YJ-12

Chinese supersonic anti-ship cruise missile carried by H-6 bombers and surface combatants; range and speed figures are per Chinese and third-party open-source claims and not independently verified.

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-05

400

km range

Mach

205

kg warhead

Several performance figures for China-origin systems are manufacturer or state claims with limited independent verification. Treat these specs as directional, not tested values.

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

Chinese state channel

State export agencies (NORINCO/CATIC); limited availability to Western-aligned states.

Channel: State export agency

Fielded & proven

Operator data not public

Status: active.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Max speed (Mach) Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.: 3 Mach

Stronger than 62% of missiles
Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.: 400 km

Stronger than 75% of missiles

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Warhead Warhead mass. Heavier generally means larger effect radius, at the cost of range.: 205 kg

Stronger than 62% of missiles
Warhead type Blast-fragmentation, shaped charge (HEAT), penetrator, thermobaric or nuclear-capable.: Semi-armor-piercing high-explosive
Guidance How the weapon finds its target: inertial, GPS/GLONASS, active/semi-active radar, infrared, laser, TV, wire.: BeiDou satellite navigation (mid-course), Active radar homing (terminal)

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…: Liquid-fuel ramjet

Specifications compiled from public CATIC and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-05.

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