China shows YJ-20 missile launch from Type 052D destroyer — South China Morning Post
Chinese state television in July showed the launch of a YJ-20 anti-ship hypersonic missile from a Type 052D destroyer. This could expand the capabilities of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy to conduct long-range strikes in the western Pacific, the South China Morning Post reports.
Previously, the YJ-20 was associated mainly with the larger Type 055 destroyers. According to open-source estimates, China has around 35 Type 052D-class ships compared with 10 newer Type 055 vessels. This potentially increases the number of ships capable of threatening US and allied forces that may approach Taiwan from the western Pacific.
Launchers and missile
Type 052D destroyers, known to the US military as the Luyang III class, have 64 vertical launch system cells — 32 each in the bow and stern sections. This is 16 cells more than the preceding Type 052C class. In the video, the YJ-20 was launched from the forward cells using a “cold launch” method: the missile is first ejected from the launcher, after which its engine is activated.
According to open-source estimates, the YJ-20 is slightly under 9 meters long and less than 850 mm wide. At the same time, it is not publicly known which production batches of the Type 052D are fitted with cells deep enough for this missile.
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Ship upgrades and exercises
Analysts refer to the lengthened version of the ship as the Type 052DL. Its flight deck is about four meters longer, which may facilitate the use of larger Z-20 naval helicopters alongside Z-9 helicopters. Images released in August likely showed a Z-20F operating from a Type 052DL ship; this may have been the first known such case.
Newer ships, conventionally designated Type 052DM, have improved sensors, armament and data-sharing systems. In January, the Chinese military publication China Military Online stated that the modernization of the destroyer Loudi enhanced its air and missile defense capabilities, as well as anti-ship and anti-submarine operations. A new radar on the mast has also been spotted on newer ships.
Type 052D vessels regularly escort the aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong, including during voyages through the first island chain to the Philippine Sea. During the Joint Sword-2024B exercises, the destroyer Urumqi operated east of Taiwan together with the Liaoning and the Type 055 Anshan. During Strait Thunder-2025A, the destroyer Zhanjiang was part of the Shandong carrier group.
At the same time, strikes against moving ships depend on a network of ground-, air-, sea- and space-based detection assets. A 2025 Pentagon report stated that China had expanded its space-based intelligence, surveillance and targeting capabilities, but still faced difficulties in promptly assessing strike results and coordinating complex joint operations.
