The YJ-8 (;
NATO reporting name
NATO reporting names are code names for military equipment from Russia, China, and historically, the Eastern Bloc (Soviet Union and other nations of the Warsaw Pact). They provide unambiguous and easily understood English words in a uniform man ...
: CSS-N-4 Sardine) is a
Chinese surface-launched subsonic
anti-ship cruise missile
A cruise missile is a guided missile used against terrestrial or naval targets that remains in the atmosphere and flies the major portion of its flight path at approximately constant speed. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warh ...
. It is manufactured by the
China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation
The China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation Limited (CASIC) is a Chinese state-owned enterprise that designs, develops and manufactures a range of spacecraft, launch vehicles, strategic and tactical missile systems, and ground equipment ...
(CASIC) Third Academy.
[Gromley et al.: page 101]
The YJ-8 was developed into air-launched (YJ-81) and submarine-launched (
YJ-82) variants.
Description
The YJ-8 is either based on, or is a heavily modified copy of, the MM38
Exocet
The Exocet () is a French-built anti-ship missile whose various versions can be launched from surface vessels, submarines, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
Etymology
The missile's name was given by M. Guillot, then the technical director ...
; the two missiles share virtually identical operational profiles. The replication of the MM38's "revolutionary flight profile" in less than ten years and with an immature industrial base strongly suggests that China had access to proven technology.
The YJ-8 was a "radical departure" from China's first anti-ship missiles derived from the
P-15 Termit
The P-15 ''Termit'' (russian: П-15 "Термит"; en, termite) is an anti-ship missile developed by the Soviet Union's Raduga design bureau in the 1950s. Its GRAU designation was 4K40, its NATO reporting name was ''Styx'' or SS-N-2. China ...
. The YJ-8 carried a smaller warhead, but had the same range and speed while being significantly smaller and lighter.
Development
The development of the YJ-8 was approved in late-1976 following a few years of encouraging work on solid-fuel rockets. According to a 1991 Aerospace China article, development of the missile's engine began in 1978, and flight testing was completed in 1985. The YJ-8 reach
initial operating capability
Initial operating capability or initial operational capability (IOC) is the state achieved when a capability is available in its minimum usefully deployable form. The term is often used in government or military procurement.
The United States D ...
in the
People's Liberation Army Navy
The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN; ), also known as the People's Navy, Chinese Navy, or PLA Navy, is the maritime service branch of the People's Liberation Army.
The PLAN traces its lineage to naval units fighting during the Chines ...
in 1987, the same year the export version—the C-801—was announced.
CASIC received the first National Science and Technology Advancement Award for development of the YJ-8 in 1988.
C-801
The C-801 is the export version of the YJ-8.
The C-801 was not marketed after 2003.
Variants
*YJ-8: Basic version with fixed wings
*YJ-8A: Modified YJ-8 with folding wings.
*YJ-81: Air-launched version without the booster.
* YJ-82: Submarine-launched version.
*C-801: Export version of YJ-8.
*C-801K: Export version of the YJ-81.
*C-801Q: Export version of YJ-82.
Operators
;
*
, C-801K
;
*
Myanmar Navy,C801
;
*
People's Liberation Army Navy
The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN; ), also known as the People's Navy, Chinese Navy, or PLA Navy, is the maritime service branch of the People's Liberation Army.
The PLAN traces its lineage to naval units fighting during the Chines ...
;
*
Royal Thai Navy
The Royal Thai Navy ( Abrv: RTN, ทร.; th, กองทัพเรือไทย, ) is the naval warfare force of Thailand. Established in 1906, it was modernised by the Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartiwongse (1880–1923) who is known a ...
, C-801
;
*
Yemeni Navy, C-801
References
;Bibliography
*
{{Chinese missiles
Guided missiles of the People's Republic of China
Anti-ship cruise missiles of the People's Republic of China
Air-to-surface missiles
Weapons of the People's Republic of China
Military equipment introduced in the 1990s