YJ-81 Air-Launched Anti-Ship Missile

Last updated: 9 July 2007

Although the YJ-8 was initially developed as an air-launched anti-ship missile to be carried by the PLA Navy's Q-5 (NATO codename: Fantan) attacker, the missile could not be commissioned due to the delay in the development of the missile carrier variant Q-5. As a result, the missile was installed on fast attack crafts and frigates as a ship-to-ship missile instead.

The air-launched version of the YJ-8 was revived when the PLA Navy decided to integrate the missile weapon system with its JH-7 two-seater, twin-engine fighter-bomber aircraft. The test flight of the missile was previously carried out onboard a modified Harbin H-5 (Chinese copy of the IL-28 Beagle) bomber known as ‘Eagle Fire-Control Testbed’. The air-launched YJ-8, designated YJ-81, entered the PLA Naval Air Force (PLANAF) service in the mid-1990s.

The YJ-81 is identical to the YJ-8 in external appearance, apart from the lack of the solid rocket motor booster at the rear end of the missile. As a result, the missile is only 4.50m in length. The maximum range of the missile is 50km. A JH-7 fighter-bomber can carry up to four YJ-81 missiles on its underwing hardpoints. A development variant of the Xi'an H-6 bomber known as H-6M could also carry four YJ-81 missiles under its wings.

Based on the YJ-8K technology.China Haiying Electro-Mechanical Technology Academy (CHETA) has also developed the KD-88 land-attack cruise missile.

Eagle Fire-Control Testbed

While the missile carrier variant Q-5 was still in development, the YJ-81 missile and its fire-control system was tested onboard a modified H-5 light bomber. One H-5 was modified with its glass-in nose removed and replaced by a solid nose to accommodate the fire-control radar and other avionics. Two missiles were carried under the wings of the aircraft. The modified aircraft was named ‘Eagle Fire-Control Testbed’. The YJ-81 missile was successfully test fired from the Engle testbed before it was integrated with the PLA Navy’s JH-7 fighter-bomber.

Specifications

Length: 4.50m
Diameter: 0.36m
Wingspan: 1.18m
Launch weight: N/A
Warhead: 165kg time-delayed semi-armour-piercing high-explosive
Propulsion: One solid rocket engine
Max speed: Mach 0.9
Range: 10~50km
Flight Altitude: 20~30m (flight); 5~7m (attacking)
Guidance Mode: Inertial and terminal active radar
Single-Shot Hit Probability: 75%

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