Key Points and Summary: Rehearsals for China’s upcoming Victory Day Parade have offered a first look at a new generation of advanced missiles.
-Images circulating online show at least four new systems, including the YJ-17 and YJ-19, believed to be hypersonic, and the YJ-20, a unique hybrid missile.
-Carrier-Killers? Analysts suggest these weapons are designed for both anti-ship and land-attack roles, posing a sophisticated and direct threat to U.S. aircraft carriers and forward bases across the Pacific.
-The reveal underscores the rapid modernization of China’s military and its focus on challenging American force projection.
What We Learned from China’s Victory Day Rehearsals: New Missiles and Naval Threats
China held its second “comprehensive rehearsal” for the upcoming 2025 China Victory Day Parade over the weekend, and images circulating online have given the world a look at some of the missiles expected to be showcased during the event.
The military parade, which will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Asia, will be held on September 3 and will be accompanied by a series of other ceremonial events.
Due to be held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, the parade is set to display China’s ongoing military buildup and dramatic modernization of its ground, air, and sea forces.
What We Saw: YJ-20 and More
Images shared on social media show a series of new missiles mounted to vehicles used as part of the rehearsal.
The missiles were marked YJ-15, YJ-17, YJ-19, and YJ-20 – and while similar missiles have been identified by Western analysts before, they largely represent new missiles that will be publicly revealed for the first time.
Rick Joe, an observer of Chinese military developments, shared the photographs and speculated on the functionality, designs, and purposes of the weapons. The YJ-17 and YJ-19, Joe suggests, could be new hypersonic missiles.
The YJ-15, he said, could be a new supersonic missile capable of speeds of up to 768 miles per hour, which the YJ-20 could be something even more interesting: a biconical missile that flies partly like a ballistic missile but which uses aerodynamic lift during flight.
In effect, the YJ-20 could therefore be a maneuverable or hybrid missile that combines aerodynamic maneuvering with ballistic speed.
If analysts are correct, it could mean that the YJ-20 is similar to the weapon system rumored to be deployed on China’s Type 055 destroyer using its vertical launch system.
America Is Watching
Speaking to Newsweek, naval analyst Alex Luck suggested that the new missiles could be used for both anti-ship strikes and land attacks, and noted that the U.S. should be conscious of the possibility that China’s latest weapons could be substantially more sophisticated than current threats.
“American operations in the Red Sea and elsewhere have shown good intercept capability against threats presented,” he said.
Luck added that “Chinese capabilities may be both more sophisticated and drawn on deeper stockpiles” of American missile interceptors.
Aircraft Carrier-Killer Missiles?
For Washington, these new missiles matter because they appear to be designed to challenge U.S. carrier groups and forward bases across the Pacific.
Once operational, they could complicate American force projection either in a scenario where China makes moves in Taiwan or a conflict breaks out in the South China Sea.
And while Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly told U.S. President Donald Trump that he would not invade Taiwan while he is in office, it could well happen during the next administration – and Beijing will have had time to deploy and manufacture these new missiles at scale.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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