from strategypage
January 29, 2013: Last November China announced that it had its first export customer (Pakistan) for its new CM-400AKG supersonic cruise missile. This is the export version of the YJ-12, which was supposed to have entered service a decade ago but has not actually been seen until recently. The YJ-12 was known to be in development in the late 1990s. It entered service in small numbers a decade ago and then disappeared. The YJ-12 was to be used on the navy land-based JH-7 bombers. This missile is also meant for use on ships and mobile ground launchers.
With a max range of 250 kilometers and a guidance system that includes GPS, onboard radar, and an image recognition system that can identify a specific target, the YJ-12/CM-400AKG uses its high speed to evade defenses on ships. In all these respects the CM-400AKG is very similar to the Indo-Russian BrahMos. One major difference between the two missiles is that the CM-400AKG still appears to be in development and there is no evidence of tests. This sale may be a ploy by the Chinese manufacturer to determine if it will be worth the huge expense to actually make this missile work. The YJ-12 itself appears to have finally entered service. At least there are now photos of several YJ-12s in what appears to be an air base. In addition there are the sales efforts for the export version and the announcement that Pakistan was the first customer. Meanwhile, China relies on a number of slower anti-ship missiles.
