Recently, the United States has actively built the so-called "first island chain" encirclement in an attempt to contain China's great cause of reunification. At present, they have included Japan and Australia in the "strategic alliance", while South Korea and the Philippines are still hesitant to wait and see. At the same time, the People's Liberation Army is rapidly growing and becoming an "iron hammer" to break this "chain".
In this context, there are concerns about whether the PLA is strong enough to achieve its strategic goals. A recent article in Hong Kong's Asia Times pointed out that China's hypersonic missiles have built a trinity of land-based, sea-based and air-based strike forces, and China already has an asymmetric military advantage over the United States, which has not yet deployed hypersonic missiles.
So, what are the representative equipment of the PLA's hypersonic missile triad strike capability? We will look at them separately.
Land-based: DF-17 hypersonic missile
According to the "Missile Threat" report released by the US think tank CSIS, as early as 2014, Western media reported that China had developed a road-mobile hypersonic missile. The U.S. military has also observed launch tests of the missile. At the 2019 National Day parade, China publicly demonstrated the missile for the first time, indicating that it is already in service with the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Reports estimate that the DF-17 has a range of roughly between 1,800 and 2,500 kilometers, and its warhead can reach speeds of more than Mach 5 per second during the glide phase. In particular, the Global Times reported that in August last year after Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, the PLA launched a variety of missiles in the waters near Taiwan Island, and the DF-17 was one of them. This shows that the PLA can not only blockade the island by warships and submarines, but also effectively "encircle" the island with long-range precision firepower, which can strike not only targets on the island, but also surface ships.
Sea-based: YJ-21 hypersonic missile
The YJ-21 missile was first featured on China's Central Television military news program last April, launching vertically from a Type 055 guided-missile destroyer. The Strategic Support Force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army recently posted an article on its official Weibo account claiming that the YJ-21 missile can fly at speeds of 3,400 meters per second, or Mach 10. At this speed, it is difficult for any known shipborne defense system to intercept, and even if the missile does not explode, its huge kinetic energy is enough to cause a devastating blow to the target. The YJ-21 missile is equipped with the YJ-21 missile marks a significant improvement in China's anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) capabilities, highlighting the operational flexibility and survivability advantages of sea-based platforms such as the Type 055 guided-missile destroyer. Foreign media also noted that the export version of the YJ-21 was displayed at last year's Zhuhai air show and was named YJ-21E, which means that YJ-21 is no longer China's most advanced missile model, and the PLA may already be equipped with more advanced missiles.
Air-based: The H-6 bomber is armed with hypersonic missiles
In October 2021, a photo of a H-6 bomber carrying an unknown model of hypersonic missile circulated on the Internet, followed by multiple similar photos and videos. Foreign media speculated that these missiles may be some kind of modification of the YJ-21. With a combat radius of more than 3,000 kilometers and an additional range of at least 1,000 kilometers or more from air-launched hypersonic missiles, this means that this air-based hypersonic missile combination is enough to hit U.S. targets in Guam and beyond.
The trinity strike capability of these hypersonic missiles is significant. First, the U.S. military currently lacks the ability to effectively intercept hypersonic missiles, giving the PLA an asymmetric strategic advantage. This is critical to deterring the United States and its allies from interfering in a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, raising the cost of intervention, from recovering the island to delivering military deterrence. Second, China's army, navy and air force are equipped with various types of hypersonic missiles, indicating that the PLA is actively preparing for a high-intensity large-scale war. The PLA has no illusions that it is preparing to deal with the intervention of a powerful adversary, both in terms of equipment and training. In addition, the PLA's hypersonic missiles are less expensive, suitable for large-scale production and equipment, and also support ammunition stockpiles for high-intensity warfare. In conventional warfare, hypersonic missiles equipped with conventional warheads can exert greater power.