Hypersonic War: Chinese YJ-21 vs. US HALO .. Both China & US Fast-Track Air-Launched Hypersonics

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

The Navy is fast-tracking prototypes of a first-of-its-kind air-launched hypersonic weapon able to destroy enemy ships from F-35Cs and F/A-18s, an effort which may quickly close the gap with China’s development of similar weapons. 

The weapon, called Hypersonic Air-Launched Offensive, appears to be showing promise for the next phase of development as the Navy analyzes initial prototype submissions. The Navy is likely fast-tracking the weapon to ensure it does not fall behind or operate with a hypersonic weapons “gap” with China in the Pacific given Chinese claims about air-launched hypersonic weapons. 

A recent essay in the Chinese-government-backed Global Times says its H6K bomber is capable of being armed with an air fired hypersonic weapon called the YJ-21. While this weapon has been fired from PLA-Navy ships in tests in recent years, it has  not previously been cited as existing in an air-launched variant. The Chinese paper cites an YJ-21 air-launched variant for what appears to be the first time in the context of “encircling” Taiwan with the H6K bomber. 

“The H-6K bomber is capable of carrying a wide variety of munitions including the KD-20 land attack missile, the YJ-12 supersonic anti-ship missile and the YJ-21 hypersonic missile,” the Global Times reports.

The race for operational air-launched hypersonic weapons is extremely critical as their existence could well provide an unparalleled advantage in the realm of maritime warfare. Part of why the US Navy is likely fast-tracking its HALO as it does not want to operate with a “deficit” when it comes to hypersonic weapons. Should China have even a short-term window through which they believe to have air-launched hypersonic weapons superiority, they could well seek to exploit the deficit before it closes with surprise hypersonic attacks on Taiwan or allied ships performing security missions in the area. 

The HALO is likely becoming increasingly critical given that the Air Force has “paused” the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon hypersonic missile. Could the US fall behind China with the ability to attack from the air with hypersonic projectiles? 

However, despite the ominous sounding threat, it is not clear just how advanced China’s air-launched YJ-21 may be, how many exist and what kinds of guidance technologies does it operate with. It may or may not be superior in capability and performance parameters to the HALO, as it would not be surprising if the Navy were to develop a HALO variant capable of tracking and destroying “moving targets” at sea. Developers of the Army-Navy Long Range Hypersonic Weapon, for example, are already working on a “tech insertion” designed to enable hypersonic weapons to adjust in flight to hit moving targets. Perhaps the HALO, when introduced or fully operational, might contain this kind of ability. Would this put the US Navy ahead of China in the Pacific.