The YJ-83 uses microprocessors and a strap-down
inertial reference unit (IRU); these are more compact than the equivalent electronics used in the
YJ-8 and the export C-802, allowing the YJ-83 to have a 180-km range at
Mach 0.9. The missile is powered by the Chinese CTJ-2 turbojet and is fitted with a 190-kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead. Terminal guidance is by an active radar. The air-launched
YJ-83K has a range of , a cruise speed of Mach 0.9, and a high-explosive, semi-armour piercing warhead. The improved
YJ-83KH uses an imaging-infrared seeker and has a range of 230 km; reportedly it may receive course corrections by remote link. The YJ-83 entered service with the
People's Liberation Army Navy in 1998 and 1999, equipping large numbers of its surface warships. The YJ-83K is the standard anti-ship missile carried by the
People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force; The
People's Liberation Army Air Force was using the YJ-83K by February 2020. It is powered by the French
TRI 60-2 turbojet and has a range of . The C-802 is considered a part of the YJ-83 family by the US military. The C-802 was likely an export-only design. From the 1990s, it was erroneously reported that it was used by China as the "YJ-2". It is not an export version of the
YJ-82; the two are separate developments. The
C-802A Western reporting has erroneously attributed the "C-803" designation to the YJ-83. The "C-803" designation was not used in Chinese promotional information through 2012. ==Operational history==