Chinese Carrier-based Fighter Seen Equipped with New Supersonic Anti-ship Missile
Aaron-Matthew Lariosa
February 10, 2026 3:15 PM
Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy J-15 Fighter intercepting a Japanese P-3C Orion, June 2025. Japan Self-Defense Force photo
The mainstay of Chinese carrier air wings was seen with a new anti-ship missile potentially capable of striking targets more than 1,000 kilometers away at supersonic speeds, according to recent media reports.
A People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) J-15 was spotted fielding two YJ-15s, one of Beijing’s latest anti-ship missiles, in
images circulated last week. Revealed during China’s 2025 military parade, the missile joins China’s existing stockpiles of subsonic YJ-83 and supersonic YJ-12 anti-ship cruise missiles, which
have been deployed by Chinese fighters and bombers exercising for contingencies around Japan, the Philippines and Taiwan.
While China has yet to release the missile’s specifications,
Janes’ analysis claimed that new air-launched anti-ship missiles can strike targets at ranges of 1,200 to 1,800 kilometers away and achieve speeds in excess of Mach 5 – a significant increase from the preceding 500-kilometer range of the YJ-12.
Equipping PLAN’s heavy carrier fighter with these missiles can increase the striking power of Beijing’s naval aviation and complement existing strike capabilities. According to Chinese military media, the J-15 has been equipped with YJ-12s and AKF-98A land attack cruise missiles.
PLAN fighters will be able to launch with heavier payloads on the service’s latest carrier,
Fujian (18). Compared to the PLAN’s previous short take-off but arrested recovery (STOBAR) carriers
Liaoning (16) and
Shandong (17), the 80,000-ton Type 003-class is capable of conducting catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery (CATOBAR) operations.
Fujian’s launch and recovery capabilities have also enabled the service to acquire the carrier-based KJ-600 airborne early warning and control aircraft.
“Utilizing onboard radar and electro-optical systems to search for and track airborne and maritime targets, [the KJ-600] provides critical intelligence on enemy situations and directs the carrier-based aircraft in air defense and anti-ship warfare,” reads a
Chinese military media release.
This is the latest instance of Beijing highlighting its long-range precision strike developments and capabilities. China touted several new hypersonic missiles shown at the 2025 military parade and
launched from a 10,000-ton Type 055-class destroyer.
In its
2025 China military power report, the Pentagon claimed that Beijing plans to have a nine-carrier fleet by 2035 – just two shy of the U.S. Navy’s 11-carrier fleet – and a regional naval aviation hegemony in the Western Pacific.
The mainstay of Chinese carrier air wings was seen with a new anti-ship missile potentially capable of striking targets more than 1,000 kilometers away at supersonic speeds, according to recent media reports. A People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) J-15 was spotted fielding two YJ-15s, one of...
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