Update: Chinese firm develops new hypersonic missile

Beijing-based company Lingkong Tianxing Technology has unveiled a hypersonic missile featuring an automatic target identification and threat evasion capabilities. (Janes)

Chinese aerospace company Lingkong Tianxing Technology has unveiled a hypersonic missile, designated Yu Kong Ji-1000 (YKJ-1000).

Footage published by the Beijing-based private-sector company on social media on 25 November said the new missile has an operational range of 500–1,300 km, a maximum speed of Mach 5–7, and maintains powered flight for up to six minutes. It also features automatic target identification and interception evasion capabilities, the company said.

Lingkong Tianxing Technology described the YKJ-1000 as a boost-glide missile featuring a glider equipped with an additional rocket engine. It said the missile can be fired from a land-based launcher vehicle.

Footage shows the missile housed in a commercial shipping container that has a length of 12.19 m, a width of 2.44 m, and a height of 2.59 m, according to Janes estimates. The container is mounted on a three-axle cargo truck with retractable stabiliser legs that deploy during launch preparation and side doors that open for vertical launch. In the footage, the missile appears to strike a land target as a part of a test activity conducted at an unspecified time and location.

Each container accommodates a single missile without a canister, which is likely reflective of the low production cost. According to the company, the system's low production cost is achieved by using automotive-grade chips, civilian materials, and existing mass manufacturing supply chains.

Janes