Posted on 03/31/2009 9:55:05 AM PDT by Evil Slayer
With tensions already rising due to the Chinese navy becoming more aggressive in asserting its territorial claims in the South China Sea, the U.S. Navy seems to have yet another reason to be deeply concerned.
After years of conjecture, details have begun to emerge of a "kill weapon" developed by the Chinese to target and destroy U.S. aircraft carriers.
First posted on a Chinese blog viewed as credible by military analysts and then translated by the naval affairs blog Information Dissemination, a recent report provides a description of an anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) that can strike carriers and other U.S. vessels at a range of 2000km.
The range of the modified Dong Feng 21 missile is significant in that it covers the areas that are likely hot zones for future confrontations between U.S. and Chinese surface forces.
The size of the missile enables it to carry a warhead big enough to inflict significant damage on a large vessel, providing the Chinese the capability of destroying a U.S. supercarrier in one strike.
Because the missile employs a complex guidance system, low radar signature and a maneuverability that makes its flight path unpredictable, the odds that it can evade tracking systems to reach its target are increased. It is estimated that the missile can travel at mach 10 and reach its maximum range of 2000km in less than 12 minutes.
Supporting the missile is a network of satellites, radar and unmanned aerial vehicles that can locate U.S. ships and then guide the weapon, enabling it to hit moving targets.
(Excerpt) Read more at usni.org ...
HA! The zero doesn’t have the balls to launch a nuke. Hell, he doesn’t have the balls to launch a counter strike!
So what will be the shape of naval warfare and of our Navy's traditional role as the cavalry? will the Navy have to submerge? will the battle for the control of the seas actually be fought in space? how does all of this superduper stuff mesh with the pedestrian needs to whack a terrorist in a mud hut?
Being as a scram jet will not work until Mach 3+ the missle would need to incorporate some sort of rocket booster or ram jet to achieve enough forward velocity for a ram jet to work adding to the time it would take to impact from launch.
My guess would be 30 to 40 minutes at best. I would need to sit down and do the math.
I hate living under threats, I really do. My point of view is to get it on and get it finished if someone feels that way. Either they go or I go, doesn’t really make me any difference. Just don’t like the constant posturing, intimidation and threats. For what it is worth....
IIRC, ballistic missiles only have the rocket motors firing in the boost phase and then finish arcing up and then fall down on the target with some minimal guidance. There is not going to be much maneuvering.
Of course the Falklands could not - could not - have been retaken without using Aircraft carriers. The British had no choice but to use them.
Admiral Sandy Woodward made the defense of these two floating targets his main priority - and just as obviously the Argentinians made them their main targets.
They sank an aircraft-carrier sized container ship (the "Atlantic Conveyor") but never got near the real targets.
I guess the only alternative to expensive big-target carriers is to develop UCAVs that have the same/better firepower and capability as manned fighters - the carriers for those could be titchy by comparison.
From a satellite, tracking a blazing rocket during boost phase is easy, the exhaust is pretty hot and stands out well. Once the rocket burns out, it's not as easy to see.
If the warhead is stealthy in its orbital phase, and is able to shift around a bit, it makes it much harder for a kinetic-kill intercept to happen.
Sixteen nukes come from two missles ! Subs carry 12+ missles = 96 targets from 1 sub . Eight would be enough figuring in wind patterns and hoping it wouldn’t drift to cont. USA
There is no doubt of the US ability to turn Chinese cities and bases into glass.
The real issue is, in the event of a dustup leading to the respective Navies confronting each other, the Chinese make a calculated risk, and with luck, take down a US carrier.
Do you believe we would hit their cities with nukes in this case? I dunno, assuming in a coldblooded way the loss of 5-6000 US navy men, would the population of the US countenance the killing of millions of Chinese?
“We didn’t give them anything...The Clintons sold it to them for a fair and reasonable price in campaign contributions.”
And keeping those campaign contributions from China a secret was foremost in their minds when the Clintons had Jaimie Gorelick issue the “Wall” memo. They couldn’t risk the FBI getting info from the CIA on the money. So, in keeping with the Law of Unintended Consequences, the dots of the 911 conspiracy weren’t connected by the intel & CT communities.
There is no doubt of the US ability to turn Chinese cities and bases into glass.
The real issue is, in the event of a dustup leading to the respective Navies confronting each other, the Chinese make a calculated risk, and with luck, take down a US carrier.
Do you believe we would hit their cities with nukes in this case? I dunno, assuming in a coldblooded way the loss of 5-6000 US navy men, would the population of the US countenance the killing of millions of Chinese?
Will the Navy have to submerge?
Yes, and come up with stealth platforms difficult to target for surface ships and improved ECM capabilities for everyone.
Will the battle for the control of the seas actually be fought in space?
Absolutely. Both militaries are now capable of shooting down satellites. I expect the pious demands on the part of the UN that space never be "militarized" to be just as effective as the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922, which prevented WWII... :-)
“If it’s traveling at mach 10, does it need a warhead?”
Yeah, no kidding. My thoughts exactly. That’s 7,414.5 / MPH
Ping.
A news flash - World War 2 was over a long time ago. Our current enemies are highly creative, almost as technologically sophisticated as we are (in some technologies they already lead), they are blessed with a huge advantage in manufacturing and manpower, they have overwhelming numbers of sometimes simple but effective weapons (as compared to our handful of smart weapons), and they are not hamstrung with political correctness and a self-hating political leadership. Some of you folks will still be blinded to this reality right up until the point that you get vaporized.
And, while our enemies are dramatically improving their capabilities, we are a shadow of our former selves and our military and nuclear deterrent capability has been in radical decline since Daddy Bush was in office. The US hasn't fielded a new nuclear weapon in what, 2 decades? We have scrapped all of our Peacekeeper ICBM’s? These are only a few of the examples.
I suggest some of you people regroup and reevaluate our security situation. The enemy is preparing for a checkmate, and it appears that we are not only allowing it to happen, but we are actually assisting in our own destruction.
Repeat after me, the Islamic/terrorist enemy can do great damage to us, but only the clenched fist of Russia and China have the ability to annihilate the USA. Food for thought.
There is no such thing as an unsinkable ship. In the Second World War We lost FOUR fleet carriers in 1942 (USS Lexington (CV-2), USS Yorktown (CV-5), USS Wasp(CV-7) USS Hornet(CV-8))
This is a picture of USS Wasp:
> Report: Chinese Develop Special “Kill Weapon” to Destroy U.S. Aircraft Carriers
Is it called an OBAMA?
You mean a loss of 300 million a lot better than we could, right? When you've got a billion, what's a few hundred million? All they have to do is quit killing each families second born, and they'll make that up in a month.
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