Image Credits: Wikipedia China has publicly confirmed for the first time that its YJ-20 hypersonic anti-ship ballistic missile can be launched from a Type 052D guided-missile destroyer, expanding the long-range strike capability of one of the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) most widely deployed warship classes. Footage released by China Central Television (CCTV) on July 30 showed the missile being launched from the vertical launch system of a Type 052D destroyer. Until now, the YJ-20 had only been officially linked to the larger Type 055 destroyer. The footage does not show whether the missile has been deployed across the entire Type 052D fleet or how many ships have been equipped with it. However, it confirms that at least one of the PLAN’s most numerous modern destroyer classes can carry the weapon, potentially extending the capability to a much larger number of Chinese surface warships. The video appeared in a trailer for the documentary series Achieve Victory (“Zhìshèng”), released ahead of the People’s Liberation Army’s 99th anniversary on August 1. China first displayed the YJ-20 during its Victory Day Parade on September 3, 2025, while a launch test from the Type 055 destroyer Wuxi in December 2025 confirmed the missile’s integration with that class. The latest footage is the first official confirmation that the missile can also be launched from a Type 052D. The Type 052D is one of the PLAN’s main air-defence destroyers, displacing about 7,500 to 7,700 tonnes. The larger Type 055 carries 112 universal vertical launch cells. China has commissioned about 35 Type 052D destroyers and around 10 Type 055 destroyers, creating a potential compatibility base of more than 40 major surface combatants. The footage shows the missile being ejected from a forward vertical launch cell before its booster ignites, indicating a cold-launch method that is compatible with China’s universal vertical launch system.