Major Upgrade Sees Hypersonic Ship-Killer Missiles Aboard China’s AIP Submarines

China’s big fleet of air-independent propulsion (AIP) submarines is readied to end up being considerably much more deadly. The intro of the next-generation YJ-19 hypersonic projectile drastically raises their currently major anti-ship strike. China is presently the only country recognized to have actually equipped non-nuclear submarines with hypersonic strike tools.

Chinese state media has actually shared a record from the Chinese Navy (STRATEGY) that the YJ-19 hypersonic projectile has actually been approved for solution aboard the nation’s Type-039B Yuan-class diesel-electric submarines. The subtle news suggests China’s relentless fast development in marine power.

This provides the submarines brand-new abilities, making the Yuan-class the only non-nuclear submarines worldwide with such a tool. Hypersonic anti-ship projectiles are created especially to extend and get over also one of the most qualified existing supports aboard battleships. They will certainly raise China’s Yuan-class to being one of the most formidably armed non-nuclear submarines afloat.

YJ-19 Scramjet Projectile

The YJ-19 projectile was very first disclosed in public throughout the September 2025 military parade in Beijing. An air-breathing projectile, it has the characteristics of a hypersonic tool. It likely utilizes a scramjet electric motor for continual hypersonic trip. Some price quotes recommend that it is near-hypersonic, while the major (and Chinese) tag is hypersonic, recommending rates of Mach 5 or even more.

The Type-039B Yuan-class is the pillar of the Chinese standard submarine fleet with 13 thought to be in solution. It has air independent power (AIP) definition that it can travel for days or weeks at reduced rates without involving the surface area, a substantial help to staying unseen. They are enhanced by the older Type-039A variation, and the more recent stealthily shaped Type-039C which is still in manufacturing. It promises that at some point all Type-039Bs and Type-039Cs will certainly be outfitted with the brand-new hypersonic projectile.

In Chinese submarine solution the YJ-19 projectile can be viewed as a substitute for the currently powerful YJ-18 projectile. That tool is a Chinese duplicate of the Russian SS-N-27 Sizzler and includes a supersonic last assault phase. Fundamentally it is a Kalibr cruise ship projectile bring a smaller sized supersonic last which approaches its target at 2.5– 3 times the rate of audio (Mach 2.5– 3.0). The YJ-18 is thought about a major stretch of battleship air supports, yet the hypersonic (Mach 5+) YJ-19 will certainly take this to one more degree.

YJ-19: Benefit Over The Russian Zircon Projectile

The YJ-19 projectile is similar with Russia’s 3M22 Zircon (NATO reporting classification SS-N-33). Contrasted to the Zircon it shows up, based upon the Chinese ‘YJ’ classification (‘ Yingji’ suggesting ‘Eagle Strike’), to devoted to the anti-ship duty. Although likewise thought about an anti-ship projectile, Zircon has actually been utilized in Russia’s battle versus Ukraine to strike land targets. A Chinese land-attack projectile would normally have a CJ (‘ Cháng Jiàn’ for ‘Lengthy Sword’) classification. This does not eliminate its usage versus land targets nonetheless yet does reveal the doctrinal focus.

The significant benefit of the YJ-19 over the Zircon is that it can be released from straight torpedo tubes. This indicates that older watercrafts can be updated to bring them. The Zircon is likewise being brought aboard Russian submarines, yet just those outfitted with proper upright launch tubes. This eliminates its carriage on Russia’s common Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines.

China’s Expanding Collection Of Hypersonic Missiles

The YJ-19 is signed up with by one more brand-new hypersonic anti-ship projectile, the somewhat bigger YJ-17. There are clear signs that the previous is for launch out of common 533mm (21 inch) torpedo tubes, and the last from upright launch tubes. An additional distinction is that while the YJ-19 utilizes an air-breathing scramjet, the YJ-17 is a glide-vehicle kind, recommending just diving strikes. We can presume that the YJ-19 will certainly have a much shorter functional array than its VLS released bro. Nevertheless, it stays a major risk to also one of the most contemporary battleships.

Simply last week China released the very first of its next-generation nuclear-powered submarines, the Type-095 (even more correctly the Type-09V with a Roman character for ‘5’). It is feasible that that as well can bring the YJ-19 projectile, yet it appears most likely that it rather has upright launch kinds for either the YJ-17, or yet one more hypersonic anti-ship projectile, the YJ-20. The last, typically described as the YJ-21, is a manoeuvring ballistic projectile kind which is currently in solution aboard the Type-055 Renhai-class cruisers. The nation’s next-generation Type-041 Zhou-class ‘nuclear-AIP’ submarine is nonetheless a more powerful prospect for the YJ-19 projectile.

Expectation

China currently areas at the very least 3 ship or submarine released hypersonic anti-ship projectiles, the YJ-17, YJ-19 and YJ-20. A lot of brand-new tools that the listing of classifications swiftly end up being complex also to marine viewers.

Their capacity to retrofit its big fleet of standard submarines with the YJ-19 kind will substantially raise both the private submarine’s effectiveness, yet likewise the fleet at big. China’s fleet of standard submarines will not just be one of the most strongly equipped in the anti-ship duty, they will certainly likewise be one of the most countless.

The blog post Major Upgrade Sees Hypersonic Ship-Killer Missiles Aboard China’s AIP Submarines showed up initially on Naval News.