A PRIVATE aerospace firm has claimed a world first by beginning mass production of a low-cost, high-performance hypersonic missile, signaling a potentially disruptive shift in global military technology. On Tuesday, Beijing-based Lingkong Tianxing Technology released a video from a desert test range showcasing its YKJ-1000 hypersonic missile. The footage showed the missile’s liftoff, mid-flight maneuvers, and a successful strike on a ground target following a steep terminal dive. According to a company representative, the YKJ-1000 is in mass production and costs just one-tenth the price of traditional hypersonic-class missiles. The YKJ-1000 maintains speeds between Mach 5 and Mach 7 and remains powered for six minutes, enabling long-range, high-energy maneuvering. With a range of 500 to 1,300 km, it can reach key regional targets. A company statement said the missile can conduct rapid precision strikes against high-value targets behind defense lines, such as command centers, missile positions, and radar installations. It can also perform fast reconnaissance, leveraging its speed and high-resolution sensors. The missile’s launcher resembles a standard shipping container, enabling deployment from trucks, ships, and other mobile platforms. The launch video showed automated stabilizer supports extending from the container before ignition. Animated sequences highlighted advanced autonomous functions, depicting mid-flight target recognition and threat evasion. This suggests the system may be designed to bypass layered defenses, such as carrier strike groups or land-based air defense networks. Actual test footage showed the missile diving at high speed onto a ground target. Traditionally, China’s missile and aerospace development has been dominated by State-owned giants such as CASC and AVIC. The emergence of a private firm claiming full-spectrum capability — including aerodynamics, thermal protection, propulsion, guidance, and system integration — marks an important shift. The firm stated it has secured military industry certifications and operates an independent technology chain. Lingkong Tianxing attributes its reportedly low production costs to the use of civilian-grade automotive chips, repurposed automotive production lines, common construction materials, and AI-driven manufacturing systems. This industrial model mirrors China’s success in drones, electric vehicles, and commercial aerospace. A U.S. defense analyst noted that while Washington has spent decades and tens of billions of dollars on hypersonic programs through contractors like Boeing and Lockheed Martin, China’s commercial-style mass production model could give it a numerical advantage long before other nations achieve similar industrial efficiency. According to the company, an upgraded YKJ-1000 variant is under development, featuring AI-driven autonomy, swarm coordination, and improved sensor integration. These technologies could enable collective attacks or coordinated reconnaissance. The company is also developing a civilian hypersonic aircraft capable of sustained flight above Mach 5, targeting a test flight by 2027 and a full-scale vehicle by 2030. (SD-Agencies) | 