Tomahawk Block V vs DF-26
The US Tomahawk Block V cruise missile has an approximate public range of about 1,600 km. China's DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile is estimated at about 4,000 km, two and a half times as far. The DF-26 figure is a US Department of Defense estimate; China does not publish it. The comparison illustrates the debate over the reach of US naval power in the Pacific.
Tomahawk Block V · 1,600 km — DF-26 · 4,000 km
DF-26 reaches about 2.5 times farther than Tomahawk Block V
Both lines start at the same point. Each interval multiplies distance: this is not a trajectory or geographic route.
Tomahawk Block V
1,600 km · nominal maximum range
Approximate U.S. Navy public range for the cruise missile.
DF-26 *
4,000 km · estimated maximum range
U.S. Department of Defense estimate; China does not publish the figure.
Full scale
Select a row to compare it as the red line.
* Estimate, variable figure or condition-dependent envelope. It does not indicate accuracy, effectiveness or effects.
Figures used and how reliable they are
- Tomahawk Block V: 1,600 km. Approximate U.S. Navy public range for the cruise missile.
- DF-26*: 4,000 km. U.S. Department of Defense estimate; China does not publish the figure.
* DF-26: estimated or disputed figure; it does not come from a verifiable official data sheet and should be read as indicative.
Related comparisons
Compare any other pair in the missile range comparison, with its full method. More context: Weapons · Modern warfare · All tools
Sources / References
- CSIS Missile Defense Project, Missile Threat database.
- IISS, The Military Balance (annual editions).
- U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy fact sheets for Minuteman III, Trident II D5 and Tomahawk.
- U.S. Department of Defense, China Military Power Report.