• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Land, sea and air-based cruise missiles make collective debut at China's V-Day parade

Global Times

By Liu Xuanzun, Fan Wei and Liang Rui Published: Sep 03, 2025 01:08 PM

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, Air Force and Rocket Force for the first time formed a joint formation displaying the country's cruise missiles at China's V-Day military parade on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

Military affairs experts told the Global Times that the three types of cruise missiles use different launch platforms and have strong defense penetrating and precision strike capabilities. They can carry out surgical precision strikes against high-value military targets from afar.

The CJ-20A, YJ-18C and CJ-1000 - three types of cruise missile reviewed this time are long-range surgical strike weapons that can deter wars and win combats in multiple domains.

"The CJ-20A is an upgraded version of the CJ-20 cruise missile. As an air-launched long-range cruise missile, it has the ability to accurately strike targets on the ground," military affairs expert Shao Yongling told the Global Times, adding that at the parade, the CJ-20A was put into the strategic strike formation, which means it can be used to strike strategic high-value targets from a long range, such as enemy command centers hidden in sturdy shelters and underground hangars.

Destroying hard targets such as underground caves hidden in the mountains may not be easy for conventional ground-to-ground tactical missiles, but air-based cruise missiles like the CJ-20A has more flexible strike methods. It can be carried by the H-6K bomber, enter a favorable position, and strike from the direction of the enemy's weak defense, Shao said.

Making its debut, the YJ-18C cruise missile has a significantly different appearance from the YJ-18 anti-ship cruise missile that was displayed at the 2019 military parade during the celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

"From its appearance, it can be seen that the YJ-18C has adopted stealth design," Zhang Xuefeng, a military affairs expert, told the Global Times. "The YJ-18C can get much higher stealth and defense penetrating capability when flying at low altitudes. This can also achieve the effect of a surprise attack."

"As a general-purpose cruise missile, the YJ-18C can strike enemy missile positions, military airfields, ports, logistics hubs, and other key locations," Zhang said, adding that the YJ-18C has long-range precision strike capability and can carry out "surgical" strikes, and it is also considered an important equipment for breaking the so-called first island chain.

The debut of the CJ-1000 cruise missile has a richer connotation. Shao said that the CJ-1000 has been upgraded on the basis of CJ-100, which debuted at the military parade in 2019, and it further enriched the spectrum of cruise missiles in China. It is expected that this type of missile will have a faster flight speed, better maneuverability during flight, and stronger defense penetrating ability, making the PLA's precision strike toolbox more abundant, and various strike methods can be selected based on the characteristics and values of different targets, Shao said.

"Due to its faster flight speed and better maneuverability, the CJ-1000 can effectively reduce the success rate of interception by existing missile defense systems, and also because of its faster response speed, it can be used not only to strike heavily defended high-value targets, but also be used to strike some time-sensitive targets, seizing the fleeting opportunities with its high-speed and flexible characteristics," Shao added.