Are Chinese missiles the best in the world?

One of China's largest arms manufacturers – the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC) – showcased its new export version of the CM-302 hypersonic missile at the Zhuhai Airshow. This missile is capable of striking both ground and underwater targets. Some Chinese media outlets have called it "the best in the world." Is this really true?

Russian military expert Vasily Kashin, in his commentary for "Sputnik," wrote: "China will certainly succeed in developing a supersonic anti-ship missile. But its ability to create a completely modern version of this weapon is very modest. The supersonic cruise missile, produced by the CASC and CASIC corporations, is a copy, albeit with structural modifications, of two important Russian anti-ship cruise missiles."

The Chinese CX-1 missile, presented by CASC at the Zhuhai Airshow in 2014, was based on the well-known Russian "Yakhont" anti-ship missile and the closely related BrahMos missile, a joint Russian-Indian product. The CM-302 missile is an export version of the YJ-12, displayed by rival company CASC at the current exhibition. The YJ-12 is essentially a larger version of the Russian X-31 anti-ship missile, manufactured in China under license from Russia. However, China does not possess supersonic heavy anti-ship missiles similar to Russia's P-1000 "Basalt" and P-700 "Granit".

These missiles are designed to counter aircraft carriers. They have a range of over 700 km and speeds up to 2.5 Mach (2.5 times the speed of sound). With a single salvo, they exchange information in flight and coordinate simultaneous attacks on targets from multiple directions. The latest versions of the "Granite" and "Basalt" missiles can also target land-based targets. However, it should be noted that China's advancements in missile manufacturing are affecting the military-political situation in the Pacific, causing concern for the Americans. The most common anti-aircraft missile, the US Standard SM-2, is unable to counter China's YJ-12 due to its limited range. Modernizing the US long-range missile defense system with the longer-range Standard SM-6 missile would require enormous costs, as one such missile costs $4 million. It should be recalled that, in the near future, Russia hopes to receive more modern means of anti-ship warfare. Tests have already been conducted on the "Zircon" hypersonic missile, which can reach five times the speed of sound.

According to Sputnik