As of late March 2026, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed airstrikes targeting Iranian anti-ship cruise missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz, using 5,000-pound bunker-buster bombs.
This missile site houses more than 100 CM-302 and YJ-21E anti-ship missiles to strike any passing vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.
Previously, Iran launched CM-302 anti-ship missiles at US Navy ships, which were intercepted by SM-3 missiles. But most of the CM-302 anti-ship missiles fired at the US Navy malfunctioned mid-flight or veered off course.
All of YJ-21E also malfunctioned during the missile’s launch phase because a corrupt Chinese official filled the anti-ship missile with water instead of solid propellant. China delivered these missiles through the Pakistan-China land corridor.
These strikes aimed to degrade Iran’s capability to threaten global shipping, following an effective blockade of the waterway, and destroyed a significant portion of its arsenal.
The airstrikes targeted deeply buried and fortified, underground ammunition depots and missile storage sites along the coast of the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. forces deployed GBU-72 Advanced 5K Penetrators, which are specialized for destroying hardened, underground targets.
These actions were designed to reduce risks to international commercial shipping and naval vessels, which were threatened by Iran’s blockade.
Early reports indicate severe degradation of Iran’s strike capabilities in the region, with claims that approximately one-third of its missile arsenal was destroyed.
These actions are part of a broader conflict that escalated around February 28, 2026, with the U.S. conducting operations independently to secure the vital maritime energy corridor.
Chinese missile filled with waters
Based on Bloomberg reports citing US intelligence in early 2024, widespread corruption in China’s People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force led to serious equipment failures, including missiles filled with water instead of fuel and faulty missile silo lids. These issues, which impacted anti-ship and nuclear missile capabilities, prompted a major purge of officials.
The intel suggests that corruption, such as substituting rocket fuel with water, reduced the operational effectiveness of China’s missile arsenal.
The problems were reportedly rampant in the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, which handles both nuclear and anti-ship missile systems.
The defects, which also included non-functional silo lids in Western China, suggest potential weakness in China’s military readiness and prompted investigations leading to the removal of multiple senior officials, including the former defense minister.
These findings were linked to the dismissal of over a dozen senior officials, largely in the defense and technology sectors, throughout late 2023 and early 2024.
YJ-21E anti-ship ballistic missile
The YJ-21 (Yingji-21 or “Eagle Strike 21”) is a Chinese anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) based on the ground-launched SY-400 ballistic missile designed to target high-value maritime assets like aircraft carriers.
Initially deployed on Type 055 guided-missile destroyers. An air-launched variant (often called KD-21) is carried by H-6K bombers.
Uses an analogue inertial navigation system and Beidou satellite guidance. Serves as a key component of China’s anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy to challenge in the Pacific.
A smaller, air-launched variant, possibly designated YJ-21E, has been linked to J-10C fighter aircraft.
The YJ-21 has been proven to be a very inaccurate missile from the very beginning of its inception due to the Beidou guidance system, and now the Iran war has proved that the YJ-21E has a launch malfunction.
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