C - 101 The C - 101 ( FL - 2 ) is a supersonic anti - ship missile that can be launched from air , ship , and shore . Alternatively , the air - launched version is also called YJ - 1 by Chinese , with YJ short for Ying Ji ( 鹰击 ) , meaning Eagle Strike . The missile is also known designated by Chinese as Fei Long - 2 for export ( with " Fei Long " meaning Flying Dragon – 2 , or FL - 2 for short ) , and there are two side - mounted ramjet engines at the rear of the airframe . The ship - launched version C - 101 and the air - launched version YJ - 1 both have integrated fire control system to meet the tight space requirement on board ships and aircraft , where the coastal defense version FL - 2 has a distributed fire control system , where power , radar , and operator consoles are located separately to reduce the possible damage from enemy attacks . This is a practice commonly adopted by other Chinese missiles such as Silkworm missile s . The NATO reporting name for this missile is CSSC - 5 Saple . The development of C - 101 missile started in the late 1970s , and production began in the mid - 1990s , as part of the replacement of the obsolete HY - 2 / CSS - N - 2 missiles . The Chinese Navy tested the C - 101 anti - ship missile on the Hoku - class missile boat , and Huang - class missile boat are being fitted with four C - 101 launch tubes , while smaller classes carry two launch tubes . The air - launched version has been reportedly carried on the H - 5 and Xi ’ an H - 6 bombers and the Harbin SH - 5 amphibian and eventually expanded to most of the aircraft in the Chinese inventory . The armed with a 300 kg semi - armor - piercing warhead with a delayed impact fuse . Cruising at an altitude below 50 meters , the missile dives about 3 kilometers away from the target to 5 meters above the sea level and then dive to attack , impacting just above the waterline . The C - 101 anti - ship missile has a lower speed and higher cruise altitude than larger and more potent supersonic anti - ship missiles such as the SS - N - 22 , and thus is relatively prone to interception in comparison to the SS - N - 22 , but this drawback is partially made up by its smaller radar cross section and lower infrared signature . The same advantages are retained when compared to the subsonic Silkworm missile s , which also have higher cruise altitude and lower speed in comparison to C - 101 . As a result , the C - 101 saw wider service in Chinese armed forces than its larger cousin C - 301 , mainly as a stopgap measure for the air force until the newer supersonic missile such as the Russian Kh - 31 becomes widely available , and as an upgrade for older missile boats such as the Heku class to replace the original Silkworm missile s on board . Although Chinese claim that other type of seekers such as infrared imaging and television seekers have been successfully developed , the status is rather uncertain due to the availability of newer anti - ship missiles . The general designer of C - 101 is Mr . Liang Shoupan ( 梁守磐 ) , who is also the general designer of another Chinese supersonic AShM C - 301 . According to Chinese military enthusiasts , the upgraded C - 101 with the latest improvements is reportedly designated as YJ - 16 .