YJ-18

Not to be confused with YJ-83.

The YJ-18 (Chinese: 鹰击-18; pinyin: yingji-18; lit. 'eagle strike 18', NATO designation CH-SS-NX-13^[6]) is a Chinese anti-ship cruise missile.

YJ-18
Type	Anti-ship cruise missile land-attack cruise missile[1]
Place of origin	People's Republic of China
Service history
In service	2015–present[2]
Specifications
Warhead	140–300 kg (310–660 lb) warhead[2]
Operational range	220–540 km (140–340 mi; 120–290 nmi) (anti-ship variant)
Maximum speed	Mach 0.8 (cruising) Mach 2.5–3.0 (terminal) (anti-ship variant)
Guidance system	BeiDou Navigation Satellite System onboard radar seeker[3]
Launch platform	Surface ship-launched[2] Submarine-launched[2] Containerized-launched[4][5]

Description

The United States believes the YJ-18 is similar to,^[7] or is a copy of,^[6] the Russian 3M-54 Klub. According to the United States Department of Defense, the YJ-18 has a subsonic cruise mode and a supersonic terminal attack.^[7] Performance estimates include a range of 290 nautical miles (330 mi; 540 km),^[8] with a threat ring of 264,200 sq nmi (349,900 sq mi; 906,000 km²),^[3] and a cruising range of 180 km (110 mi; 97 nmi) at Mach 0.8 and a sprint range of 40 km (25 mi; 22 nmi) at Mach 2.5 to 3.0.^[6]

The missile can be launched from vertical launching systems,^[9] and possibly from submarine torpedo tubes.^[6] Chinese media claims the missile has an inertial guidance system using BeiDou Navigation Satellite System data, and carries a 300 kg (660 lb) high-explosive warhead with an anti-radiation seeker.^[10]

The YJ-18 is deployed aboard the Type 052D destroyer and the Type 055 destroyer. It may already be carried by the Shang II-class nuclear attack submarine outfitted with VLS cells, will replace the 20 nmi (23 mi; 37 km)-range YJ-82 aboard the Yuan-class air-independent propulsion (AIP) and Song-class diesel-electric submarines, will likely deploy on the Type 095 submarine, and may be capable of deployment on Kilo-class submarines.^[8][3] A land-based version could replace the subsonic 400 km (250 mi; 220 nmi)-range YJ-62 with shore batteries.^[3][6]

Variants

YJ-18

Original version, launched from torpedo tubes.^[4]

YJ-18A

Launched from vertical launch system (VLS) cells on surface vessels. It entered service in 2015.^[4]

YJ-18B

Designed for vertical launch systems (VLS) on submarines.^[4]

YJ-18C

Land-attack variant designed to be disguised in commercial shipping containers.^[4] It's a subsonic missile with a stealth design.^[11] Unveiled at the 2025 China Victory Day Parade.^[12]

Operators

 China

•  People's Liberation Army Navy
  • Type 052D destroyer Luyang 3 class.
  • Type 055 destroyer Renhai Class.
  • Type 039 submarine Song Class.
  • Type 039A submarine Yuan Class.
  • Type 093 submarine Shang Class.

See also

Related development

• YJ-12 – (China)

Comparable missiles

• 3M-54 Klub – (Russia)
• BrahMos – (Russia, India)
• P-800 Oniks – (Russia)
• Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon – (France, Italy, United Kingdom)
• 3M-54 Kalibr – (Russia)