For the first time, a video of the launch of the Chinese analog of the Dagger, the 2PZD-21 hypersonic missile, was shown
China showed a video of its new and secretive air-launched missile, known as the 2PZD-21. Its existence first became known in November 2022, when it was shown during the Zhuhai International Airshow, although the first information about China’s development of an airborne hypersonic missile dates back to 2018.
Despite the public demonstration, the exact characteristics of the missile remain undisclosed. And in the new video, this missile appears for only a few seconds and is dropped from an H-6K bomber (a localized and deeply modernized version of the Tu-16). Whether it was just a reset or a full-fledged launch is unknown.
Chinese H-6K strategic bomber firing 2PZD-21 air-launched hypersonic anti-ship ballistic missile.
It is a variant of China’s YJ-21 missile, which is capable of engaging both land and naval targets at hypersonic speeds.
The 2PZD-21 missile has a combat range exceeding 2,000 km. pic.twitter.com/I64OqHTxO2
– Clash Report (@clashreport) May 1, 2024
The video itself was released on May 1, International Labor Day, and is dedicated to Chinese bombers. The video also shows the use of conventional bombs, the work of pilots and ground personnel.
As with the X-47M2 Kinzhal, it is believed that the 2PZD-21 is based on a tactical ballistic missile, most likely the CM-401. This is a solid-fuel missile designed to be launched from the B-611 complex and has a declared range of 290 km for the export version.
Similarly to a ballistic missile, the Iskander has a complex trajectory on the marching part of the flight, and uses an active radar head for guidance on the final section, which also allows it to be used as a ballistic anti-ship missile.
However, the main difference between the 2PZD-21 and the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal is that it can be carried by a subsonic bomber. While the carrier of the Kinzhal is the MiG-31K, which is the actual first stage of the missile, which not only lifts it to a considerable height but also accelerates to supersonic speeds before launch, the Chinese missile is dropped from the subsonic H-6K.
