Algeria’s People’s National Army (ANP) fired a coastal defence missile at a sea target off its western coast on 10 November 2026, during the tactical exercise “Sakr El-Moutawassit 2026” (Mediterranean Falcon) at the Mers El Kébir main naval base near Oran. Footage released by the Ministry of National Defence (MDN) shows a mobile launcher that analysts identify as the Chinese CM-302, the export version of the YJ-12 supersonic anti-ship missile.
The MDN said the target was destroyed “with great precision” but did not name the weapon. The firing gives the clearest public view yet of a system Algeria is reported to have ordered in 2020, and which Military Africa reported as inducted in 2024.
What the Ministry Showed
General Saïd Chanegriha, Minister Delegate to the Minister of National Defence and Chief of Staff of the ANP, supervised the drill on the second day of his visit to the 2nd Military Region, according to the official Algeria Press Service (APS). On arrival at Mers El Kébir he reviewed a formation of naval vessels alongside Major General Mahfoud Benmeddah, Commander of the Naval Forces, then received a briefing from the naval and Western Maritime Front commanders on the concept and phases of the exercise.
The ministry framed the drill as part of the ANP’s 2026-2027 combat preparation programme. It said the hit showed how well crews now handle their weapons and equipment, and how far the readiness of the Naval Forces has advanced in recent years. In remarks to Western Maritime Front personnel, Chanegriha urged continued vigilance over the national coastline and a firm response to irregular migration and drug trafficking by sea, Algérie Brèves News reported.
Identifying the CM-302
The MDN video shows the missile leaving an elevated coastal position from a wheeled launcher carrying three rectangular canisters, a layout consistent with the Chinese coastal system, the South China Morning Post and Military Watch Magazine reported. The London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) lists the CM-302, also designated YJ-12E, among Algeria’s coastal defence missiles in both the 2024 and 2026 editions of The Military Balance.
The China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) builds the missile, which it first marketed at the Zhuhai air show in 2016 as an anti-ship and land-attack weapon for ship, land and air launch. Chinese state media give an advertised range of about 290 kilometres and a warhead of more than 250 kilograms. The missile uses a rocket booster for launch and a ramjet for sustained supersonic flight, with inertial navigation updated by China’s BeiDou satellite system and an active radar seeker for the final approach. Flying low over the sea at high speed leaves a defending warship very little time to detect and engage it.
That export range sits just under the 300-kilometre threshold of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). It corrects a figure in Military Africa’s 2024 report, which gave the YJ-12B a range of about 500 kilometres; the longer figures apply to Chinese domestic variants, not to the export CM-302 Algeria is understood to operate.
A Long Road From Order to Live Fire
Military Africa first reported Algeria’s YJ-12B purchase in 2022, citing an order placed in April 2020. Reports of the acquisition emerged in 2021, and photographs of camouflaged vehicles thought to belong to the system circulated the following year. The missile replaces the ageing Soviet P-15 Termit (SS-N-2 Styx) and joins the Mach 3 CX-1 anti-ship missile Algeria is believed to have acquired in 2018. Algeria had earlier looked at Russia’s Bastion coastal system before turning to cheaper Chinese options.
The Oran firing follows a busy year of naval live fire. On 20 May 2026, Chanegriha watched a multi-purpose corvette fire an anti-surface missile and combat aircraft launch a live anti-ship missile at the Eastern Maritime Front range at Jijel, according to the Naval Forces Command. Algeria also plans to build Chinese Type 056 corvettes at home after receiving the first, El Moutassadi, in 2023.
China’s Growing Share of Algeria’s Arsenal
Russia remains Algeria’s main arms supplier, but Chinese systems now fill a growing number of roles. Janes has reported Algeria’s confirmed use of the Chinese CHL-906 electronic reconnaissance and attack system alongside its Russian S-300PMU2 batteries, and Algeria is reported to operate the long-range HQ-9B air defence system. Military Watch Magazine reported in September 2026 that the short-range HQ-17 had been seen in Algerian colours, although the MDN has not confirmed the purchase. Algeria also flies Chinese CH-3, CH-4 and Wing Loong II drones, part of the wider pattern of Chinese arms sales widening across Africa.
Algeria was the first export customer for the CM-302. Pakistan’s navy carries it on its Tughril-class frigates, and reports in February that Iran was close to buying the missile were denied by Beijing.
Sea Denial on the Western Mediterranean
Mobile coastal batteries can be dispersed along Algeria’s long Mediterranean coastline, forcing any hostile navy to plan around launchers whose locations are hard to fix. Linked to coastal radars, maritime patrol aircraft and the navy’s own sensors, a missile with a range of about 290 kilometres fired from the Oran area covers much of the Alboran Sea.
The drill comes as North Africa’s arms competition sharpens. Morocco is adding Dutch-built unmanned surface vessels for mine countermeasures and anti-submarine work and more AH-64E Apache helicopters, while the end of the United Nations mission in Western Sahara on 31 October has raised tension around the berm. For Algiers, a public live fire of its most capable anti-ship missile sends a clear message about its intent to control the waters off its western coast, and about the Chinese technology now underpinning that intent. Readers can follow wider coverage of the North African arms race and our Algeria reporting.
