The YJ-15 was among the many new anti-ship missiles that have been revealed in the course of the Sept. 3, 2025, parade in Beijing.
China’s YJ-15 supersonic Anti-Ship Cruise Missile (ASCM), that was amongst 4 new main ship-killing missiles revealed in the course of the Sep. 3, 2025, parade in Beijing, was probably noticed for the primary time carried by a J-15T carrier-borne jet. The picture, which emerged on Feb. 7, 2025, seems to indicate two of the missiles underneath the jet’s wings.
This marks one other addition to China’s rising arsenal of standoff surface-strike missiles, just like the YJ-21E and the CH-AS-X-13, that may be launched from its J-10C and H-6K bombers on land and maritime targets in a high-end battle within the western Pacific with peer rival america.
The emergence of the brand new weapon along with the YJ-18A ASCM that arms frontline PLAN destroyers just like the Kind 55 and Kind 52D, with the previous proven firing the YJ-20, one other one of many missiles displayed within the parade, late in December 2025. Specialists have described it as an hypersonic air-launched ballistic missile.
If legit, then this picture is the primary confirmed sighting of a J-15 carrying a YJ-15 AShM. pic.twitter.com/EekTyEAJmC
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) February 5, 2026
Newest pictures affirm China’s J-15T provider fighter armed with YJ-15 supersonic anti-ship missiles. The YJ-15 might be in a position to obtain speeds in extra of Mach 5, with an estimated vary of between 1,200 and 1,800 km. pic.twitter.com/0EZaI01Q7D
— Fay (@FaySue6) February 7, 2026
YJ-15
At a primary look, the YJ-15 bears a placing resemblance to the Russian Kh-31 missile – which additionally has an anti-radiation model often carried by the Su-35S for operations in Ukraine. The weapon additionally seems to be a development of the present YJ-12 air-, ship- and ground-launched supersonic ASCM.
The YJ-15 has 4 axisymmetric air-intakes, suggesting the presence of scramjet or a ramjet for supersonic speeds. Floor management consists of 4 lengthy strakes and small stabilizing fins for mid-course changes, forward of a small booster part having its personal 4 fins.
A barely higher shot of J-15T carrying a YJ-15 AShM, which might ultimately change each YJ-12 and YJ-83K pic.twitter.com/594YNCbIYq
— Dan The Man (@tong96083420) February 6, 2026
Based on Janes, the dimensions of the physique suggests a gasoline capability to help distances of 1,800 km. Apparently, following the looks of the J-15T picture, a person shared a 2022 picture of a PLAAF J-16 carrying a YJ-15, suggesting a attainable commonality with the PLA Navy for logistical ease and value effectiveness.
🇨🇳 The ramjet-powered YJ-15 supersonic anti-ship cruise missile mockups that have been displayed on the latest army parade in Beijing function suspension lugs, which is to say that these have been meant to characterize air-launched anti-ship cruise missiles. The YJ-15 is more likely to be… pic.twitter.com/EfOeSkWDb7
— Shahryar Pasandideh (@shahpas) September 4, 2025
The missile additionally arms the H-6K bombers, which function amongst their recognized and confirmed weapons for floor strikes the YJ-21/KD-21. The H-6K was noticed carrying 4 YJ-21s in July 2024 and, a number of months later, in-flight footage confirmed the bomber dropping one in every of them.
🇨🇳 The ramjet-powered YJ-15 supersonic anti-ship cruise missile mockups that have been displayed on the latest army parade in Beijing function suspension lugs, which is to say that these have been meant to characterize air-launched anti-ship cruise missiles. The YJ-15 is more likely to be… pic.twitter.com/EfOeSkWDb7
— Shahryar Pasandideh (@shahpas) September 4, 2025
One other person had additionally shared on Sep. 15, 2024, a picture of an H-6 carrying not less than two older YJ-12s on its port (left-side) wing, suggesting it might probably carry a complete of 4, with two on the opposite aspect. This put up was a part of a thread in response to a different put up exhibiting a YJ-12B, fired from road-mobile launchers, placing a goal vessel in a steep diagonal ballistic trajectory.
Kind 055 Destroyer Wuxi performed the YJ-20 AShM sort approval take a look at. pic.twitter.com/RA3b3kyVYi
— dafeng cao (@dafengcao) December 28, 2025
This might imply the YJ-12 also can comply with a quasi-ballistic trajectory, and never essentially a sea-skimming path, that enables it to carry out maneuvers in its terminal stage to evade air defenses. As for the YJ-15, an angle from the rear additionally reveals suspension lugs in the course of the September parade, additional confirming its air-launched use.
China’s rising missile arsenal
There have been two different missiles that have been displayed within the parade for the primary time and which we might additionally count on to be demonstrated sooner or later. One was the YJ-17 air-launched ballistic missile, which is ready to launch what could possibly be a boost-glided Hypersonic Glide Automobile (HGV), whereas the opposite is the YJ-19, noticed to be a dual-stage system, based mostly on the cylindrical first-stage releasing what could possibly be a scramjet-powered hypersonic assault cruise missile (HACM)-type anti-ship missile.
Each weapons have been described as anti-ship programs, because the ‘YJ’ designation historically within the PLA has been related to maritime strike warship-killing weapons. Like earlier situations, the looks establishes that weapons showcased in China’s army parades are positive to be soon-to-be operational programs, if not already inducted in service.
Notably, the YJ-15’s look, just like the YJ-21E’s, got here inside months of that show. This might suggests the missile has been in service for some time and will have been solely captured now for the primary time.
YJ-19’s existence is considerably wild, because it technically offers all PLAN submarines (together with SSKs, and SSNs missing VLS) a hypersonic scramjet anti delivery functionality.I suppose given it succeeds YJ-18 (which will also be torpedo tube launched), it is sensible…
2/2
— Rick Joe (@RickJoe_PLA) August 27, 2025
The brand new improvement additionally upholds the J-15T’s position because the PLA Navy’s premier carrier-borne fighter, endeavor each air-to-air and air-to-surface roles, just like the U.S. F/A-18E/F Tremendous Hornet. The Fujian provider has recorded milestones of launching the J-15T, J-15DT, J-35 and the KJ-600 Airborne Early Warning and Management (AEW&C), and the YJ-15 is now probably the primary ship-killing cruise missile that the PLAN’s naval aviation will carry.
Thus, with the ship-fired YJ-18 ASCM and YJ-20 aeroballistic-type hypersonic anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM), the YJ-15 completes the dyad, giving additionally provider aviation an anti-ship functionality in a provider strike group.
Upgraded Chinese language A2AD arsenal
YJ-15 and YJ-19 make use of scramjet pic.twitter.com/j1et0fxQr8
— Hûrin (@Hurin92) December 4, 2025
That is along with the PLA Rocket Forces (PLARF) having their very own arsenals and overlaying the complete western Pacific’s land and maritime targets with a layered Anti-Entry/Space-Denial (A2/AD) umbrella. The first carrier-killing weapon right here is the shore-fired road-mobile DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM), that features like an everyday ballistic missile, with its suspected Maneuverable Reentry Automobile (MaRV) diving down on enemy armadas within the dozens.
As we had famous earlier than right here at The Aviationist, the range and rising variety of China’s weapons are adequately serving as a deterrent as an alternative of nuclear weapons. The standard arms are sufficient for a large retaliatory destruction, with out the fallout.
This has essentially modified the tenets of post-World Battle army principle that requires unconventional nuclear weapons to discourage an adversary. But, for good measure, China additionally possesses these too, with an estimated 600 warheads.
Good evaluation! New naval missiles in a nutshellYJ-15: Superior & compact model of YJ-12 supersonicYJ-17: Hypersonic glide car (HGV)YJ-18C: Subsonic land-attack variant of YJ-18AYJ-19: Hypersonic cruise missile (HCM)YJ-20: Hypersonic aeroballistic, navalised YJ-21 pic.twitter.com/xkTKhN0hNX
— Xixi®茜茜大姐 🇨🇳🇭🇰🇲🇴 (@Xixi_2328857214) September 4, 2025
