SALSCM
An advanced successor of the C-803 is in development by the China Aviation Industry Corporation I. This upgrade and replacement of the C-803 was first revealed at the 6th Zhuhai Airshow in 2006, shown in model form carried by the Xian JH-7. SALSCM is an acronym for Standoff Air-Launched Supersonic Cruise Missile, which is drawn heavily on Russian expertise, but sources differ on how foreign help was obtained for the development of the weapon. According to western intelligence, a complete nuclear air-to-surface missile production facility was sold to China in 1995, and this missile production facility was used to manufacture Kh-55/65/RKV-500/AS-15, Kh-15/AS-16, and Kh-31/AS-17 missiles. Many Chinese internet sources also claim that the foreign help was much more to do with the hiring of Russian and Ukrainian missile experts for the AS-15/16/17 missile programs after the collapse of former USSR, rather than the sale of facilities.
The Soviet influence of SALSCM is reflected in the flight paths during its attack on target: after launching, the missile would first climb up to cruise altitude, where it turns into level flight, and at the last moment, dives down on its target, in exactly the same manner as the Soviet Kh-15/AS-16 AShM. The same practice is also adopted on anther Chinese AShM YJ-12 which, like SALSCM, can also be used against land targets in addition to ships. SALSCM looks like an enlarged C-803, but the control surfaces of the missile closely resemble the Russian Kh-35, and two can be carried by JH-7, though other platforms such as Xian H-6 can also deploy the weapon.
Specifications of SALSCM:
- Length: 4.18 m
- Diameter: 0.56 m
- Weight: 980 kg
- Warhead: 300 kg
- Minimum launching altitude: 10 km
- Maximum launching altitude: 20 km
- Minimum launching speed: 0.8 Mach
- Maximum launching speed: 1.5 Mach
- Cruise altitude: 10 to 20 km
- Range: 400 km max
- Mid course guidance: combined inertial navigation + satellite navigation
- Terminal guidance: Combined active millimeter wave radar + imaging infrared
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