Just days ahead of the US-Israeli air strikes on Iran, a news report suggested that Beijing was close to selling supersonic cruise missiles to Tehran – a move that could significantly boost the Islamic Republic’s capacity to counter US aircraft carriers.
Before the world could work out whether game-changing Chinese missiles really would feature in an Iranian conflict against US forces, Beijing firmly denied the report, published by Reuters on February 24.
Citing six sources, Reuters reported that the deal – involving the CM-302 export version of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) YJ-12 – was “near completion”. China’s foreign ministry said last Monday that the report was “not true”.
The YJ-12, known as the “aircraft-carrier killer”, is part of the Yingji or Eagle Strike family of anti-ship missiles operated by the PLA.
With a maximum velocity of Mach 4, high terminal manoeuvrability and potent 200kg (440lbs) semi-armour-piercing warhead, the YJ-12 could pose a great threat to large surface warships.
Despite a substantive reduction in the YJ-12’s range to meet export standards, if CM-302 missiles were deployed along the Iranian coastline, they would cover almost the entire Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and much of the Gulf of Oman.
