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Posted on 04/24/2013 4:49:16 AM PDT by ryan71
The U.S. Navy believes that China has already begun deploying the DF-21D ballistic missile, which was designed for use against the U.S. Navy, particularly aircraft carriers. In response the Americans are developing defenses and countermeasures against the DF-21D. Details of this effort are, for obvious reasons, kept secret.
The basic DF-21 is a 15 ton, two stage, solid fuel missile that is 10.7 meters (35 feet) long and 140cm (4.6 feet) in diameter. Range varies (from 1,700-3,000 kilometers) depending on model. The DF-21D is believed to have a range of 1,500-2,000 kilometers. While the 500-2,000 kg (.5-2 ton) warhead usually contains a nuclear weapon, there are also several types of conventional warheads, including one designed for use against warships. Some of these conventional warheads are for use against targets in Taiwan. This is because the DF-21, as a longer range ballistic missile, comes down on the target faster than the 1,200 shorter range ballistic missiles aimed at Taiwan. That means that the DS-21 is too fast for the Pac-3 anti-missile missiles Taiwan is installing around crucial installations.
Until recently there was no evidence that the complete DF-21D system had been tested. But recently satellite photos showed a 200 meter long white rectangle in the Gobi Desert (in Western China) with two large craters in it. This would appear to be a “target” for testing the DF-21D and two of the inert practice warheads appear to have hit the target. American carriers are over 300 meters long, although the smaller carriers (amphibious ships with helicopter decks) are closer to 200 meters long. It appears China is planning on the using the DF-21D against smaller warships, or perhaps they just wanted to see exactly how accurate the missile could be.
(Excerpt) Read more at strategypage.com ...
The Chinese affectionately dub their Carrier Killers the “Bill Clinton Cigar.”
Large carriers are now large targets.
Wonder why China is building another one.
Theirs is also a target.
Very clever to have conned the Chinese into wasting all of that money.
Obama has no intention of defending Taiwan, or anybody else in the South Pacific.
Very unlikely to be a "ballistic" missile if it is meant to be aimed at a ship unless it is one in port. Ballistic means that it just follows the path of gravity rather than being able to guided to its target. You won't have a chance to get a direct hit on a ship at sea unless it is traveling at a constant speed and direction for the entire time it takes to target, launch and fly the missile without some type of terminal guidance.
Ballistic missiles can have maneuvering re-entry vehicles (MARVs), as the DF-21D so the statement is accurate. The flight profile is ballistic with a MARV with a radar seeker.
Thank you. The treachery of the Clintons has not yet come to a end.
Probably won't see a pickup mounted version any time soon.
At that weight and coming down as fast as it does, would it even need to carry a warhead? Hit one of our flat tops and punch a hole all the way to the sea. That is a terrifying thought.
I am imagining what happens with entry and exit wounds. The damage would be horrific.
Can our flat tops be equipped with a large deflection plates? Maybe have a second deck that can be quickly raised up at at sharp angle to deflect the ballistic bullet off and into the sea?
Another bit of good news about our friends across the Pacific.
Ballistic is no longer used in a limited sense, and ICBMs have always had mid course guidance systems. In this case, the reentry guided warhead is delivered to a "basket", which covers all possible positions of the ship (30 kts just doesn't take you far in 10 minutes). The reentry vehicle then guides the warhead into the ship using either radar, IR, or a combination of both.
The proliferation, theft, and giving away of technology may well have come home to roost.
The quoted weight includes the fuel and discarded structure of the multi-stage missile.
And no, they cannot be fitted with plates as you suggest. The simple answer is that they would weigh too much, be too complex to fiit, and useless even if they were made part of the design.
bttt
The DF-21D is a maneuvering anti-ship ballistic missile with a variable yield nuclear warhead. With a nuke, close enough is good enough. That is why the Navy is looking at a defensive laser ABM system.
ChiPing
It might be just a little harder to hit a moving carrier than a rectangle painted in the Gobi Desert. Assuming the carrier is warned and is maneuvering.
Sounds reasonable to me. That sucks.
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