DF-4

DF-4/CSS-3
TypeICBM
Place of originPeople's Republic of China
Service history
In service1975/1976–2023
Used byPLA Rocket Force
Production history
ManufacturerFactory 211 (Capital Astronautics Co.)
Unit cost?
Specifications
Mass82,000 kg
Length28.05 m
Diameter2.25 m
WarheadOne, or three (DF-4A)
Blast yield3.3 Mt

EngineLiquid fueled
Operational
range
5,500 km
Maximum speed?
Guidance
system
Astro-inertial guidance
Accuracy1.5 km

The Dongfeng 4 (Chinese: 东风-4; pinyin: Dōng Fēng Sì; lit. 'East Wind 4') or DF-4 (also known as the CSS-3) is a first-generation two-stage liquid-fuelled Chinese intercontinental ballistic missile. It was estimated to be deployed in limited numbers in underground silos beginning in the late 1970s and retired around 2023, deploying around 10 to 15 launchers in the late 2010s. The yield of its nuclear warhead was estimated at 3.5 megatons.

The DF-4's rocket propellant is the hypergolic mixture of nitric acid and unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine. The DF-4 has a takeoff thrust of 1,224.00 kN, a takeoff weight of 82000 kg, a diameter of 2.25 m, a length of 28.05 m and a fin span of 2.74 m. The range of the DF-4, equipped with a 2,190 kg nuclear warhead with a 3.5 megaton yield, was nominally 5,500 km. This gives it sufficient range to strike targets as far away as Russia, India, and American bases in the Pacific. It was the first Chinese missile capable of striking the Soviet capital city of Moscow and US assets on Guam. The missile uses an inertial guidance system, resulting in a large CEP of 1,500 meters.

The nuclear warhead for the DF-4, named "512, was tested in China's tenth, eleventh, and twelfth nuclear tests.