Chinese state media show, for the first time, a YJ-21 anti-ship ballistic missile launched from a PLA H-6K bomber

19-10-2026 · English

Topics: Defence · 19 October 2026 Current Affairs (UPSC / TNPSC / SSC / RRB)

News

Footage released by Chinese state media (reported 15–16 Oct 2026) showed, for the first time, a YJ-21 ('Ying Ji' – 'Eagle Strike') anti-ship ballistic missile being launched from a PLA Air Force H-6K bomber. The hypersonic 'carrier-killer' is claimed to cruise above Mach 6 with a terminal speed of about Mach 10; its range is estimated at 1,000–2,000 km. One H-6K can carry up to four YJ-21s. Some outlets describe this as 'eight years' after the missile's unveiling (Zhuhai Airshow 2018), but its widely documented first public appearance was in 2022 (April – launch video from a Type 055 destroyer; November – a YJ-21E model under an H-6K at the Zhuhai Airshow).

Key facts

Background

• Science: a ballistic missile is rocket-powered only in its initial phase and then follows a gravity-driven arc to the target (e.g. Agni). A cruise missile is jet-powered and guided throughout a low flight (e.g. BrahMos). 'Mach number' = an object's speed ÷ the speed of sound in that medium (named after Austrian physicist Ernst Mach); above Mach 5 = hypersonic.
• Strategy: China's anti-ship ballistic missiles (land-based DF-21D, DF-26 and others) are seen as part of its 'anti-access/area-denial' (A2/AD) approach to keep foreign navies away from its coast. Air launch extends the strike reach further.
• India – BrahMos: the India–Russia inter-governmental agreement was signed in Moscow on 12 Feb 1998 (Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam for India, N.V. Mikhailov for Russia). Name = Brahmaputra + Moskva rivers. First test 12 June 2001, Chandipur (Odisha). JV share – India 50.5%, Russia 49.5%.
• India's hypersonic missile: DRDO's Long Range Anti-Ship Hypersonic Missile (LR-AShM) – range about 1,500 km; successfully tested in November 2024; first shown publicly at the 77th Republic Day parade (26 Jan 2026).

Tamil Nadu link: the Indian signatory of the BrahMos agreement was Rameswaram-born 'Missile Man' Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. The Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor (TNDIC) was launched at Tiruchirappalli on 20 Jan 2019 by then Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman; nodes: Chennai, Hosur, Salem, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli. (There is no verified report of BrahMos production in Tamil Nadu.)

Source: Military Watch Magazine (15 Oct 2026), Business AM (16 Oct 2026), TWZ, SCMP; brahmos.com; Drishti IAS (LR-AShM); The Tribune (TNDIC, 2019)

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