Beijing’s little-known ballistic missile is allegedly designed to target aircraft carrier groups, the South China Morning Post reports
The Chinese military has apparently test-fired their most advanced shipborne hypersonic missile – dubbed YJ-21 or ‘Eagle Strike-21’ – ahead of the Chinese Navy’s 73rd anniversary celebrations, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on Thursday.
A short video clip that has surfaced on social media shows what appears to be the YJ-21 missile being launched from China’s Type 055 warship – the Chinese Navy’s largest and most advanced destroyer, according to the SCMP.
The missile’s details are not yet known. According to Chinese defense experts the SCMP reported that the missile could have a range between 1,000 and 1,500 km (621 to 932 mi) and was designed to strike aircraft carriers.
“The ship-borne YJ-21 missile, which has a range up to 1,000km, is able to hit any vessel in an aircraft carrier strike group,”Li Jie (a Beijing-based naval analyst) told the SCMP. The paper said that Type 055 destroyers are equipped with up to 112 vertical-launch missile cells.
The western media including The Times picked up the news, saying that the missile could pose a threat to the country. “risk”American aircraft carriers
“Video images of the launch of the YJ-21, from a Type 055 Renhai-class cruiser, prompted warnings from analysts that the hypersonic missile poses an even greater threat to American aircraft carriers than the DF-21 and DF-26 ‘carrier-killer’ ballistic missiles already deployed by the Chinese navy,”According to the paper.
Chinese officials have so far not responded to media reports. Washington is not the same.
This development occurs amid increasing tensions between Beijing, Washington and Taiwan. China views the island as an inalienable territory. Taiwan, although self-governed in 1949, has never been officially declared independent by China. Therefore, Beijing regards Taiwan as an unincorporated territory within its One China policy.
Beijing also warned that, although it prefers a peaceful solution to the island’s re-integration, it would not hesitate to use force should Taipei try to cut ties with mainland China.
Although Beijing has been recognized as China’s sole legal authority since 1979, Washington doesn’t maintain diplomatic relations to Taiwan but actively supports its independence movement and provides weapons.
Last week saw major Chinese military drills in Taiwan Strait, as well as a highly-visited delegation from the US Congress visiting Taipei.
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