Last month, China tested a long-range missile that is capable of carrying 10 warheads, according to local media outlets. These reports have come at a time when speculations are rife that China is developing air-to-air long range missile to take down the high-value targets.

The Chinese military tested the DF-5C missile in January, using 10 multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRV). The exact date of the testing is, however, not known.     

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The missile was tested at the Taiyuan Space Launch Centre in Central China, from where it flew into the western Chinese desert after being fired, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The DF-5C missile can reportedly travel for between 7,500 to 9,300 miles and is expected to replace the DF-41 ICBM, which was test fired in April last year.    

Meanwhile, Pentagon spokesman Commander Gary Ross said that the missile testing was closely monitored by U.S. intelligence agencies, according to the Washington Free Beacon.  

"The [Defense Department] routinely monitors Chinese military developments and accounts for PLA capabilities in our defense plans," Ross said.  

The new chief of the U.S. Strategic Command, Air Force Gen. John Hyten, also expressed concern over China's increasing nuclear weapons. He reportedly told the Senate that even though China professes a "no first use" doctrine, it is relentlessly continuing to work on its long-range ballistic missiles and nuclear war heads.

China's missile program is largely a secretive affair, with the Chinese government offering no details about its missile expansion program. Beijing, however, surprised everyone in 2015 when it publicly demonstrated its missiles for the first time during a military parade.

According to a rough estimate, China currently has 250 warheads in its nuclear arsenal, with analysts expecting them to increase further in the coming years.   

TagsChina Missile Testing, China Long Range Missile, china missile, china