A 27-second video was released recently on the Chinese Navy’s Weibo account, which shows an anti-ship missile suddenly changing its direction during its flight. The missile then went straight to the target at sea, sinking a target ship in the water. The video was subsequently forwarded by China’s official media such as People’s Daily and Reference News.
It is very rare that anti-ship missiles can turn. The anti-ship missiles equipped by the Chinese military that appear in the video can turn at right angles and have the ability to change the trajectory. This is absolutely rare.
According to military analyst Jungongheikeji, the appearance, shape, size, tilted launch method, and the turning of the anti-ship missile during the test firing process indicate that it should be YJ-83 anti-ship missile which is widely equipped by the Chinese Navy.
And about a year ago, YJ-83 anti-ship cruise missiles also appeared under the wings of a J-16 fighter.
China’s YJ-83 anti-ship cruise missile is also called type C-803 anti-ship missile in the West. It is said to be one of the YJ series of anti-ship missiles and has a strong actual combat power.
YJ-83 is a general-purpose missile that can be launched by air, ships, land and submarines. It is now equipped by most surface warships of the Chinese Navy. It is equipped with 32 Type 054/054A frigates, more than 70 Type 056/056A light frigates, and 83 Type 022 guided missile boats, as well as Type 052, Type 052B, and Type 051C destroyers, which are equipped with 4, 8 or even 16 “YJ-83/YJ-83A” anti-ship missiles.
YJ-83 is highly offensive. A single piece of it can cause a 3000-ton frigate to lose combat effectiveness or sink, or cause a 5000-ton destroyer to suffer heavy damage. It is also a recognized “aircraft carrier killer.”
According to public information, the various parameters of YJ-83 missile are as follows: the projectile length is 5.1 meters, the projectile weight is 600 kg, the warhead weighs 265 kg, and the cruise speed is 0.9-0.95 Mach, which is equivalent to 1,100 km/h, starting at the end of 40 km. The frequency-agile monopulse active radar is automatically turned on, and it can sprint at supersonic speeds at 1.2 times the speed of sound and attack surface targets locked by the active radar.
YJ-83 anti-ship missile has a cruising altitude of 20 meters, and can be lowered to 10 meters at the end under sea conditions of level 4-6. Finally, the second lowered to 5 meters of sea-skimming flight, increasing the difficulty of surface ships to intercept the missile.
YJ-83 anti-ship missile has a good fit. It will turn at right angles as in the video. The moment of the turn is really domineering. With a range of 200 kilometers, it can severely damage or sink surface main battleships above the frigate and destroyer level.
Therefore, it is believed that YJ-83 anti-ship missile will occupy an important position in the missiles equipped by the surface ships of the Chinese Navy for a long time in the future, as another important means of deterring aircraft carriers in addition to the world-renowned anti-ship ballistic missiles including DF-26 and DF-21D.