JL-1 (air-launched ballistic missile)

This article is about Jīng Léi-1 (JL-1), the air-launched ballistic missile. For JL-1 (Jù Làng-1), submarine-launched ballistic missile, see JL-1.

The JL-1 (Chinese: 惊雷-1; pinyin: Jīng Léi-Yī; lit. 'thunderclap-1') is a Chinese nuclear-capable air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM); designed to be carried by the People's Liberation Army Air Force's Xi'an H-6N strategic bombers and launched as a standoff weapon, forming part of China's nuclear triad.

JL-1 air-launched ballistic missile

The JL-1 missile was first unveiled at the 2025 China Victory Day Parade. Analysts believed the JL-1 is an air-launched missile variant of the DF-21 medium-range ballistic missile, previously known as the KF-21 or by its NATO designation: CH-AS-X-13. The KF-21 was reportedly to serve a nuclear strike or anti-ship role, and is a two-stage missile with a range of 3,000 km (1,900 mi). It was in development by 2018, and the United States projected it would be ready for deployment by 2025. However, during its official reveal, the missile was reported to have a range of 8,000 km (5,000 mi), which is significantly longer than both DF-21 and DF-26, making it an intercontinental ballistic missile. The missile's longer range may have benefited from the speed of its launch aircraft, thus having a much greater range than its ground-launched counterparts.

Weight reduction may have been achieved by using composite materials. The War Zone reported two possible warhead configurations; a DF-21D-style "double-cone" tip, and a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) similar to the DF-ZF on the DF-17 missile.