programme as “the most active land-based ballistic- and cruise-missile programme in the world”. . . .

Chinese missile ranges: China’s missiles | The Economist