China test launches an ICBM with 10 independent warheads

China flight tested a new variant of a long-range missile with 10 warheads in what defense officials say represents a dramatic shift in Beijing’s strategic nuclear posture.

The flight test of the DF-5C missile was carried out earlier this month using 10 multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, or MIRVs. The test of the inert warheads was monitored closely by U.S. intelligence agencies, said two officials familiar with reports of the missile test.

The missile was fired from the Taiyuan Space Launch Center in central China and flew to an impact range in the western Chinese desert.

The DF-5C missile has a range of 12,000 kilometers and can carry 12 nuclear warheads. Though China’s nuclear stockpile of 260 warheads is no match for America’s estimated 6,800 warheads