Video Summary
Here is the summary of the YouTube video:The video shows footage of a Dongfeng-31AG missile launch, reportedly filmed from Luzon Island in the Philippines. The video captured the separation of missile stages. The engine plume expands due to the thin atmosphere at high altitudes. The missile is in its powered ascent phase. The video shows the resulting "rocket cloud" caused by particulate matter in the atmosphere reacting to sunlight. Following the first stage separation, a ring of smoke forms. The missile reaches an altitude of approximately 130 kilometers, where the second stage ignites.
A ballistic missile can reach a trajectory that reaches around 1000 kilometers in altitude. GBI interceptor missiles are often designed to intercept ballistic missiles before they exit the upper atmosphere. Once the ascent phase is complete, interception becomes nearly impossible. Japan has transferred long-range radar systems to the Philippines that can scan for missile launches. The radar has a range of 611 kilometers. The Philippines says its radar detected the Chinese missile launch.
It is speculated that the US and Japan are using the Philippines to monitor the Bashi Channel to provide early warnings of missile launches. The Dongfeng 31 AG missile crossed over the radar coverage area. Analysis shows that the launch points do not quite line up with the final target area, and the drop zone is offset to the North by around 200km. The missile may have been influenced by the rotation of the Earth. It may be more likely that the offset could have occurred due to the Dongfeng-31AG intercontinental missile having a terminal trajectory.
The missile has a reported range of 12000km. The missile has a trajectory speed over 20 Mach. Once the ascent phase is complete, there is little opportunity for interception. Previously Japan and the United States asked China to stop destroying nuclear missile components from other countries. The current missile is not a nuclear missile. China's navy has conducted observations as the Dongfeng missile reaches 18,343 km. This is further out than the second chain barrier.
