Chinese state media revealed footage of a Type 052D destroyer firing the YJ-20 hypersonic anti-ship missile, indicating a wider deployment of the weapon. This marks the first time the missile has been seen on a Type 052 vessel, which forms the backbone of China's destroyer fleet.
The wider deployment of China's YJ-20 hypersonic anti-ship missile enhances its naval power projection capabilities, particularly in contested East Asian waters, and poses a significant challenge to existing military defense systems.
China's state media has indicated a broader deployment of its YJ-20 hypersonic anti-ship missile, a weapon considered a significant advancement in its military capabilities. Footage released by CCTV and the Global Times showed a Type 052D destroyer firing the missile, marking the first time it has been observed on this class of vessel, which constitutes the backbone of China's destroyer fleet.
The YJ-20, unveiled last September, is known to be deployed on larger Type-055 cruisers. Western and Asian military attaches view China's hypersonic ballistic missiles as among its most formidable weapons, with the YJ-20 boasting a range of up to 1,500 km and the ability to target moving ships. Such capabilities are seen as crucial for China to control East Asian seas in potential conflict scenarios involving Taiwan.
A hypersonic weapon travels at speeds of Mach 5 or greater, making it exceptionally difficult for even advanced military defenses to counter. The Pentagon's annual assessment of China's military modernization highlighted that China leads the world in hypersonic missile technology and has continued to advance both conventional and nuclear-armed variants.