YJ-21 Missile:
Footage released by Chinese state media recently 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.
- The YJ-21, also known as the Eagle Strike 21, is a Chinese hypersonic anti-ship ballistic missile.
- It is designed for striking large, high-value naval targets, such as aircraft carriers.
- It entered service in 2022.
- Initially deployed on naval platforms, a bomber-launched variant was revealed in May 2024, significantly extending its operational reach.
- It is a solid-fueled, two-stage missile with unique aerodynamic and propulsion systems optimized for hypersonic flight.
- The missile achieves cruise speeds exceeding Mach 6 during its midcourse phase and reaches terminal velocities up to Mach 10.
- It has a maximum range of approximately 1,500 km.
- The missile’s high-speed trajectory is coupled with a quasi-ballistic flight path, allowing it to execute high-G maneuvers during its terminal approach.
- It uses an Inertial Navigation System (INS) as well as an active radar-homing or infrared terminal-state seeker.
