China's military undermined by an outrageous corruption scandal: Rocket fuel swapped for water

U.S. intelligence sources describe the situation as "widespread corruption" within the Chinese military, suggesting that the pervasive corruption undermines Beijing's attempts to modernize its military forces.

The victims of this corrupt system are the Rocket Forces - a segment of the armed forces entrusted with nuclear deterrence duty. An investigation spanning over half a year discovered that several land missile silos are nonoperational.

Their protective covers have been found to be faulty to the extent that launching missiles could be impossible.

The launch would also be impossible for missiles whose fuel was replaced with water. While Bloomberg refrains from providing specific details, the replacement of liquid rocket fuel indicates that older types of rockets may have been targeted by the thieves.

Modern models use solid fuel, a safer and more efficient option for daily rocket operations. Solid fuel has the added advantage of enabling faster missile launch without the need for pre-launch refueling. So, which Chinese rockets could have possibly been siphoned off their fuel?

Without additional details, this remains speculative. However, as Milmag service suggests, the problem might lie with two types of Chinese missiles that employ liquid fuel.

The first category includes DF-4 ballistic missiles (also known as Dongfeng 4 or CSS-3). These two-stage rockets, with a range of 3,418-4,350 miles, were developed back in the 1960s amidst escalating tensions between Beijing and Moscow. Their range covers parts of the Soviet Union and the American base in Guam. This missile model became the blueprint for China's first carrier rocket, Long March 1, which successfully launched China's first satellite into orbit in 1970. Currently, less than 20 units of this missile type remain in service.

The second type encompasses the DF-5 (or Dongfeng 5, CSS-4) missiles, boasting a range exceeding 8,077 miles. These missiles, capable of carrying 3-megaton nuclear warheads, have significant parts of the U.S. territory within their range. Unconfirmed reports estimate that China currently maintains 24-36 of these missiles.