Chinese military announces YJ-21 missile abilities in social media post read as warning to US amid tension in Taiwan Strait
- PLA’s Weibo article says its anti-ship hypersonic missile has a terminal speed of Mach 10 and cannot be intercepted by any anti-missile weapons system
- Commentator draws attention to article being posted by Strategic Support Force, which offers support, from cyber warfare to data analysis, for armed forces
The public debut of the missile at a leading air show in November shows that “the Chinese navy has begun to establish a more destructive combat system in the offshore defence system, which has brought its denial combat capability to a higher level”, the article reads.
The PLA navy released video footage of the YJ-21 being launched in April from a Type 055, the People’s Liberation Army’s largest and most advanced destroyer.
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The article declares that the missile travels six times the speed of sound all the way, and has a terminal speed of 10 times the speed of sound, meaning a speed of 3,400 metres per second (11,155 feet per second) when it hits the target.
“Such a terminal speed cannot be intercepted by any anti-missile weapon system at this stage. Even if it is dropped directly at this terrifying speed [hitting the target] without an explosion it will cause a fatal strike to the enemy ship,” the article stated.