Footage released by state media on Wednesday revealed for the first time a Type 052D destroyer launching the YJ-20 hypersonic anti-ship missile, which debuted at the 2025 V-Day military parade, indicating the missile can now be carried out by not only Type 055 large destroyers, but also more numerous 052D vessels, significantly enhancing the overall anti-ship capabilities of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, a military affairs expert said.

The footage aired on CCTV military channel was a trailer for the documentary "Zhìshèng" (achieve victory), produced to mark the 99th anniversary of the founding of the PLA, which falls on August 1.

The YJ-20 hypersonic missile was launched from the vertical launch system on the bow deck of the Type 052D destroyer. The missile employs a cold-launch method, meaning it is ejected from the vertical launch system before its engine ignites.

The YJ-20 was officially unveiled at the V-Day military parade on September 3, 2025, alongside with three other types of anti-ship missiles, namely the YJ-15 missile, the YJ-19 hypersonic missile and the YJ-17 hypersonic missile. According to official media, they can be carried by multiple launch platforms, including carrier-based fighter jets, surface vessels and submarines.

Maneuverable missiles that can exceed Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound, are considered hypersonic missiles, Chinese military affairs expert Zhang Junshe told the Global Times previously.

Zhang said that based on the appearance of the YJ-20, it is a boost-glide missile consisting of a rocket booster and a bicone glide vehicle. The bicone can form shock waves during hypersonic flight, which allows the missile's air rudders to perform maneuvers during the missile's terminal flight, boosting its defense penetration capabilities.

The YJ-20 can hit surface vessels via a nearly vertical angle like a ballistic missile, and with its hypersonic speed, it is very difficult to intercept, according to Zhang.

Prior to this footage of the Type 052D launch, China Military Bugle had released footage in December 2025, showing a YJ-20 hypersonic anti-ship missile being launched from a Type 055 large destroyer. That footage showed the finalization test of a ship-to-ship missile on board the 10,000-ton-class large destroyer Wuxi.

From the current perspective, the YJ-20 appears to have achieved a high level of standardization. In the future, it is likely to be carried as a standard armament on many of China's advanced naval vessels, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The YJ-20 possesses powerful strike capabilities, and both the Type 055 and Type 052D destroyers are equipped with standardized vertical launch systems that can be used both fore and aft, allowing them to carry different munitions based on mission requirements, including large numbers of YJ-20 missiles for anti-ship or land-attack missions. This reflects the PLA's new-generation military equipment's enhanced combat capabilities and higher levels of standardization, Song said.

The YJ-20 is faster, has a longer range and is difficult to intercept. The fact that both Type 055 and Type 052D destroyers are capable of carrying the YJ-20 will further strengthen the Chinese Navy's anti-ship strike capabilities, particularly its area denial capabilities. Its strike capability against large and medium-sized surface vessels such as aircraft carriers will also be significantly enhanced, Song added.

The six-episode documentary "Zhìshèng" will begin airing from Thursday, Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday. The film focuses on the theme of being able to fight and win battles, further consolidating the will and strength to advance national defense and military modernization with high quality, and uniting efforts to achieve the PLA's centenary goal and accelerate the building of a world-class military.

As the August 1 Army Day approaches, Zhang said that 2026 marks the critical year for achieving the PLA's centenary goal, making this year's Army Day particularly significant.

Over the past year, key milestones, including the commissioning of the Fujian aircraft carrier and the sea trials of the lead Type 076 amphibious assault ship, have collectively demonstrated a shift in China's equipment development from "following" and "running alongside" to "leading in certain areas," Zhang noted.

This transition reflects a move toward independent innovation and system-of-systems confrontation, with core technologies now fully under independent control. Equipment development now serves strong support for safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, and marking the entry of national defense and military modernization into a new phase of systemization, intelligence and all-domain capabilities, said Zhang.

Next year marks the year when the PLA's centenary goal is set to be achieved. While maintaining its combat readiness, the Chinese military will continue to engage in international cooperation with an open posture, providing more public security goods for regional and global peace, Zhang added.