First Footage Shows Firing of China’s Bomber-Launched YJ-21 Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile

Footage released by Chinese state media has for the first time shown the launch of a YJ-21 anti-ship ballistic missile by a Chinese People’s liberation Army H-6K bomber, eight years after the missile was unveiled. First seen at the 2018 Zhuhai Airshow, the missile is estimated to have an engagement range of approximately 2000 kilometres and Mach 8-10 speed. With a significantly lighter weight than the larger CH-AS-X-13 strategic ballistic missile deployed by H-6N bombers, up to four YJ-21 missiles can reportedly be carried by a single H-6K, allowing squadrons of bombers to overwhelm adversaries’ defences. The fast expanding capabilities of the Chinese Y-20 tanker fleet is increasingly extending the ranges of bomber operations to allow for strikes against hostile warships further out to sea. 

Cruising at speeds of over Mach 6, and with a Mach 10 terminal speed, the YJ-21’s ability to evade enemy air defences and cause tremendous damage with the sheer kinetic energy of its impact makes it a particularly significant threat to U.S. Navy carrier groups. The missile type has gained less attention than its ship-based counterpart, the YJ-20 hypersonic ballistic missile, which has in many respects had the greatest impact for the People’s Liberation Army’s overall anti-shipping capabilities of all its new missile types. The YJ-20’s highly compact design able to be accommodated in the vertical launch cells of both Type 052D and Type 055 class destroyers, and in the cells of both nuclear and diesel-electric powered attack submarines. 

The H-6 is the most widely fielded type of bomber in the world, with approximately 270 of the aircraft estimated to currently be in service. The YJ-21 has in many respects provided a successor to the YJ-12 as its primary anti-ship armament. The YJ-12 was developed in the 2010s for high-speed penetration of naval air defence systems, and combines a 400 kilometre engagement range with a 200 kilogram warhead and a speed exceeding Mach 3. According to a United States Naval War College Review report, it not only has a superior range than equivalent Western missile types, but can also be launched from beyond the engagement range of shipborne air defence systems. The significant strengthening of Chines anti-ship missile capabilities was recently highlighted in a Pentagon war game showing how the People’s Liberation Army could utilise its missile, anti-space and cyber assets to engage and destroy the most advanced U.S. Navy carrier groups, during which combinations of supersonic missiles like the YJ-12, hypersonic missiles like the YJ-21, and various subsonic missiles, could all play complementary roles.