[nathanbedford]

I hope Freepers who are knowledgeable will post on this subject.

It seems to me that if this account can be credited the defense of the fleet at sea necessarily requires the destruction of Chinese satellites if the missiles themselves are likely to penetrate our defenses. This means the extension of war into space. The article seems to be telling us that missile to missile defense is quite difficult against these Chinese missiles, so that leaves the destruction of the guidance systems in space.

I would also like to hear from someone knowledgeable about the implications long-term for the viability of aircraft carriers. Does it not seem likely that they could rapidly become obsolete and the Navy would have to rely on submarines and missiles? Could missiles be slowed down at will and converted, in effect, into drones with ability to loiter and with, of course, television capabilities?

[Billthedrill]

Mach 10? Probably not, unless it's still in the science fantasy stage of design. A ship-killing ballistic missile? Been there, done that. Somebody's doing some serious hyperventilating here, IMHO. If the Chinese weren't working on a long-range ballistic missile I'd be shocked.

[PapaBear3625]

Could missiles be slowed down at will and converted, in effect, into drones with ability to loiter and with, of course, television capabilities?

If you put a bunch of warheads into polar orbit, they can loiter in orbit indefinitely, and be triggered to reenter and hit a target on command.