Note: The following text was originally posted on my X/Twitter account.
While the mockups of the newly unveiled Chinese ramjet-powered YJ-15 supersonic anti-ship cruise missile do not appear to include suspension lugs—which are indicative of an air-launched munition—the YJ-15—or a version/derivative thereof—may well be carried by PLA Air Force (PLAAF) H-6K/H-6J/H-6N bombers, PLAAF J-16 fighters—among others, and the PLA Navy Air Force (PLANAF)'s carrier-borne catapult-assisted take-off barrier arrested recovery (CATOBAR) J-15T fighters.
Although China has deployed a ramjet-powered supersonic anti-ship cruise missile in the form of the YJ-12 for around fifteen years, the YJ-12 is far too large and heavy to be carried by aircraft other than H-6K and H-6J—and presumably the H-6N—bombers alongside the older H-6L (which refers to an upgraded H-6G). While the aforementioned bomber aircraft will likely face few barriers to also carrying the YJ-15, the new supersonic anti-ship cruise missile may be sufficiently "light" and "compact" to be carried on a centerline weapons station between the air intakes of these closely related Soviet/Russian-origin aircraft designs.
For the PLAAF, which is now the lead PLA service branch in aerial maritime strike roles following the transfer of most of the PLANAF's land-based crewed fixed-wing combat aircraft to the PLAAF in 2023, new anti-ship missiles can reduce the burden placed on the large but finite fleet of H-6 bombers, which are also required to undertake strike sorties against terrestrial targets. Should the J-16, among other PLAAF combat aircraft, be able to employ the likes of the new YJ-15 supersonic anti-ship cruise missile, PLAAF fighter brigades located near the entirety of China's coastline can undertake maritime strike missions with munitions that are far more capable than the increasingly outdated subsonic YJ-83K anti-ship cruise missile family. It is important to note that many of the PLAAF's bomber brigades and regiments—which now include ex-PLANAF bomber aircraft that were previously tasked with the aerial maritime strike role—are garrisoned at airbases located far from China's coastline. Fighter aircraft are, in contrast, not only far more numerous but are also far better positioned to undertake aerial maritime strike missions with the likes of the YJ-15 and the older YJ-83K.