YJ-18 is a Knock-off of the Russian 3M-54 Klub - Pictured is a YJ-62
IDN: YJ-18: Original Land-Attack variant launched from ships, YJ-18A: Vertically-launched shipborne anti-ship variant, deployed aboard the Type 052D and the future Type 055, YJ-18B: Submarine-launched variant, Mobile Coastal-Launched Variant: New mobile coastal-launched variant, supposedly with a bigger booster for increased range - The YJ-18 has also been characterized as being able to be launched from a surface ship’s vertical launching system (VLS), which is consistent with the capabilities of the generalized or universal VLS being fitted to the new Type 052D destroyer
Chinese sub-marine launched supersonic missile YJ-18 has made the US Navy’s operations in South China Sea difficult.
According to a new report to the US Congress assessing the missile, the YJ-18 accelerates to supersonic speed just before hitting its target, making it harder for a crew to defend their ship, Bloomberg reported Sunday.
The report came just days after the US warship entered the 12-mile zone around the reefs that China’s turned into man-made islands, one of which may soon be equipped with an airstrip capable of handling the military’s largest aircraft. By passing so close, the U.S. was showing it doesn’t recognize that the feature qualifies for a territorial zone under international law.
“The supersonic speed makes it harder to hit with onboard guns,” Larry Wortzel, a member of the commission was quoted by the news agency as saying. “It also makes it a faster target for radars.”
The YJ-18’s speed and long range, as well as its wide deployment “could have serious implications for the ability of US Navy surface ships to operate freely in the Western Pacific” in the event of a conflict, the commission found.
Its report came just days after the US warship entered the 12-mile zone around the reefs that China’s turned into man-made islands, one of which may soon be equipped with an airstrip capable of handling the military’s largest aircraft. By passing so close, the U.S.