China to Demonstrate New Hypersonic and Supersonic Missiles at Beijing Parade

China has developed a new line of hypersonic and supersonic strike missiles that will be showcased during the September 3rd parade in Beijing.

Photos and videos of the systems were shared on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.

Four types of missiles were identified due to the photos taken by local people — YJ-15, YJ-17, YJ-19 and YJ-20. Despite design differences, all are intended to strike land and naval targets.

YJ-15 appears to be an anti-ship missile derived from the YJ-12 supersonic missile, which is already in service with China’s naval aviation and surface fleet.

Both YJ-12 and YJ-15 appear to use a ramjet engine with four air intakes.

YJ-17 has a distinct design not seen in other known Chinese missiles.

Weibo users suggested it might be a hypersonic glide vehicle used with newer Chinese ballistic missiles.

YJ-19 also has a unique configuration and is believed to feature a hypersonic ramjet engine.

Its design resembles renderings of a Chinese long-range hypersonic cruise missile.

The YJ-20 ballistic missile appears similar to an unidentified system seen aboard Type 055 destroyers, which have previously conducted test launches. Visual comparisons suggest some shared characteristics.

Militarnyi previously reported that Chinese officials had disclosed the details of the YJ-21 hypersonic anti-ship missile.

YJ-21 is described as a key element of China’s arsenal, intended to deter adversaries in strategic maritime regions.

It is designed to target large naval assets such as aircraft carrier groups.

YJ-21 is a two-stage solid-fuel missile with aerodynamic and propulsion systems optimized for hypersonic flight.

It reportedly reaches speeds above Mach 6 (7,350 km/h) during midcourse flight and accelerates to Mach 10 (12,250 km/h) in its terminal phase.