YJ-12

A Chinese ramjet-powered supersonic anti-ship cruise missile fielded from H-6 bombers, surface ships and coastal launchers, with the CM-302 offered for export.

Overview

The YJ-12, or Ying Ji-12 ("Eagle Strike 12"), is a family of Chinese supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles manufactured by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC). The family includes an air-launched weapon carried by H-6 bombers, the ship-launched YJ-12A, the truck-mounted YJ-12B coastal-defense missile and the export CM-302. Published performance estimates generally place the domestic missile's reach at roughly 400–500 km and its speed between Mach 2.5 and Mach 4, although exact performance varies with flight profile and remains unverified in combat.

The missile combines high speed, a sea-skimming terminal approach and active radar homing to compress a defending ship's reaction time. A 2014 assessment described the YJ-12 as China's most dangerous anti-ship missile at the time because of the strain that its speed, range and reported terminal manoeuvres could place on naval defenses, according to War on the Rocks. The weapon now forms part of a broader Chinese maritime-strike architecture rather than operating as a stand-alone capability.

China is the principal operator. Pakistan fields the CM-302 aboard its four Tughril-class frigates, while Algeria operates a land-based export version, according to Quwa. No confirmed anti-ship combat use has been publicly documented.

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