The Yingji-82 or YJ-82 (Chinese: 鹰击-82, literally "Eagle Strike"; NATO reporting name: CSS-N-8 Saccade) is a Chinese anti-ship missile first unveiled in 1989 by the China Haiying Electro-Mechanical Technology Academy (CHETA), also known as the Third Academy. Due to the Yingji-82 missile's small radar reflectivity, low attack flight path (only five to seven meters above the sea surface) and strong anti-jamming capability of its guidance system, target ships have a very small chance of intercepting the missile. The single shot hit probability of the Yingji-82 is estimated to be as high as 98%. The Yingji-82 can be launched from airplanes, surface ships, submarines and land-based vehicles. Its export name is the C-802.
Design
The Yingji-82 (C-802) anti-ship missile was derived from the Chinese YJ-8 (C-801) with extended range. The YJ-82 is externally similar to the YJ-8, and has the same solid-propellant rocket booster and guidance system as the YJ-8. The most distinctive difference on the YJ-82 is that it employs a turbojet with paraffin-based fuel to replace the original solid rocket engine. For this reason the fuselage was extended to accommodate the extra fuel. The maximum range of the missile has also been extended from the original 40 km (or 80 km for YJ-81/C-801A) to 120 km.The YJ-82 is almost identical to the YJ-8 in appearance apart from a slightly longer fuselage and an air inlet for the turbojet engine. The missile has a slim body and ovoid nose. There are four front delta wings, four smaller control surfaces, and four large tail stabilising wings. The tail wings are mounted on the rocket booster and will be lost when the booster detaches from the missile body. The air inlet is located between the main fins under the missile body. The front and tail wings are folded when the missile is in the launcher.
When the missile is launched, the solid rocket propellant booster accelerates the speed of the missile to Mach 0.9 in a few seconds. After the booster burns out, it detaches from the missile body and the missile's turbojet engine starts working. Controlled by the inertial autopilot system and radio altimeter, the missile flies at a cruising speed of Mach 0.9, and the cruise altitude is reduced to 10-20 metres (depending on the sea state) from the original 20-30 metres of the C-801/YJ-81.
When entering the terminal phase of flight, the missile switches on its terminal guidance radar to search for the target. Once within a few kilometers of the target, the missile drops to 3-5 meters above sea level, about the same as a French Exocet missile. This altitude is slightly lower than the original 5-7 metres of the C-801/YJ-81. The missile may also maneuver during the terminal phase to make it a more difficult target for shipborne air defense systems. When approaching the target, the missile dives to hit the waterline of the ship to inflict maximum damage. At the 6th Zhuhai Airshow held at the end of 2006, the manufacturer revealed that the "pop-up" approach and the checkpoint flight functions are being worked on.
As well as its terminal guidance radar, the midcourse guidance is inertial. During the inertial guidance, the YJ-8 missile is also equipped with a radio altimeter for use with its autopilot during cruise. The missile's terminal guidance radar with monopulse system possesses high anti-jamming capabilities. The high precision radio altimeter allows the missile to have minimum-altitude flight above the sea, which is normally 20−30 m.
The missile uses a 165 kg semi-armor-piercing anti-personnel blast warhead which relies on the missile's kinetic energy to pierce the deck of a ship, penetrate into and explode in the ship's interior. In addition, the YJ-82 might have a higher single hit probability than the YJ-8/YJ-81.
Upgrades
Most upgrades of C-802 are funded not by the Chinese government but by the manufacturers and trading firms themselves. Most upgrades were mainly focused on the guidance systems.The radar altimeter can be replaced by a newly developed laser altimeter, which is much less likely to be detected via ESM. The laser altimeter can be retrofited to all models of this anti-ship missile family.
One of the first upgrades included the incorporation of infrared guidance so that there is a dual guidance system similar to that of the Taiwanese Hsiung Feng II missile. Imaging infrared seeker and a television seeker similar to that of the C-701 anti-ship missile became available later. The imaging infrared seeker is reportedly derived from the imaging infrared seeker technology developed for Chinese air-to-air missiles. These three seekers are interchangeable with the original radar seeker, and can be fitted at naval bases rather than the factory.
As the imaging infrared seeker and the television seeker are significantly smaller than the radar seeker, the manufacturer has taken advantage of the extra space to develop a variety of combined seekers for dual guidance, which include: radar and imaging infrared guidance, television and imaging infrared guidance, dual band (infrared and imaging infrared) guidance, and television and infrared guidance. These combined seekers can also be fitted at naval bases. According to domestic Chinese news media the manufacturer says that as of the last quarter of 2006 no orders for had been received for any of the combined seekers except the radar and infrared guidance, due to funding problems.
A datalink associated with the radar seeker and the dual radar and infrared guidance seeker armed C-802 was added enabled the missile to receive target information provided by aircraft and this later became a standard feature. The first successful test fire of the C-802 with the datalink was conducted with Harbin SH-5 ASW equipped with British radar, and soon after, with Y-8X Maritime Patrol Aircraft equipped with Litton Canada radar. This datalink was originally developed for YJ-83/C-803, the successor of the YJ-82/C-802, and adopted for the YJ-82/C-802 upgrade.
Based on the datalink associated with the radar seeker, a newer datalink that was compatible with all three types of seekers was also successfully developed, enabling the missile to significantly improve its attack capability by allowing the pilot of the aircraft or the crew of the ship to view the images provided by the television or the imaging infrared seekers, and thus to select the potential targets, just like the way A-10 pilots used the images provided by the imaging infrared seekers of AGM-65 Maverick Air-to-surface missiles for targeting during the Persian Gulf War. Land attack capability is the greatest beneficiary since mobile targets on land can be engaged as a result, though only when the missile is equipped with television and imaging infrared seekers, but not the radar seeker. Like the datalink only associated with the radar seeker, the newer datalink allows the operators to alter the course of the missile and change targets after launching. However, there are no reports to support the claim that the operator can terminate the attack via the datalink like that of the Harpoon missile. This new datalink has very little difference from radar seeker associated datalink it is developed from in terms of hardware, the major difference is the software programs.
For the air-launched version, a universal missile launching rail system was also developed for C-802, reducing the installation time significantly. Furthermore, the new system allowed virtually any aircraft in the Chinese inventory to be armed with YJ-82K.
For the surface-launched version, Chinese developed a new launcher/storage container that is able to handle YJ-8 (C-801), YJ-82 (C-802) and CY-1 ASW missiles, and this new container became standard.
Launch platforms
- Type 051B (Luhai class) DDG, Type 053H3 (Jiangwei-II class) FFG
- Alvand (Saam) class (Vosper Mk5 type) Frigates, Moudge class frigate (Iran/Noor)
- Houdong class a.k.a. Thondor Class (Iran/Noor)
- Kaman class (Combattante II type), Sina class (Iran/Noor)
- F-22P Zulfiquar class frigates, Jalalat II class Missile Boats
- Xian H-6 (China)
- Xian JH-7 (China)
- JF-17 Thunder (Pakistan, C-802A)
- Sukhoi Su-24 (Iran, air launched variant Noor)
- F-4 Phantom II (Iran, air launched variant Noor)
- Land-based semi-mobile/mobile launcher
Variants
- YJ-82 (C-802): Original variant
- C-802A: Range extended to 180 km, displayed at the 2006 Zhuhai Air Show.
- YJ-82K (C-802K): Air launched variant
- C-802KD
- YJ-83 (C-803): Extended range variant to 150–200 km (255+km air-launched)
- KD-88 (KongDi-88): Land attack version of YJ-81 equipping PLAAF, revealed in 2006, range 180~200 km, 165 kg high-explosive warhead. Guided by INS, mid-course correction data-link and active radar homing for terminal guidance. Launched by Xian JH-7 fighter-bomber and Xian H-6 medium bomber. Upgrades include TV guidance, GPS guidance and passive radar guidance.
- YJ-2: Similar to KD-88, uses GPS guidance.
- YJ-85 (C-805): Land-attack cruise missile variant of YJ-8 family, believed to be guided by GPS and TERCOM.
- Noor: Iranian variant.
Operators
Algerian National Navy — Arms three Djebel Chenoua corvettes
Bangladesh Navy — Arms the frigate BNS Osman.
People's Liberation Army Navy - In service with the PLAN
Indonesian Navy — Arms the FPB 57 Nav 5 fast attack craft (license-built Albatros class FAC).
Islamic Republic of Iran Navy — Iran reportedly possesses 60 of the YJ-82, deployed in coastal batteries at Qeshm Island. Iran originally ordered 150 of the YJ-82 in the immediate aftermath of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, but due to American pressure, the Chinese suspended shipments of the missile to Iran in 1996 after 60 were delivered. It is also suggested that China exported 15 patrol boats equipped with these missiles to Iran. A version of the C-802 is called the Noor.
Pakistan Navy — Arms the F-22P Zulfiquar class frigates and Jalalat II class FAC.
Pakistan Air Force — Arms the JF-17 Thunder multirole combat aircraft
Myanmar Navy — Arms the Nawarat class corvette and fast attack craft.
Royal Thai Navy — Replaced C-801/YJ-81 with C-802/YJ-82, arming the Type 053HT class frigates.
- Liban - Hezbollah — used during the 2006 Liban war against an Israeli military ship : INS Hanit
Operational history
China
YJ-82 is deployed by the latest Chinese surface combatants, including destroyers and frigates, and earlier vessels have been upgraded with the missile. Airborne radar systems, carried by fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters, are also deployed to provide over-the-horizon targeting. The YJ-82K air launched variant arms the JH-7 fighter-bomber, which can carry 4 of the missiles. The missile is also deployed in the land attack role for shore bombardment.Middle-east
Iran reportedly bought about 60 land-launched variant YJ-82 missiles following the 1991 Persian Gulf War.Some news reports indicate that this was supposedly the missile used on July 14, 2006 in the 2006 Lebanon War when Hezbollah fired two at Israeli warships. One missile hit the corvette INS Hanit, causing significant damage and four fatalities. Chinese government sources have stated that the missile was not a C-802, that it was a Kowsar instead, and it is not certain if any anti-ship missiles of Chinese origin were used. Iran, the reported supplier of the missile to Hezbollah, refused to formally confirm or deny the claim. The Hanit suffered severe damage, but stayed afloat, got itself out of the line of fire, and made the rest of the journey back to Ashdod for repairs on its own.
The Israeli ship possessed sophisticated multi-layered missile defense capability: a Phalanx CIWS gun, Barak anti-missile missiles, Chaff and ECM. These should have been able to prevent an anti-ship missile attack such as the YJ-82, but according to the Israeli military, these were intentionally disabled at the time of the alleged Kowsar hit due to:
- a lack of intelligence indicating Hezbollah possessed such a missile; and
- the presence of many Israeli Air Force aircraft conducting operations in the vicinity of the ship which might have accidentally set off the ship's anti-missile/aerial threats system, with the danger of shooting down a friendly aircraft. However, the ship has an (optionally-installed, especially during wartime) Identification friend or foe interrogator system to prevent attacking friendly aircraft.
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