Deployment of the Hypersonic YJ-21 Missile as the newest carrier-killer of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) developed lessens the impact of the carrier battle group, which is problematic for the US maritime warfare.
Such missiles are part of China's anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities that threaten all American warships.
Development of this capability will make any invading force lose cargo due to the missile screen that defends China's coastlines.
China's Hypersonic YJ-21 Missile
The hypersonic ship killer is the primary weapon tasked to kill US naval ships at long distances and remains top secret, reported the Eurasian Times.
People's Liberation Army Navy has released the footage of a Chinese warship, the Type 055 cruiser, launching an anti-ship ballistic missile. This carrier killer seen in the video is derived from the CM-401, said naval analyst H.I. Sutton. It is equipped on the Type 55 destroyer with 122 Vertical Launching System (VLS) cells for a more extensive arsenal.
The vehicle could deploy the missile aboard a ship like the PLAN's Type 055 cruiser, the vessel type depicted in the recently released pictures, according to weapon maker CASIC, cited Naval News.
A 180-mile-range skip glide flight pattern flies almost straight up at first, then skips off the atmosphere one or more times upon re-entry, changing its low energy into a horizontal motion.
China is developing hypersonic glide vehicles that, if combined with Chinese ASBMs, would make Chinese ASBMs more challenging to stop, according to a study by the US Congressional Research Service (CRS) on China's naval capabilities, noted SGP Fas Org.
The US has no similar Hypersonic YJ-21 Missile like China; the US Navy is working with the US Army to develop its own. It could be launched from land, ship, and submarines platforms.
For ship-launched missiles, the US has a range edge: the Tomahawk Block Va and Vb cruise missiles have a range of more than 1,000 nautical miles, although they are subsonic and hence easier to defeat.
Another YJ-21 image was published on social media, this time above the Xian H-6N bomber, which attracted the attention of netizens. The Chinese military had kept the missile hidden from view. A Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Xian H-6N bomber had the missile mounted on it that is seen. The rocket called CH-AS-X-13 is still a mystery.
Hypersonic YJ-21 Missile Designed to Knock Off US Warships
In the Bomber's center, the YJ-12 or Eagle Strike 21 missile is a ship-launched counterpart of the DF-21D, another anti-ship ballistic missile allegedly operational in 2010.
DF-21D missile maintains an ICBM's ballistic trajectory but exits and re-enters the atmosphere, unleashing a re-entry vehicle that propels down to attack an aircraft carrier.
The DF-21D and YJ-21 can keep US carrier strike groups far enough away from Chinese coasts to render their fighter planes and cruisers ineffective. A carrier killer that flies at hypersonic speeds and angles of diving, making most defensive weapons ineffective.
China's 'Anti-Access/Area Denial doctrine has motivated the development of ultra-long-range weapons systems that strike out adversary platforms even afar and avoid close combat. Hypersonic YJ-21 Missile is a layer of the A2/AD missile shield to keep the US Forces away and pick them out.
Related Article: Should US Be Threatened of DF-21D Ship Killer Owned by China?
