Chinese Navy Destroyer Tests Hypersonic Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile At Sea
China’s surface combatants are set to receive a new hypersonic anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) capability following the finalization tests of the YJ-20 from a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) destroyer.
The launch of the new hypersonic missile was held aboard the Type 055-class destroyer CS Wuxi (104). Chinese state media claimed that the YJ-20 successfully struck a maritime target at an unspecified range.
When fielded, the PLAN’s growing guided-missile destroyer fleet will gain access to a long-range and difficult to intercept maritime strike missile that can hold American naval forces and those of Washington’s allies at risk across the Indo-Pacific.
Officially revealed at China’s 2025 military parade, the YJ-20 was one of several missile systems dedicated to long-range precision strike and anti-shipping missions showcased by Beijing. A Janes report previously highlighted that the hypersonic’s design indicated a capacity to be carried in the vertical launching system (VLS) cells of PLAN surface combatant.
“With these characteristics, the YJ-20 will be a cornerstone of China’s A2/AD doctrine given its ability to penetrate layered defences and deliver kinetic energy at hypersonic speeds, making it exceptionally difficult to intercept with current missile defence systems,” stated the Janes report.
Equipped with 112 vertical launch system cells, the 10,000-ton Type 055 class are among the most capable guided missile destroyers built in the Pacific. China plans to field 16 total in PLAN service. Its domestically designed VLS system can support cold and hot-launched munitions, including the HHQ-9 surface-to-air and YJ-18 anti-ship cruise missiles, and has been deployed on the Type 055 and Type 052D classes of destroyers.
Ben Lewis, founder of PLATracker, an organization dedicated to monitoring Chinese military activity and development, told USNI News that the YJ-20 demonstrated the “significant progress Beijing has made in developing and fielding advanced capabilities intended to threaten U.S. forces.”
“The YJ-20 is a notable capability because of its ability to maneuver upon reentry. This makes defending against it much more complicated,” said Lewis. “It has between a 1,500-2,000km range, which, when coupled with its deployment from surface vessels, will provide the PLAN with the ability to layer strikes well deep into the Pacific.”
However, Lewis also highlighted that the complex supporting and surveillance systems necessary to effectively operate these hypersonics at extended ranges “remain untested in real combat scenarios.”
The YJ-20 joins China’s expansive fleet of area denial weapons, which in recent years have grown to include an increasing number of maneuvering hypersonic missiles. ASBMs such as the DF-21D and DF-26 are flaunted by the Chinese military as “carrier killer” and “Guam killer” missiles.
This year’s Pentagon report on China’s military power officially unveiled the existence of a first-in-class intercontinental ASBM, the DF-27. The U.S. Defense Department claims that the missile could hit maritime targets up to 8,000 miles away.
