What signal is China sending with footage of DF-17 hypersonic missile launches?

China’s state broadcaster CCTV has aired footage showing the launch of a DF-17 hypersonic missile, a weapon that analysts believe could strengthen deterrence across the first island chain.
On Saturday, a military news programme carried footage of two live-fire exercises, one of which showed a Dongfeng-17, or “east wind”, missile launcher by the side of a road, followed by a vertical launch.
The other segment showed training exercises involving multiple branches of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at a rocket force training area somewhere in the Gobi Desert.
A hypersonic weapon is usually defined as one that reaches speeds of at least Mach 5, five times the speed of sound, making it extremely difficult to intercept.
The DF-17 made its first public appearance during a major military parade in Beijing in October 2019, but this is the first time footage of a launch has been aired in public.
The footage was broadcast ahead of the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the Second Artillery Force, the forerunner of today’s PLA Rocket Force, on July 1.
The missile has a range of 1,800km to 2,500km (1,120-1,550 miles), which means it can carry out strikes across the strategically vital first island chain and parts of the second island chain.
The chains stand between the PLA Navy and the open waters of the Pacific and are a key element of the US containment strategy.

CCTV said the units responsible for the launch needed to prepare for situations such as severe electromagnetic interference and precision counterstrikes and that “high-intensity, multi-service” training had “become the norm” for the PLA Rocket Force.
Du Wenlong, a retired senior colonel and senior researcher at the PLA Academy of Military Science, told CCTV that the footage showed the rocket force had high levels of combat readiness and the DF-17 launch vehicle could operate in challenging terrain and in the face of “various disruptions”.
The footage also showed several new missiles, including the intermediate-range DF-26, which CCTV said had also been fired during the exercise but did not show footage of the launch.
The missile has a range of up to 5,740km and is known as the “Guam killer” because it is capable of reaching the US island territory.
Du said footage previously broadcast of the DF-26 suggested the PLA was carrying out a “cold launch” – where the main engine is ignited only once the missile is airborne. This helps protect the launch vehicle and extends its lifespan, while also allowing the missile to carry a heavier payload because it does not have to fight gravity during the initial launch phase.
The video also showed multiple vehicles carrying DF-17s getting into launch position simultaneously, something that Du said suggested that the PLA was practising multiple launches, which could achieve better outcomes in terms of both striking targets and surviving enemy fire.
Former PLA instructor Song Zhongping said the footage suggested the DF-17 and DF-26 “had been operational for some time, and the PLA Rocket Force needs to conduct drills to ensure their performance and reliability”.
He added: “The segment shows better capability to launch anywhere anytime, without relying on a fixed site, which is a key factor in improving deterrence.”