Video footage released by China Central Television (CCTV) reveals the brigade's exercise involving four 8x8 WS2400 transporter-erector-launchers (TELs), each equipped with three YJ-62 ASCMs, alongside a single 8x8 command post vehicle.
The Northern Theater Navy operates under the Northern Theater Command, headquartered in Shenyang City of Liaoning Province, with jurisdiction over northern China and the Korean Peninsula.
The YJ-62 missiles, previously deployed mainly in the Eastern and Southern Theater Commands, are now likely introduced for the first time to units in the Northern Theater Command.
The YJ-62, a turbojet-powered medium-range anti-ship missile, boasts a maximum range of 500 kilometers and can carry 450 kg of high-explosive armor-piercing warheads. With a subsonic speed of 0.9 Mach, it poses a significant threat to naval targets.
A single effective hit from its warhead, weighing up to 300 kilograms, can cause severe damage or even sink a 5,000-ton warship, as noted by GlobalSecurity.org.
While the YJ-62 is no longer the sole heavy anti-ship missile in China, as more advanced ASCMs like the YJ-12 and YJ-18 are in service, its deployment in the Northern Theater Command underscores the PLA's commitment to strengthening military capabilities along China's northeastern coast and the Yellow Sea.
This move is seen as part of preparations for potential conflicts involving the Korean Peninsula, Russia, or Japan.
The Yellow Sea holds paramount geographic and historical significance for China and the Korean Peninsula, serving as a crucial maritime hub for military, trade, and diplomacy. Given Beijing's proximity to the Korean Peninsula, maintaining peace and stability in the Yellow Sea is vital for China's economic development. Recent provocations by North Korea, including artillery and cruise missile launches in the region, may be prompting heightened vigilance from China toward its northern neighbor.
