Footage broadcast by Chinese state television in July showed a YJ-20 hypersonic anti-ship ballistic missile fired from the vertical launch system of a Type 052D destroyer, marking a quiet but significant shift in the region’s naval balance. Until now, the YJ-20 was thought to be reserved for China’s 12,000-ton Type 055 super destroyers, its most advanced ships. It’s now being rolled out across the far more numerous Type 052D fleet, too. That’s not just a technical upgrade – it’s a sign the weapon is moving from a flagship showpiece to standard fleet equipment. It suggests China’s sea-based hypersonic strike system has matured to the point where it can deny access to the Western Pacific and potentially render traditional surface warships obsolete.

Full report : China turns hypersonic glide vehicles into long-range air-to-air hunters of US planes.