China is expected to display a new line of hypersonic and supersonic missiles during the September 3 military parade in Beijing.
Among the identified systems are the YJ-15, YJ-17, YJ-19, and YJ-20 missiles, all designed to strike both land and naval targets. Photos shared on the Chinese platform Weibo revealed design details and potential functions of each model.
The YJ-15 is an anti-ship missile derived from the YJ-12, already in use by the Chinese naval aviation, both equipped with a ramjet engine. The YJ-17 and YJ-19 feature unique configurations, suggesting they may incorporate advanced hypersonic technologies such as glide vehicles or hypersonic ramjet engines. The YJ-20, in turn, is a ballistic missile that shares visual similarities with systems tested on Type 055 destroyers.
In addition, the YJ-21, another hypersonic anti-ship missile, is considered strategic for deterring adversaries in sensitive maritime regions. It has two stages, solid fuel, and optimized aerodynamic systems, capable of reaching Mach 6 in mid-flight and accelerating up to Mach 10 in the terminal phase, able to strike large naval groups such as aircraft carriers.
Source: Militarnyi | Photo: X @RickJoe_PLA | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
Various new missiles (ship UVLS launch?) confirmed, my 2c on roles:
– YJ-15, ramjet compact supersonic?
– YJ-17, waverider hypersonic glide?
– YJ-19, ?maybe scramjet hypersonic?
– YJ-20, biconical hypersonic/aeroballistic? Possibly seen before from 055..Via REautomaton, SDF pic.twitter.com/9061QDAi09
— Rick Joe (@RickJoe_PLA) August 17, 2025
