By Xie Yongliang
谢永亮
According to a written statement by China's Defense Ministry on February 4, China conducted a land-based mid-course missile interception test within its territory that day and achieved the desired test objective.
2月4日晚，国防部发布消息称，2021年2月4日，中国在境内进行了一次陆基中段反导拦截技术试验，试验达到了预期目的。
Short and concise as it is, the news has implied profound significance. Undoubtedly, the formidable mid-course missile interception capability can add a defense shield to China's national security.
简短的消息，朴实的描述，背后却有着极其重要且深刻的意义。强大的中段反导能力，无疑为我国国家安全增加了一道安全闸。
Missile interception, in plain words, is like hitting a bullet with another one. For such high-end military technology, even the US that boasts the most powerful strength has failed multiple times in its anti-missile tests.
反导，通俗讲类似于子弹打子弹，具有极高技术难度，就算是实力最为强大的美国，在以往的实验中也多次遭遇失败。
Ballistic missile interception can take place in the boost phase, mid-course phase and terminal phase, among which the mid-course interception is tested most frequently in the world.
弹道导弹拦截，通常分为“助推段”拦截，“末段”拦截，“中段”拦截。目前世界上实验最多也最为成熟的，就是中段拦截。
The mid-course takes up about 80%-90% of the full ballistic trajectory, during which the missile features steady velocity and predictable track, so it’s relatively easier to intercept it successfully in this course.
中段约占导弹全弹道的80%至90%，该段弹道导弹飞行速度平稳、航迹容易预测，拦截难度相对较小，成功率也相对较高，所以受到世界主要军事强国的青睐。
Nowadays, when the attack force of the nuclear weapons far outperforms the defensive capability against the nuclear weapons, any major breakthrough in the interception technology would become a great advantage for countries that are able to develop low-cost and high-performance defensive shield– which is the fundamental reason why the US works so hard to develop the ballistic missile interception system.
矛与盾始终是对立统一的，在“核矛”远强于“核盾”的今天，“核盾”技术一旦实现重大突破，就会导致核平衡极大倾斜向研制出低成本、高可靠性“核盾”的国家。这也是美国大力研发弹道导弹拦截系统的根本原因。
As the US has withdrawn from the INF Treaty and deployed ballistic missiles on a large scale, a reliable mid-course missile interception ability will undoubtedly reinforce China’s national security and is vital for safeguarding the territorial security.
在美国连续退出《中导条约》，并大规模部署弹道导弹背景下，强大的中段反导能力，无疑为我国国家安全增加了一道安全闸，对于确保我国国土安全十分重要。
The land-based mid-course missile interception technology is honored as the nuclear technology ace in this field. It is a complicated mega system comprising a myriad of sub-systems, and each unit in this system can affect the overall performance. Such a massive systematic project is an all-round test of a nation’s technological and military strength.
陆基中段导弹拦截技术，被誉为航天导弹技术之王，是现代拦截技术的制高点。该系统是一个由众多子系统组成的复杂巨系统，每个子系统都相互依赖，并都对总系统产生影响。这个庞大的系统工程，全面考验一个国家的综合技术水平和总体军事实力。
Mid-course missile interception requires the close coordination of several systems, including long-range air surveillance radar, early-warning satellites, high precision ranging measurement, interceptor boosters of high performance, automatic recognition of real ballistic targets, the battlefield management system (BMS) for command and control, and measurements of target trajectories. It is so demanding on coordination, quick response and success rate under intense combat pressure that a slip anywhere may lead to a total failure. No wonder only a few countries, such as the US, Japan and China, have been able to conduct such tests.
中段反导拦截涉及远程监视雷达、早期预警卫星、高精度测距、高性能拦截弹助推火箭、真假目标识别、战场管理指挥管制系统、目标弹道计算等众多系统的密切配合，协同紧密性极强、实战压力极大、反应时间要求极紧、成功率要求极高，任何环节有失都可能满盘皆输。因此，目前世界上只有美日中等国进行过类似实验。
The recent mid-course missile interception test is the fifth time in this field by China. The desirable result indicates remarkable progress China have made in the related aspects such as reconnaissance and early-warning network, optimization of the interceptor weapon system, and command and control network integration.
这次是我们第五次进行中段拦截试验，试验基本达成预定目标，说明我国相关技术更为成熟，在侦察预警网络构建，拦截武器系统优化、指挥控制网络集成等方面都取得了突出进步。
Looking back, China’s development of ballistic missile interception technology hasn’t gone smoothly. Its attempts from “FJ-1” to “FJ-3” intercepting missiles didn’t yield satisfactory results. It’s only based on decades of technological preparations and after numerous failures that China got the improvement today. The successful mid-course missile interception test will lay a solid foundation for elevating the technological level of other weapon systems and fortifying China's overall strength of the national defense.
回过头看，中国弹道导弹拦截一路走来，并非一帆风顺，“反击一号”到“反击三号”相关系统的研制都不尽如人意，在经过几十年的技术铺垫和经历多次失败之后，才有今天的成就。而这也会为我国提升其他武器系统科技水平，乃至提升整体国防实力打下扎实基础。
China’s development of nuclear forces is limited, so it needs to develop appropriate defensive forces. As China committed to the no-first-use of nuclear weapons, the viability in the face of nuclear attacks must be ensured, which is a defensive consideration. Only when one is able to resist and defeat the enemy can he safeguard and enjoy the peace for long.
中国的核力量发展非常有限，在这样一个有限的核力量规模之下，需要发展适度的防御能力。因为中国承诺不首先使用核武器，就必须要保证自己核力量的生存能力，它更多的是基于一种防御的考虑。确保自己具备一招制敌的能力，才能更好地维护和平、长久地享受和平。
Editor's note: This article is originally published on bjnews.com.cn, one of the more influential local media in Beijing. It is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
