ðə lˈændbˈeɪst vˈɛɹiənt ʌvðə dʒˌeɪˈɛl tˈuː wʌz ɚɹˈɪdʒɪnəli kˈɔːld ðə dˌiːˈɛf twˈɛnti θɹˈiː bˌʌt wʌz tʃˈeɪndʒd lˈeɪɾɚɹ ˌɔn tə ðə dˌiːˈɛf θˈɜːɾi wˈʌn bɪkˈʌz əvə tʃˈeɪndʒ ɪn ˌɑːpɚɹˈeɪʃənəl ɹᵻkwˈaɪɚmənts.
The land-based variant of the JL-2 was originally called the DF-23 but was changed later on to the DF-31 because of a change in operational requirements.