YJ-12 - Development

Development

C-803, a Chinese anti-ship missile which is capable of supersonic speed at the terminal attack stage is not a true supersonic missile because for most of its cruising stage, the missile flies at subsonic speed. In the early 1990s, Chinese State Department and the Chinese Central Military Commission issued the order to develop an anti-ship missile that was truly supersonic, capable of flying at supersonic speed in its entire flight. The 3rd Design Academy of the Aerospace Ministry, later reorganized as CHEMTA (China Sea Eagle Electromechanical Technology Academy, 中国海鹰机电技术研究院) was named as the primary contractor, responsible for the whole system, while the 601st and 611th Research Institutes and the Naval Research Academy were selected as the subcontractors. The research institutes were responsible for aerodynamic development, while the Naval Research Academy was responsible for the guidance system.

The first successful test of YJ-12 was completed in 1997, with all test flights over the ground for subsystems tests were completed in that year, and most of the test flights over the water completed the next year. After a series of major upgrades, the missile received state certification in October, 1999, and entered Chinese service in very limited numbers for evaluation. It was rumored that China originally lacked the confidence in this first indigenously developed supersonic missile and this was why C-803 was developed in parallel as a more secure backup. It is a common practice for Chinese weaponry developers to advertise their products on defense exhibitions to draw customers so that additional funding would be earned via export, and according many Chinese domestic claims on the internet, this is how YJ-12 made its public debut at earlier Zhuhai Airshows in scaled model form. Subsequently, the missile disappeared from most of later Zhuhai Airshows and other defense exhibitions, and Chinese military enthusiasts have claimed that this is proof that the missile obtained larger orders from Chinese armed forces, because the larger order from Chinese military had provided sufficient funding to finance further development without the need of export. It was not until the 9th Zhuhai Airshow held in November 2012, did YJ-12 finally reappeared in model form again. In January, 2004, series production of YJ-12 had begun, after a series of what Chinese claims of “major upgrades”. Chinese sources have claimed that the total number of YJ-12 in Chinese service is at least 816, which include all units from preproduction series (pre 2000 era) and initial production (after 2004 era), but this has yet to be verified by official Chinese governmental sources or independent sources outside China.

According to the Chinese developers, YJ-12 can be launched from a variety of platforms, including fixed wing aircraft, surface ships, land vehicles, and fixed site shore batteries. However, during its brief public debut at earlier Zhuhai Airshow, the missile is only carried by Xian JH-7, with one missile under each wing.