Type 055 Destroyer Unveils YJ-21 Hypersonic Missile Again: No Longer Too Advanced to Display

During the Navy Day in April 2022, the “People’s Navy” account of the Chinese Navy released a promotional video that for the first time publicly showcased the launch of the YJ-21 shipborne hypersonic missile (or shipborne anti-ship ballistic missile) from the Type 055 destroyer. However, shortly after the video was released, it was deleted, with many believing that at the time, the YJ-21 hypersonic missile was “too advanced to be shown.”

To everyone’s surprise, almost two and a half years later, on the evening of August 7, 2024, the “People’s Navy” released another promotional video, again publicly displaying the live-fire launch of the YJ-21 shipborne hypersonic missile from the Type 055 destroyer. This time, the video has not been deleted, indicating that the YJ-21 hypersonic missile is now “no longer too advanced and can be shown,” and most likely has already achieved full combat readiness.

From the two video clips released by the “People’s Navy,” it can be observed that the YJ-21 hypersonic missile uses a cold launch method, where the missile is ejected from the vertical launch system before ignition. The YJ-21 features a two-stage rocket engine design, with the upper part of the missile being a slender dual-cone warhead and foldable wings beneath the warhead. The rear part is a solid rocket motor, and its overall appearance is very similar to the DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile.

The YJ-21 hypersonic anti-ship missile is also known as the “near-space anti-ship ballistic missile.” According to an authoritative report released in early 2023 by the official account of the PLA Strategic Support Force, “China Strategic Support,” the YJ-21 is a hypersonic missile with a sustained speed exceeding Mach 6, with a maximum speed of Mach 10. It can fly in a near-gliding state at altitudes of 60-100 kilometers at the edge of the atmosphere, with a maximum range of over 1,000 kilometers.

With a range exceeding 1,000 kilometers, a maximum speed of over Mach 10, and a dual-cone glide warhead (capable of maneuvering to change trajectory), the YJ-21 represents a revolutionary capability in both range and penetration ability for global shipborne anti-ship missiles. Theoretically, it could easily break through the air defense network of a U.S. aircraft carrier battle group. So why is such an advanced missile now considered “no longer too advanced and can be shown”?

In fact, this is only relative. It’s important to know that over the past 20 years, the United States has developed several hypersonic missiles, but none have successfully entered mass production and equipment stages, let alone shipborne hypersonic missiles. Therefore, a hypersonic missile like the YJ-21 is still considered a highly “luxurious” capability for the United States.

However, compared to China’s many hypersonic missiles, the YJ-21 can indeed be considered “no longer too advanced and can be shown.” This is because the YJ-21 hypersonic missile is essentially a smaller, improved version of the land-based DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile. Not only is the DF-21D hypersonic missile technology more than a decade old, but China already has several missiles using the dual-cone glide warhead design, such as the DF-21D, DF-26C, and an air-launched hypersonic missile carried by the H-6N bomber.

Since the YJ-21, with its dual-cone warhead, has already been deployed on ships, China also has the DF-17, a land-based hypersonic missile equipped with a waverider warhead. This missile can continuously glide at the edge of the atmosphere, with stronger penetration capabilities than the dual-cone warhead. Therefore, it’s speculated that a smaller version of the DF-17 hypersonic missile, the YJ-XX, may have already been deployed on the Type 055 destroyer, which is one reason why the YJ-21 hypersonic missile can now be publicly displayed multiple times.

Thus, it can be said that the Type 055 destroyer and possibly even the Type 052D destroyer may already be equipped with at least two types of shipborne hypersonic anti-ship missiles!