SEAMEDIUMACTIVE
YJ-21
SYSTEM OVERVIEW
The YJ-21 is China's first carrier-based hypersonic anti-ship missile, air-launched from the J-15T carrier fighter. A sea-skimming hypersonic glide vehicle, it travels at Mach 6+ in terminal phase, making interception by existing naval point defense systems essentially impossible. The YJ-21 dramatically extends the offensive reach and lethality of China's carrier battle groups.
![CASIC (China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp) logo](data:image/svg+xml;utf8,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="200" height="60" viewBox="0 0 200 60"><rect width="200" height="60" fill="%23111"/><text x="100" y="38" font-family="Arial" font-weight="bold" font-size="20" fill="%23c8a84b" text-anchor="middle">CASIC</text></svg>)
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YJ-21 - CASIC
ADVANTAGES
- Mach 6+ speed makes interception by SM-6 or ESSM extremely difficult
- Carrier-launched extends attack range well beyond carrier battle group
- High altitude descent angle limits reaction time for ship defenses
- Each J-15T becomes a ship-killer platform with one YJ-21
- Dramatically raises the cost of attacking Chinese carrier groups
DISADVANTAGES
- Air-launched restricts range by carrier aircraft combat radius
- Complex hypersonic guidance requires sophisticated avionics
- High thermal stresses on airframe limit reuse potential
- Relatively few J-15T aircraft currently capable of launching it
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
RANGE1,000 Km+ Estimated
SPEEDMach 6+ Terminal
PROFILEHigh Altitude Cruise Then Terminal Dive At Mach 6+
WARHEAD500+ Kg
GUIDANCEINS + Satellite + Active Radar Terminal
LAUNCH PLATFORMJ-15T Carrier Aircraft
Discussion & Reviews(2)
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SIGN INGulfShield_KSAAir Marshal
71d ago
Range and payload figures here are impressive but the basing requirements limit operational flexibility considerably.
SIMILAR SYSTEMS
Radar cross-section management at this level requires trade-offs in payload capacity that tacticians need to understand.