# YJ-17 (鹰击-17)
**YJ-17** (鹰击-17, "Eagle Strike-17") is a Chinese anti-ship missile that entered public view in August 2025, when its designation appeared on launchers rehearsing for the 3 September 2025 Beijing military parade. Chinese state media describe it as a boost-glide weapon with a waverider (hypersonic craft shaped to ride its own shock wave for lift) configuration and hypersonic characteristics, reported as intended for carriage on large and medium-sized PLA Navy surface combatants.[1](https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202509/1342509.shtml) • [2](https://user.guancha.cn/main/content?id=1513215) All performance figures circulating for it are unofficial and mutually conflicting.[3](https://maritime-executive.com/article/china-is-set-to-unveil-a-full-set-of-new-hypersonic-missiles)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Public debut | Displayed in the anti-ship missile formation at the 3 September 2025 Beijing parade, alongside the YJ-15, YJ-19, and YJ-20[1](https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202509/1342509.shtml) |
| Official description | Flat warhead, boost-glide waverider configuration with hypersonic characteristics, flexible maneuvering and trajectory change that increase interception difficulty[1](https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202509/1342509.shtml) |
| Reported speed | Up to Mach 8 by one estimate; a Chinese commentary claims above Mach 10; both figures are unofficial[3](https://maritime-executive.com/article/china-is-set-to-unveil-a-full-set-of-new-hypersonic-missiles) • [4](https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20250903A05YA900) |
| Reported range | About 750 miles (~1,200 km) in one report; another open-source page gives only 250–350 km; exact figures are undisclosed[3](https://maritime-executive.com/article/china-is-set-to-unveil-a-full-set-of-new-hypersonic-missiles) • [5](https://thedefensewatch.com/product/yj-17-missile/) |
| Launch platforms | Type 052D and Type 055 destroyers' universal VLS, with possible H-6 bomber carriage; 39 of 157 commissioned PLAN warships (24.8%) are assessed as compatible[1](https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202509/1342509.shtml) • [6](https://www.spasconsulting.com/p/four-new-chinese-anti-ship-missiles) |
| Flight profile | Booster plus unpowered hypersonic glide vehicle, as described by state-media experts and assessed by some analysts; one Taiwanese outlet instead likens it to the air-breathing Zircon[1](https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202509/1342509.shtml) • [7](https://www.taisounds.com/news/content/84/211641) |
## Background: the Yingji (YJ) missile family
The YJ (Yingji, "Eagle Strike") series is the PLA's family of anti-ship cruise and ballistic missiles. Before 2025 the publicly known members included the YJ-18, deployed aboard Type 055 destroyers and assessed by CSIS as supporting China's anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) strategy.[8](https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/yj-18/) • [9](https://www.iiss.org/globalassets/media-library---content--migration/files/research-papers/2024/01/iiss_long-range-strike-capabilities-in-the-asia-pacific_implications-for-regional-stability_012024.pdf) The Congressional Research Service describes this force as part of an A2/AD posture aimed at deterring or delaying US intervention in China's near-seas region, and notes DOD's statement that the PRC may be developing a shipping-container launcher for covert YJ-18 employment aboard merchant ships.[10](https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/RL/HTML/RL33153.web.html)
The -17 number's place in the sequence only became clear in mid-August 2025, when rehearsal photos showed [YJ-15](https://www.edgepedia.org/yj-15), YJ-17, YJ-19, and [YJ-20](https://www.edgepedia.org/yj-20). Former ROC Navy captain Lü Li-shih commented that the gap between YJ-12 and YJ-21 was not a numbering skip but a set of undisclosed designations: "we knew too little."[11](https://www.chinatimes.com/realtimenews/20250817001953-260407?chdtv=)
## Public reveal and official disclosures
**Parade debut.** The anti-ship missile formation at the 3 September 2025 parade consisted of the YJ-15 and the YJ-19, YJ-17, and YJ-20 hypersonic missiles.[1](https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202509/1342509.shtml) The designations had first been identified days earlier from photos taken by members of the public during rehearsals.[12](https://militarnyi.com/en/news/china-to-demonstrate-new-hypersonic-and-supersonic-missiles-at-beijing-parade/)
**State-media characterization.** [Global Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/global-times) coverage, quoting Chinese experts, described the YJ-17 as having a flat warhead and a boost-glide waverider configuration with hypersonic characteristics, expected to achieve flexible maneuvering and trajectory change that increase interception difficulty. The same experts defined hypersonic missiles as flying above Mach 5 in the atmosphere with significant maneuverability, and classified the YJ-17 as a boost-glide type consisting of a booster and a glider.[1](https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202509/1342509.shtml) On 5 September 2025, CCTV news reportedly disclosed that the YJ-17, described as very similar to the DF-17, is mainly equipped on large and medium-sized PLA Navy surface combatants and features long range, strong penetration capability, and large destructive power.[2](https://user.guancha.cn/main/content?id=1513215) [State media](https://www.edgepedia.org/state-media) also reported that the four new YJ missiles can be carried on Type 052D and Type 055 destroyers and potentially on H-6 series bombers.[1](https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202509/1342509.shtml)
## Reported characteristics
**Flight profile.** The nose shaping observed in rehearsal photos points to a hypersonic design, possibly a waverider; analysts debated whether the front end is an unpowered boost-glide vehicle that detaches after launch, based on the lack of an obvious air intake, though a narrow slit inlet may be present in some images.[13](https://www.twz.com/land/all-the-new-chinese-missiles-spotted-during-its-massive-military-parade-rehearsal) Specialist naval analysis assesses the YJ-17 as carrying an unpowered boost-glide vehicle (HGV) rather than a maneuvering reentry vehicle like the DF-21D or DF-26; if deployed it would be the PLA's third operational boost-glide system, after the DF-17 and an air-launched HGV carried by the H-6N.[6](https://www.spasconsulting.com/p/four-new-chinese-anti-ship-missiles) Another analysis describes a solid booster lofting a lift-to-drag-optimized glider with chines and a blunted nose, which executes a depressed, maneuverable glide in the upper atmosphere before diving on a moving ship aimpoint.[14](https://therelaymag.com/china-yj19-17-20-hypersonic-a2ad-edge) One Taiwanese outlet instead compares the YJ-17 to Russia's 3M22 Zircon, an air-breathing missile estimated at Mach 8–9, an interpretation that conflicts with the official boost-glide description.[7](https://www.taisounds.com/news/content/84/211641)
**Speed and range.** The Maritime Executive reports the YJ-17 as able to reach Mach 8 (over 6,000 mph) and hit targets at a range of 750 miles, with believed terminal evasive maneuver capability and vertical launch from ships.[3](https://maritime-executive.com/article/china-is-set-to-unveil-a-full-set-of-new-hypersonic-missiles) The National Interest estimates speeds up to Mach 8, far surpassing the Mach 2–4 of predecessors like the YJ-12, with a projected range of around 746 miles.[15](https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/west-worried-about-chinas-yj-17-hypersonic-glide-vehicle-for-good-reason-bw-082425) A Chinese commentary gives higher unofficial figures: cruise altitude of 30–40 km, maximum speed above Mach 10, and range over 1,500 km.[4](https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20250903A05YA900) At the other extreme, one open-source specification page expects a range of only 250–350 km while conceding that exact figures remain undisclosed.[5](https://thedefensewatch.com/product/yj-17-missile/)
**Guidance and warhead.** Guidance is reported to integrate inertial navigation, BeiDou satellite positioning, and active radar homing; the warhead is estimated at 661–1,102 pounds, high-explosive or armor-piercing, optimized for penetrating heavily defended warships.[15](https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/west-worried-about-chinas-yj-17-hypersonic-glide-vehicle-for-good-reason-bw-082425) Chinese commentary adds a multi-mode composite seeker with military-code anti-jamming BeiDou navigation, and notes that air friction pushes the warhead's leading edge above 2,000 °C during hypersonic flight, making thermal protection a key design constraint.[16](https://www.xinghuozhiku.com/553631.html)
**Platforms.** The YJ-17 is assessed as compatible with the PLAN's GJB 5860-2006 "universal VLS" on Type 052D and Type 055 destroyers. Of 157 commissioned Chinese warships, only 39 (24.8%), comprising 31 Type 052Ds and 8 Type 055s, can launch the YJ-17, YJ-19, and YJ-20.[6](https://www.spasconsulting.com/p/four-new-chinese-anti-ship-missiles) It may also have a land-attack mode and is suited as a long-range, short-time-to-target munition against high-value targets; whether it is exclusively sea-launched is unclear, with coastal defense units or the PLA Rocket Force mentioned as possible additional users.[6](https://www.spasconsulting.com/p/four-new-chinese-anti-ship-missiles)
## By the numbers
The conflicting figures illustrate how little is verified. Speed estimates run from Mach 8[3](https://maritime-executive.com/article/china-is-set-to-unveil-a-full-set-of-new-hypersonic-missiles) to above Mach 10.[4](https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20250903A05YA900) Range estimates span roughly 250–350 km on one page[5](https://thedefensewatch.com/product/yj-17-missile/) to about 750 miles (~1,200 km) in mainstream reporting[3](https://maritime-executive.com/article/china-is-set-to-unveil-a-full-set-of-new-hypersonic-missiles) and over 1,500 km in Chinese commentary.[4](https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20250903A05YA900) The fleet-compatibility arithmetic is more concrete: 39 of 157 commissioned warships, or 24.8%, carry the universal VLS assessed as able to launch the new missiles.[6](https://www.spasconsulting.com/p/four-new-chinese-anti-ship-missiles) As a boost-glide design, the YJ-17's likely reference point is the DF-17, the land-based missile about 11 m long and around 15,000 kg whose DF-ZF glide vehicle reportedly reaches Mach 5–10 in its glide phase.[17](https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/df-17/)
## How it compares with sibling and foreign missiles
Within China's lineup, the YJ-17 bridges the supersonic YJ-15 and the more advanced YJ-19, and forms part of a quartet aimed at saturating defenses in A2/AD operations.[15](https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/west-worried-about-chinas-yj-17-hypersonic-glide-vehicle-for-good-reason-bw-082425) It shares traits with Russia's Zircon but emphasizes glide over pure cruise, a role similar to the DF-17's land-based one; Western counterparts such as the Tomahawk are subsonic.[15](https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/west-worried-about-chinas-yj-17-hypersonic-glide-vehicle-for-good-reason-bw-082425) The Maritime Executive frames the YJ-17 as a future threat to US carriers in the Pacific, weighed against US countermeasures including LRASM, Maritime Strike Tomahawk with a range over 1,000 miles, the MACE program, and Typhon/SM-6 systems.[3](https://maritime-executive.com/article/china-is-set-to-unveil-a-full-set-of-new-hypersonic-missiles) Chinese commentary argues the YJ-17 differs fundamentally from the DF-17: the DF-17 is a land-based missile for fixed strategic targets without strake wings, while the YJ-17 is optimized for maritime moving targets and sized to fit naval VLS cells, a view in tension with CCTV's "very similar to the DF-17" description.[16](https://www.xinghuozhiku.com/553631.html) • [2](https://user.guancha.cn/main/content?id=1513215)
## Assessment and strategic context
The YJ-17 fits the doctrinal pattern CRS describes for the YJ family: an anti-ship missile force supporting an A2/AD posture intended to deter or delay US intervention in China's near-seas region.[10](https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/RL/HTML/RL33153.web.html) Taiwanese analysis links the four new anti-ship missiles specifically to deterring US naval intervention in a Taiwan contingency.[7](https://www.taisounds.com/news/content/84/211641)
**Reveal is not capability.** Analysts caution that a parade reveal is not an initial operational capability; the road to fleet service runs through gates including captive carry or ground firings, early flights on fixed trajectories, progressive envelope expansion, seeker tests under heating, platform and fire-control integration, and jam-resistant data links.[18](https://therelaymag.com/chinas-new-hypersonic-ashms-beyond-parade-hype-to-reality) Methodologically, analysts evaluate such weapons through mass-firing traits: launch-cell compatibility, platform compatibility, range, maximum flight time, and weapons fielded per platform.[19](https://cimsec.org/fighting-dmo-pt-8-chinas-anti-ship-firepower-and-mass-firing-schemes/)
## Recent developments
The pre-2023 baseline was the YJ-18 family aboard Type 055 platforms, with IISS noting the Type 093B submarine's projected lower acoustic signature could allow precision strikes from a covert platform.[9](https://www.iiss.org/globalassets/media-library---content--migration/files/research-papers/2024/01/iiss_long-range-strike-capabilities-in-the-asia-pacific_implications-for-regional-stability_012024.pdf) In mid-August 2025, rehearsal sightings revealed four new designations, YJ-15, YJ-17, YJ-19, and YJ-20, showing the YJ-12-to-YJ-21 gap was not a numbering skip.[13](https://www.twz.com/land/all-the-new-chinese-missiles-spotted-during-its-massive-military-parade-rehearsal) • [11](https://www.chinatimes.com/realtimenews/20250817001953-260407?chdtv=) The 3 September 2025 parade confirmed the YJ-17 publicly,[1](https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202509/1342509.shtml) and the 5 September CCTV disclosure that it resembles the DF-17 and equips large and medium surface combatants reshaped understanding of its role.[2](https://user.guancha.cn/main/content?id=1513215)
## References
1. [YJ-15 missile, YJ-19, YJ-17, YJ-20 hypersonic missiles make debut, Global Times (3 September 2025)](https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202509/1342509.shtml)
2. [九三阅兵看细节（四）：全新"鹰击"导弹 (Guancha user column citing CCTV, 5 September 2025)](https://user.guancha.cn/main/content?id=1513215)
3. [China is Set to Unveil a Full Set of New Hypersonic Missiles, The Maritime Executive](https://maritime-executive.com/article/china-is-set-to-unveil-a-full-set-of-new-hypersonic-missiles)
4. [从首次亮相的高超音速反舰导弹看中国海军的飞跃, Tencent News](https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20250903A05YA900)
5. [YJ-17 Missile – Full Specifications, TheDefenseWatch.com](https://thedefensewatch.com/product/yj-17-missile/)
6. [Four New Chinese Anti-Ship Missiles Unveiled At Parade Rehearsals, S. Pasciuti (SPAS Consulting)](https://www.spasconsulting.com/p/four-new-chinese-anti-ship-missiles)
7. [【一文看懂】九三閱兵首亮相4反艦飛彈, TaiSounds/太報](https://www.taisounds.com/news/content/84/211641)
8. [YJ-18, Missile Threat (CSIS)](https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/yj-18/)
9. [Long-range Strike Capabilities in the Asia-Pacific, IISS (January 2024)](https://www.iiss.org/globalassets/media-library---content--migration/files/research-papers/2024/01/iiss_long-range-strike-capabilities-in-the-asia-pacific_implications-for-regional-stability_012024.pdf)
10. [China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities, CRS Report RL33153](https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/RL/HTML/RL33153.web.html)
11. [陸93閱兵預演出現新型號鷹擊飛彈, China Times](https://www.chinatimes.com/realtimenews/20250817001953-260407?chdtv=)
12. [China to Demonstrate New Hypersonic and Supersonic Missiles at Beijing Parade, Militarnyi](https://militarnyi.com/en/news/china-to-demonstrate-new-hypersonic-and-supersonic-missiles-at-beijing-parade/)
13. [All The New Chinese Missiles Spotted During Its Massive Military Parade Rehearsal, The War Zone](https://www.twz.com/land/all-the-new-chinese-missiles-spotted-during-its-massive-military-parade-rehearsal)
14. [China's YJ-19/17/20: Beijing's New Hypersonic A2/AD Edge, The Relay](https://therelaymag.com/china-yj19-17-20-hypersonic-a2ad-edge)
15. [The West Is Worried About China's YJ-17 Hypersonic Glide Vehicle, The National Interest](https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/west-worried-about-chinas-yj-17-hypersonic-glide-vehicle-for-good-reason-bw-082425)
16. [眼前一亮，撞脸中国鹰击-17, 星火智库](https://www.xinghuozhiku.com/553631.html)
17. [DF-17, Missile Threat (CSIS)](https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/df-17/)
18. [China's New Hypersonic AShMs: Beyond Parade Hype to Reality, The Relay](https://therelaymag.com/chinas-new-hypersonic-ashms-beyond-parade-hype-to-reality)
19. [Fighting DMO, Pt. 8: China's Anti-Ship Firepower and Mass Firing Schemes, CIMSEC](https://cimsec.org/fighting-dmo-pt-8-chinas-anti-ship-firepower-and-mass-firing-schemes/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Engineering and manufacturing › Missiles and rocketry › Cruise and hypersonic missiles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license