Algeria test-fires apparent Chinese YJ-12 supersonic missile in Mediterranean drill

Algeria’s military has released footage showing what appears to be the export variant of China’s YJ-12 supersonic anti-ship missile being test-fired along the country’s Mediterranean coast, offering a rare glimpse of an advanced Chinese weapon in service with one of Beijing’s African military customers.

The weapon was launched from a mobile coastal-defence system near the western Algerian city of Oran on Tuesday, striking a target at sea during the country’s Mediterranean Falcon 2026 military exercise. Algeria’s Ministry of National Defence said the target was destroyed “with great precision”.

Algeria’s military chief General Said Chanegriha supervised the exercise, which was part of the armed forces’ 2026-27 combat preparation programme.

Footage released by the ministry showed the missile being launched from an elevated coastal position using a wheeled launcher carrying three rectangular missile canisters.

Although the ministry did not identify the weapon, both the missile and the launcher shown in the footage strongly resemble those of the Chinese CM-302 system, an export variant of the YJ-12 family of anti-ship missiles.

Reports of Algeria’s acquisition of the CM-302 date back to 2021, with photographs published the following year appearing to show camouflaged vehicles carrying the Chinese coastal-defence system.

The London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies listed the CM-302, also designated YJ-12E, among Algeria’s coastal-defence missiles in The Military Balance 2024 and included it again in its 2026 edition.

Developed by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), the CM-302 was unveiled in 2016 at the Zhuhai air show and marketed as capable of striking large warships, including aircraft carriers and destroyers, as well as fixed targets on land.

The weapon has an advertised range of 290km (180 miles) and a warhead weighing more than 250kg (550lbs), according to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency. Its supersonic speed and ability to fly at low altitude over the sea are designed to reduce the time available for warships to detect and intercept an incoming attack.

Such a system could allow Algerian forces to hold approaching warships at risk without relying on naval vessels to launch an attack.

China has become one of Algeria’s main arms suppliers, accounting for 27 per cent of the North African country’s major arms imports between 2021 and 2025, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Russia was its largest supplier, with a 39 per cent share.

Algeria has also acquired Chinese Caihong-3 and Caihong-4 strike-capable drones and reportedly ordered six larger Caihong-5 drones. The Military Balance 2026 lists 54 Chinese-made PLZ-45 self-propelled howitzers in Algeria’s army inventory.

Defence ties between the two countries have extended beyond arms purchases. During a visit to Beijing in November 2023, Chanegriha met senior Chinese military officials and toured several defence manufacturers, including CASIC, the company behind the CM-302.

Algeria’s acquisition of the CM-302 and other Chinese weapons systems underscores Beijing’s role in supplying sophisticated military hardware to Africa, including armed drones, air-defence systems and electronic warfare equipment.

China accounted for 17 per cent of Africa’s major arms imports between 2021 and 2025, making it the continent’s second-largest supplier after the United States, with 19 per cent, and ahead of Russia, with 15 per cent, according to SIPRI.