# YJ-19 (鹰击-19)
**YJ-19** (鹰击-19, YingJi-19, "Eagle Strike-19") is a Chinese submarine-launched, air-breathing hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile powered by a scramjet engine. It was shown publicly for the first time at China's Victory Day military parade in Beijing on September 3, 2025, in the anti-ship missile formation alongside the [YJ-15](https://www.edgepedia.org/yj-15), [YJ-17](https://www.edgepedia.org/yj-17), and [YJ-20](https://www.edgepedia.org/yj-20).[1](https://apnews.com/article/efd398d9b3198bb63b505151162312cf) • [2](https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202509/03/WS68b79e92a3108622abc9e991_13.html) The South China Morning Post described it as China's first hypersonic cruise missile and possibly the world's first air-breathing hypersonic missile to make a formal public appearance.[3](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3324050/breathtaking-science-behind-yj-19-chinas-first-hypersonic-cruise-missile)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Air-breathing hypersonic cruise missile (HCM) with scramjet propulsion and a visible air intake[3](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3324050/breathtaking-science-behind-yj-19-chinas-first-hypersonic-cruise-missile) |
| Public debut | September 3, 2025 Victory Day parade, Beijing, in the anti-ship formation with YJ-15, YJ-17, and YJ-20[1](https://apnews.com/article/efd398d9b3198bb63b505151162312cf) |
| Primary launch platform | Submarine-fired; slender body sized for standard 533 mm torpedo tubes[4](https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/2025-09/AWST_2025_S9-15.pdf) • [5](https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2025/09/chinese-military-parade-highlights-naval-drones-and-missiles) |
| Service status | Reported accepted for service aboard Type 039B Yuan-class AIP submarines[6](https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2026/02/major-upgrade-sees-hypersonic-ship-killer-missiles-aboard-chinas-aip-submarines/) |
| Estimated performance | Open-source estimates of roughly Mach 6 to 7 in cruise, terminal speeds up to about Mach 9 to 10, and a range near 500 km; official figures remain undisclosed[7](https://atelierdesfuturs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Deftech-Scan-December-2025.pdf) |
| Comparable systems | Russia's Zircon and the US HAWC program[8](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3352554/does-chinas-yj-20-hypersonic-sea-based-missile-give-beijing-edge-over-us-carriers) |
## Public debut
The missile appeared in the anti-ship missile formation that passed through Tian'anmen Square during the September 3, 2025 parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.[2](https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202509/03/WS68b79e92a3108622abc9e991_13.html) The Associated Press reported that the YJ-15, YJ-17, YJ-19, and YJ-20 were all showcased for the first time, describing them as long-range, hypersonic, and difficult to intercept.[1](https://apnews.com/article/efd398d9b3198bb63b505151162312cf) Rehearsal images leaked days before the parade had already shown the missile, and Aviation Week captioned its parade photograph "The submarine-fired, hypersonic YJ-19 missile made its debut in the parade."[3](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3324050/breathtaking-science-behind-yj-19-chinas-first-hypersonic-cruise-missile) • [4](https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/2025-09/AWST_2025_S9-15.pdf)
## Design and propulsion
The YJ-19's defining feature is its air intake, visible in the external design, which identifies it as a hypersonic cruise missile rather than a glide vehicle or ballistic missile.[9](https://en.sedaily.com/politics/2026/08/15/chinas-four-anti-ship-missiles-aim-at-us-navy-fleet) A scramjet (supersonic combustion ramjet) takes in air during high-speed flight and mixes it with fuel to produce thrust, giving sustained powered propulsion throughout flight, unlike the unpowered glide phase of a boost-glide system such as China's DF-17.[3](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3324050/breathtaking-science-behind-yj-19-chinas-first-hypersonic-cruise-missile) Because a scramjet only operates once the vehicle is already moving fast, the missile carries a large first-stage booster to accelerate it to the speed at which the engine can take over.[5](https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2025/09/chinese-military-parade-highlights-naval-drones-and-missiles)
Naval News' parade analysis described the intake configuration as reminiscent of the scramjet-powered American X-51 Waverider demonstrator, and noted the comparatively slender missile body.[5](https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2025/09/chinese-military-parade-highlights-naval-drones-and-missiles) One analysis characterized the design as a scramjet-powered boosted high-altitude cruise missile, and observed that its parade mockups were displayed in white rather than the light blue used for China's existing ship- and ground-launched anti-ship missiles.[10](https://www.spasconsulting.com/p/the-colour-coding-of-the-newly-unveiled)
## Launch platforms and service
The slender body suggests launch from the 533 mm torpedo tubes of Chinese conventional and nuclear-powered submarines, though Naval News noted at the parade that the launch platform had not been officially disclosed.[5](https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2025/09/chinese-military-parade-highlights-naval-drones-and-missiles) Aviation Week identified the missile as submarine-fired.[4](https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/2025-09/AWST_2025_S9-15.pdf) Japan's National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS) lists the YJ-19 as an air-, surface-, and sub-surface-launched hypersonic cruise missile.[11](https://www.nids.mod.go.jp/english/publication/commentary/pdf/commentary411e.pdf)
In February 2026, Naval News reported that the YJ-19 had been accepted for service aboard the Type 039B Yuan-class diesel-electric AIP submarine, calling the introduction a major upgrade to the submarines' anti-ship punch.[6](https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2026/02/major-upgrade-sees-hypersonic-ship-killer-missiles-aboard-chinas-aip-submarines/) The same report suggested that a larger vertical-launch system on other Chinese submarines would more likely carry the YJ-17 or YJ-20 instead.[6](https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2026/02/major-upgrade-sees-hypersonic-ship-killer-missiles-aboard-chinas-aip-submarines/)
## Performance estimates
Official specifications have not been published. Open-source analysis collected in a December 2025 capability survey estimates speeds between Mach 5 and Mach 10 with a range of approximately 500 km, with cruise at roughly Mach 6 to 7 and terminal velocities potentially reaching Mach 9.[7](https://atelierdesfuturs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Deftech-Scan-December-2025.pdf) The Defense Watch similarly reports an unconfirmed cruise speed above Mach 5 with terminal acceleration potentially reaching Mach 10.[12](https://thedefensewatch.com/defense-systems/yj-19-hypersonic-missile/) These figures should be read as analytical estimates rather than confirmed characteristics.
## Position in the YJ family
The YJ-19 follows a different technical path from its parade companions. The YJ-17 is a hypersonic glide vehicle mounted on a large booster, suited to diving attacks, and the YJ-20 is a ballistic anti-ship missile; the YJ-19 alone uses an air-breathing scramjet.[9](https://en.sedaily.com/politics/2026/08/15/chinas-four-anti-ship-missiles-aim-at-us-navy-fleet) • [6](https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2026/02/major-upgrade-sees-hypersonic-ship-killer-missiles-aboard-chinas-aip-submarines/) The South China Morning Post places the YJ-19 alongside Russia's Zircon and the US HAWC program as scramjet-powered hypersonic cruise missiles.[8](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3352554/does-chinas-yj-20-hypersonic-sea-based-missile-give-beijing-edge-over-us-carriers) Defense One wrote that with the CJ-1000 and the YJ-19, the PLA became just the second military, after Russia's, to deploy scramjet hypersonic weapons.[13](https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2025/09/chinas-new-missiles-parade-showpieces-or-showstoppers/408304/?oref=d1-next-story)
Powered flight throughout the trajectory is the missile's main tactical distinction: continuous thrust allows extended maneuvering and a flatter, less predictable flight path than a glide vehicle's, compressing the reaction time available to ship defenses.[3](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3324050/breathtaking-science-behind-yj-19-chinas-first-hypersonic-cruise-missile) • [12](https://thedefensewatch.com/defense-systems/yj-19-hypersonic-missile/) The trade-off is size: the scramjet engine and its fuel occupy much of the airframe, and the booster needed to reach operating speed adds further bulk, which limits warhead capacity in a missile sized for a 533 mm tube.[5](https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2025/09/chinese-military-parade-highlights-naval-drones-and-missiles)
## Verification caveats
Independent verification of the YJ-19's capabilities is limited. Aviation Week noted that China's claim that all parade systems are operational is difficult to verify given limited information about production levels and operator training.[4](https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/2025-09/AWST_2025_S9-15.pdf) A contributor to a Naval News report on the submarine deployment likewise observed that Chinese announcements have at times overstated the service status of new systems, and that many technical details of the YJ-19 remain classified or unavailable publicly.[6](https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2026/02/major-upgrade-sees-hypersonic-ship-killer-missiles-aboard-chinas-aip-submarines/) • [14](https://thedefensewatch.com/military-ordnance/us-air-breathing-hypersonic-missile-darpa/)
## References
1. [China's military parade reveals new hypersonic missiles, drone submarines and ICBMs, Associated Press (Sept 3, 2025)](https://apnews.com/article/efd398d9b3198bb63b505151162312cf)
2. [Hypersonic anti-ship missiles debut in China's V-Day parade, China Daily/Xinhua (Sept 3, 2025)](https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202509/03/WS68b79e92a3108622abc9e991_13.html)
3. [YJ-19, China's first hypersonic cruise missile, is based on breathtaking science, South China Morning Post (Sept 2, 2025)](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3324050/breathtaking-science-behind-yj-19-chinas-first-hypersonic-cruise-missile)
4. [Aviation Week & Space Technology, September 15-28, 2025](https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/2025-09/AWST_2025_S9-15.pdf)
5. [Chinese Military Parade Highlights Naval Drones And Missiles, Naval News (Sept 2025)](https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2025/09/chinese-military-parade-highlights-naval-drones-and-missiles)
6. [Major Upgrade Sees Hypersonic Ship-Killer Missiles Aboard China's AIP Submarines, Naval News (Feb 2026)](https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2026/02/major-upgrade-sees-hypersonic-ship-killer-missiles-aboard-chinas-aip-submarines/)
7. [Deftech Scan, December 2025, L'Atelier des Futurs](https://atelierdesfuturs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Deftech-Scan-December-2025.pdf)
8. [Does China's YJ-20 hypersonic sea-based missile give Beijing an edge over US carriers?, South China Morning Post](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3352554/does-chinas-yj-20-hypersonic-sea-based-missile-give-beijing-edge-over-us-carriers)
9. [China's Four Anti-Ship Missiles Aim at U.S. Navy Fleet, Seoul Economic Daily (Aug 2026)](https://en.sedaily.com/politics/2026/08/15/chinas-four-anti-ship-missiles-aim-at-us-navy-fleet)
10. [The Colour Coding Of The Newly Unveiled Chinese Anti-Ship Missiles, SPAS Consulting (Sept 2025)](https://www.spasconsulting.com/p/the-colour-coding-of-the-newly-unveiled)
11. [Latest Trends in Hypersonic Weapons, NIDS Commentary No. 411 (Jan 6, 2026)](https://www.nids.mod.go.jp/english/publication/commentary/pdf/commentary411e.pdf)
12. [YJ-19 Missile - Full Specifications, TheDefenseWatch](https://thedefensewatch.com/defense-systems/yj-19-hypersonic-missile/)
13. [China's new missiles on parade: showpieces or showstoppers?, Defense One (Sept 2025)](https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2025/09/chinas-new-missiles-parade-showpieces-or-showstoppers/408304/?oref=d1-next-story)
14. [U.S. Hypersonic Missile Program Targets China's Air-Breathing Edge, TheDefenseWatch](https://thedefensewatch.com/military-ordnance/us-air-breathing-hypersonic-missile-darpa/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Engineering and manufacturing › Missiles and rocketry › Anti-ship and naval 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*
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