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Rare footage showing China's enigmatic DF-100 supersonic cruise missile in action has been released, allowing UK and US officials to inspect the fearsome deterrent's capabilities.

The projectile is devised to strike enemy warships and military bases across the world if needed, with a reported range of roughly 2,000 kilometres and accuracy to land strikes within metres of targets.

The grainy two-minute video depicting the missile is one of just a few public sightings since it was unveiled in 2019, with other appearances obscuring the DF-100, making it difficult to gauge technical specifications and operating model.

Official footage released by China's People's Liberation Army Rocket Force in 2019 featuring the model in action lasted just two seconds and was later deleted.

State media broadcast the recent extended footage as part of the fifth and final episode of a PLA documentary with subsequent broadcasts citing the "Rare public release of DF-100 cruise missile launch video", confirming the weapon build.

The documentary commemorated the PLA's 98th anniversary with a huge state military parade slated for September 3, marking the 80th anniversary of China's triumph over Japan in the Second World War and the fall of 20th-century fascism.

In the programme, a rocket force brigade is seen reenacting a scenario where rival forces attempt a full-spectrum jamming, prompting the unit to rapidly establish a wired communications link before launch.

"We are on standby for long periods," Brigade deputy commander Lieutenant Colonel Zhang Guodong explained, adding that "sometimes we can't get a solid night's sleep for days. Our targets are mobile, and so are our positions."

The DF-100's range capabilities pose a significant threat to major U.S. and allied military bases in the Indo-Pacific region, with major hubs in Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and US bases in Okinawa and Guam within striking distance as well as any vessels in the surrounding waters.

Earlier this month, Taiwan's Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Chihchung sounded alarms that he believed China was gearing up for an imminent invasion of Taiwan.

The declaration came following a military audit of the country, which China sees as a rogue province that it has repeatedly stated it wishes to bring under the full control of Beijing. found that 30% of military reserve equipment was either missing or not in working condition.

James Char, an assistant professor in the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies' China Programme at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, confirmed DF-100 "has a dual platform and can be deployed via land-based off-road launch vehicles, or from the H-6N bomber if air-based", which would extend its strike range by 6,000km.

Blurred footage also appears to show the DF-100 to have a sharp, conical warhead to aid supersonic penetration and larger tail fins compared to similar missiles to provide high manoeuvrability at Mach speeds.

Yang Zi, an associate research fellow at NTU's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, believes the decision to publish the video was to "project strength in a time of increasing global disorder ... to showcase military prowess to adversaries."