China has successfully test-fired a stealth anti-ship cruise missile designed with a black coating to evade radar detection, according to a media report released on Wednesday. This development highlights China’s ongoing advancements in military technology.
“In its terminal phase, it can penetrate defences at supersonic speed while also employing stealth. Experts identified the missile as a variant of YJ-18A, the anti-ship missile that cruises at subsonic speed before making a supersonic terminal attack, often equipped on the 7,500-tonne Type 052D and 12,000-tonne Type 055 destroyers, the report said. It has a cruise speed of 966km/h, and when approaching a target, its warhead can accelerate to Mach 3 speed, according to a state-run China Daily report.
During a missile test in an unknown sea area, a missile was fired from a navy ship’s vertical launch system for an extreme-performance test of a new type of anti-ship missile, the Post said. Song said the black coating also served another purpose. “What matters most for an anti-ship missile is its ability to penetrate enemy defences,” Song said, adding that there were two ways to do this: through stealth and through high-speed flight – and the YJ-18A combined both. Maintaining stealth throughout its flight can further improve its ability to penetrate enemy defences, particularly when striking large surface vessels,” Song said.
