Taiwan, as well as its supporters in the United States, might have a reason to worry as China’s latest anti-ship weapon, the KD-21, has supposedly entered service with the Chinese military.
The KD-21 missile, which was publicly unveiled during the Zhuhai Air Show in November 2022, was seen on an H-6K bomber of the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) during the Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait earlier this week.
This marks the first known deployment of this air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) to the frontline and perhaps the first evidence of the missile’s induction into service.
Popular PLA watcher Andreas Rupprecht posted a photo of the bomber, purportedly belonging to the 10th Bomber Division in the Eastern Theatre Command, to the social media site X on March 31. Additionally, photos and videos of the missile were also going around on Chinese social media.
The missile was reportedly deployed at the recently concluded ‘Strait Thunder 2025A’ drills in the Taiwan Strait—a two-day military exercise termed as ‘punishment’ for the secessionist forces of Taiwan. China considers Taiwan to be its sovereign territory and has made it clear that it is determined to reunify it with the mainland, with force, if necessary.
Senior Colonel Shi Yi, the Spokesperson of the PLA Eastern Theatre Command, said the exercises were conducted in the middle and southern areas of the Taiwan Strait, with a focus on assessing the troops’ capabilities of “joint blockade and control” and “precision strikes on key targets.” Col. Shi said, “The drills involved precision strikes on simulated targets such as key ports and energy facilities and achieved the intended results.”
Some media outlets, including the Chinese state-owned Global Times, referred to the missile as the YJ-21 anti-ship hypersonic missile.
While EurAsian Times could not independently verify which missile the H-6K was carrying, we understand that both missiles are hypersonic weapons that travel at more than five times the speed of sound.
The designation ‘KD’ is typically used for a land-attack missile, unlike the YJ-21, which is positioned as a carrier-killer, as previously explained by the EurAsian Times.
The KD-21 was ostensibly seen in footage published in May 2024. The clip showed the missile being released from the pylon under the bomber’s port wing. At the time, a popular Chinese military expert and TV commentator told the state media that the weapon was probably capable of hitting slowly moving objects like aircraft carriers and stationary targets. PLA watchers have largely accepted this view despite the paucity of information from official sources.
Some military bloggers also likened it to the Russian Kinzhal missile, the Russian hypersonic ALBM launched by MiG-31K and extensively used by the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) in the ongoing war against Ukraine. However, there is no evidence that the Kinzhal can be used as an anti-ship weapon.
Referring to the missile as the YJ-21, Chinese military affairs expert Zhang Junshe told Global Times that as a missile capable of piercing air defense, the YJ-21 would be crucial for gaining complete control, launching land and sea attacks, and blocking important routes and places.
The specific mention of “land and sea attacks” could mean that the KD-21 and YJ-21 could be used for both mission sets.
That said, the designation of the missile notwithstanding, Chinese experts asserted that the Taiwanese forces would be powerless against the missile since they do not have an air defense system that could intercept a hypersonic missile.
What We Know So Far About the Missile?
ALBMs are hardly a new concept; they have existed since at least the early days of the Cold War.
For instance, earlier, a Philippines-based military analyst, Miguel Miranda, told EurAsian Times: “Air-launched ballistic missiles are once again in vogue after a few new types emerged in the late 2010s. But if we’re honest, air-launched ballistic missiles have been around since the 1950s, albeit in different roles from today.” He further added, “The PLAAF maintains a vast inventory of munitions and keeps growing.”
Nonetheless, the KD-21 is certainly a significant addition. It is the latest in China’s list of new weapons that could strengthen its Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) strategy, especially in a conflict with the United States.
The missile may be part of PLA’s efforts to develop potent anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) capabilities in conjunction with its other “aircraft carrier killers,” such as ground-based DF-21D and DF-26B ballistic missiles, to prevent foreign powers, primarily the US, from impeding a possible military campaign against Taiwan.
In case of a conflict in the region, these missiles can give the PLA a “home advantage” and prevent hostile navies from entering disputed waters along China’s coast.
Moreover, the induction of this missile adds more teeth to China’s attack capability. A ballistic missile has a greater range when launched from the air than from land. This means that a Chinese bomber could launch the weapon from a point closer to the target. This reduces the time it takes to reach their destination and minimizes the reaction time available for enemy defenses.
With the ability to reach a hypersonic terminal velocity, as is typical for ballistic missiles, an ALBM plunges steeply toward its target. The missile would be more challenging for ground-based missile defense systems to destroy due to its capability to maneuver dynamically during its terminal attack phase. This would allow the missile to attack moving targets.
Moreover, these long-range missiles are valuable due to their extreme standoff trajectories. If China were to launch an invasion of Taiwan, the PLAAF could launch the KD-21 to destroy the targets located on the Taiwanese southern and eastern coasts.
In addition, if the US and its allies were to enter the conflict in support of Taiwan, the missile could be used to strike targets in the First Island Chain. In the event of a conflict, the missile would pose a special irritant to the US Navy carrier and warships traversing the Western Pacific waters.
Chinese military experts said that the deployment of the missile in the drills around Taiwan indicated that the PLA Eastern Theater Command is very close to actual combat, and the participating troops are ready to fight at any time.
Evidently, it also serves the strategic purpose of sending a message to Taiwan and the United States, especially since the drills came right after the US Defense Secretary concluded his Asia visit.
While visiting Japan, Pete said, “America is committed to sustaining robust, ready, and credible deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, including across the Taiwan Strait.”
The Chinese drills and the deployment of the KD-21 are a direct challenge to that assertion.
- Contact the author at sakshi.tiwari9555 (at) gmail.com
- Follow EurAsian Times on Google News
