The People’s Liberation Army Navy may have a ridiculous name, but it’s already starting to boast some formidable weaponry. A Chinese Shenyang J-15 Flying Shark was recently spotted carrying two YJ-15 anti-ship missiles, a small detail that sends a loud message about reach, targeting, and making life more difficult for everyone within the first island chain.
This is not a concept model or a test flight. This is a carrier-based fighter in flight, carrying two YJ-15 supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles powered by ramjet engines. This means that the weapon is mature enough to be in a real configuration and not just a Putin-esque bend that doesn’t really make any sense.
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The YJ-15 will make its first public appearance at a military parade in Beijing in September 2025, along with other new anti-ship systems marked YJ-17, YJ-19 and YJ-20. Carrying the J-15 is very important because this fighter is the main force of China’s carrier-based air wing. If you want to quickly increase the power of your aircraft carrier group, you can arm the jets you already own.
The highway leading to the danger zone suddenly turns into a dead end
China has yet to announce official specifications for the YJ-15, a typical communist military move. But external analysis shows that these new air-launched anti-ship missiles have a range of about 1,200 to 1,800 kilometers (about 750 to 1,120 miles) and may exceed Mach 5. Even with lower actual performance, the YJ-15 is a huge leap over older missiles like the YJ-12, which has about half the range.
If these estimates are even partially Yes, the comfortable fighting space of enemy surface ships suddenly becomes smaller and decision-making time is tighter. It pushes the threat ring outward and gives the launching aircraft a longer standoff distance.
The medium is the message
Even without a spec sheet, the visible configuration of the YJ-15 is an air-breathed high-speed design, likely belonging to the ducted ramjet family based on the intake layout and overall shape. This is consistent with the job description of a supersonic ship killer and the way China is integrating multiple new maritime strike missiles into its 2025 military parade narrative.
But the real story is the impact this has on carrier aviation strike geometry. That means it’s not just a question of the missile, but also of finding the target, tracking it and getting the information to the shooter.
China’s newer aircraft carrier, the Fujian, was built for catapult operations, which changes the launch capabilities of carrier-based aircraft. Catapults mean heavier takeoff weight, which means more fuel, more weapons and fewer compromises. Public reports place Fujian at the 80,000-ton level, with a carrier-based fleet of about 40 aircraft, as well as catapult testing including J-35s, J-15s, drones and KJ-600 early warning aircraft.
So when you pair a heavy-launch carrier with long-range anti-ship missiles and a carrier-based fighter that can actually carry two of those missiles, you get scalable maritime strike options.
China’s aircraft carrier ambitions are not subtle. The Chinese Navy is demonstrating long-range precision strike systems and establishing a carrier-based aviation program that can truly compete for space in the Western Pacific. The Pentagon’s 2025 China Military Power Report states that China aims to have a fleet of six aircraft carriers by 2035. Whether that number is accurate or not, the direction is clear: more carriers, longer range, and more pressure on other nations’ planning.
Chinese J-15 fighter jets on the deck of the Liaoning ship.
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