DF-31

The DF-31 is a Chinese intercontinental ballistic missile family that marked an important shift toward solid-fuel, road-mobile strategic missiles. Compared with older silo-based liquid-fuel systems, solid-fuel mobile missiles can improve readiness and survivability. The DF-31 is therefore important for understanding the modernization of China's nuclear deterrent.

The DF-31's capability story is centered on mobility and solid-fuel readiness. Road-mobile launchers can complicate preemptive targeting and strengthen a second-strike posture, while solid propellant reduces launch preparation time. Variant improvements increased range and deployment flexibility, making the family a core element of China's strategic missile modernization.

Operationally, the DF-31 sits between the older DF-5 era and the more recent DF-41 expansion. It gave China a more survivable mobile ICBM force while preserving a relatively restrained nuclear posture compared with very large silo fields. That development path is the key context readers need on the equipment page.