Independent Working Group Report: Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century. »»
August 29, 2008
IWG Report 2007
Independent Working Group Report: Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century. »»
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YJ-1
| Country: | People's Republic of China |
|---|---|
| Alternate Name: | Eagle Strike, CSS-N-4 Sardine |
| Class: | S/LLCM |
| Target: | Ship |
| Length: | 5.81 m |
| Diameter: | 0.36 m |
| Wingspan: | 1.18 m |
| Launch Weight: | 815.00 kg |
| Payload: | 165 kg HE |
| Propulsion: | Solid w/ solid booster |
| Range: | 50.00 km |
| Guidance: | INS, active radar, radio altimeter |
| Status: | Operational |
| In Service: | 1984-Present |
| Exported: | Iran, Thailand, North Korea, Yemen |
Details
The Ying Ji-1 (YJ-1) is a short-range, solid propellant, single warhead cruise missile developed and manufactured by the People’s Republic of China. Ground-, ship-, submarine-, and air-launched versions exist.
China started development of the YJ-1 in the mid-1970s, although it did not reveal the missile until 1984. The system was initially intended as a ship- and ground-launched defense against ships. The ship-launched version is deployed on “Luda” (Type 3) and “Luhu” (Type 052) class destroyers, “Jianghu 3 and 4” (Type 053 HT) and “Jianwei 1 and 2” (Type 053 H2G and 053) frigates, and fast attack craft. The ground-launched versions are deployed on wheeled Transporter-Erector-Launcher (TEL) vehicles, each of which is capable of carrying two launch canisters.
China has also developed submarine- and air-launched versions of the YJ-1. The submarine-launched version is deployed on external launchers fitted aboard “Romeo” (Type 033G) class, “Song” class (Type 039), “Kilo” class (Type 877EKM/636), and “Han” class (Type 091) submarines. The air-launched version is reportedly deployed on Nanchang Q-5 and JH-7 aircraft and the CHAIC Z-8 helicopter, with two missiles carried on each aircraft. NATO uses the designator CSS-N-4 “Sardine” for all YJ-1 missiles.
The YJ-1 is similar in appearance to the French MM 38 Exocet anti-ship missile. The missile has four delta-shaped wings at mid-body and four triangular control fins at the rear. The ground- and ship-launched version includes a tandem-mounted, solid propellant boost motor weighing 160 kg. Including the boost motor, this version is 5.81 m in length, 0.36 m in diameter, has a wing span of 1.18 m, and has a total launch weight of 815 kg. The air-launched version does not include a boost motor and has a length of 4.65 m and a weight of 655 kg.
The YJ-1 has a cruising altitude of about 20 m, followed in the terminal phase by a descent to between 5 and 7 m. The missile is believed to have a maximum speed of Mach 0.85. In the terminal phase, the missile is guided by an active radar. The ground- and ship-launched variant has a minimum range of 8 km and a maximum range of 40 km, while the air-launched version has a maximum range of 50 km. The missile is reported to carry a high explosive warhead.
The ground- and ship-launched versions of the YJ-1 entered service around 1984 with the Chinese armed forces. It is believed that the air-launched version entered service in 1989. Approximately 500 YJ-1 missiles are thought to be in service in China, and experts believe that the system’s versatility will allow it to remain in service for many years. In 1996, a modified version known as the YJ-12 was reported to be in development, featuring an increased range of 70 km and improved accuracy. China is also believed to have developed an encapsulated version, known as the YJ-82, which is capable of being launched through the torpedo tubes of a modified “Romeo” class submarine.
China uses the designator C-801A for the export version of the ground- and ship-launched YJ-1 missiles, while C-801K refers to export version of the air-launched variant. In recent years, China has exported the C-801 to its client states. The first known export took place in 1990, when Thailand purchased 50 C-801 missiles to arm their “Jianghu 4” class frigates.
China is also believed to have exported the C-801 to Iran, North Korea, and Yemen for use as coastal defense weapons deployed at fixed sites or on mobile launchers. Iran has fitted YJ-1 missiles to F-4 Phantom aircraft and trials launches were made in 1997. It is also believed that Iran may be manufacturing YJ-1 missiles under the project name “Karus.”(1)
Footnotes
- Duncan Lennox, ed., Jane’s Strategic Weapons Systems 45 (Surrey: Jane’s Information Group, January 2006) pp. 30-32; “Ramjet missile may have an anti-ship role,” Jane’s Missiles and Rockets, 1 February 2002; Global Security.Org, “C-801 YJ-1 / YJ-8 (Eagle Strike) / YJ-83 / CSS-N-4 SARDINE,” available at http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/china/c-801.htm, accessed on July 1, 2006.
