Posted on 10/13/2013 11:24:21 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
The Xuzhou, one of China's Type 054A frigates. (Internet Photo)
Staff Reporter
China would have to sacrifice up to 40% of its People's Liberation Army Navy fleet in an attempt to sink a super aircraft carrier like the USS Gerald R Ford in a campaign, according to a report from the Moscow-based Military-Industrial Courier.
China currently possesses several effective weapons systems that could be used against a US carrier battle group, including its DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missiles and 12 guided-missile destroyers. The country's two Type 051C and six Type 052C destroyers are all equipped with anti-ship missiles such as the YJ-83, C-805 and YJ-62, and they would also pose a serious threat against US carriers within the Asia-Pacific region. In addition, China has purchased four Sovremenny-class destroyers equipped with Moskit SSM P-270 anti-ship missiles from Russia, the report said.
Aside from the Liaoning, the country's first aircraft carrier, the PLA Navy currently has 15 Type 054A frigates carrying HQ-16 surface-to-air missile within its vertical launching system. With the capability to defend the Chinese fleet against the US carrier-based aircrafts, Type 054A is able to sink enemy vessel with its C-803 anti-ship missile as well.
If a US carrier battle group were to enter the waters of the Chinese coast, the PLA Navy could also deploy its 10 Type 056 corvettes and 40 Type 022 missile boats to fight in guerrilla warfare at sea against the US Navy, the report said. Both vessels able to launch anti-ship missiles such as YJ-83 and C-803 and the United States Navy would loses 10% of its strength in the region if one of its carriers were to be sunk.
However, the PLA Navy would not be able to sink a US aircraft carrier easily. According to the Forbes magazine, several countermethods have been developed by the US Navy to defend its aircraft carriers from Chinese attacks. While long-range unmanned aerial vehicles are able to destroy Chinese missile facilities, F-35 fighters with a combat range of 200 and 300 nautical miles enables the US ships to fight without entering the Chinese coastline.
The Military-Industrial Courier estimated that between 30%-40% of China's total naval strength would be lost to simply destroy one US carrier. Meanwhile, the biggest weakness for the US Navy in a potential conflict with the PLA Navy would be how to deploy its 11 carriers, 88 surface combat vessels, 55 Littoral Combat Ships and 31 amphibious assault ships to the Western Pacific in a short period of time, the report said.
No prob.
Obama will sink the US carriers much faster, and with no Chinese loss...
This doesn’t take into account the use of nuclear weapons or advanced missiles on the part of the Chinese.
I see US sailors tossing the ball back and forth on the decks of US naval vessels in Pearl Harbor...
Sequester and Barry stripping the Armed forces down, relieving top (good, effective) generals, cutbacks, relying on old systems developed in the 1970’s and 80’s.
We are asleep again...
It also doesn't take into account our annihilating Shanghai or the entire nation of China altogether.
Now, really! Only a leader with a visceral hatred of the United States would do such a thing! Why, the very idea is outlandishly far-fetched! /s;)
Just a few years back it seemed to me that it would be far fetched to have an agent of our governement touch my child’s gentals prior to boarding a plane? Just sayin’.
The USN could use fighters capable of defending the task force a long way out from the ships.
We could call them F-14s.
Add satellite laser weapons as well
We may have a false sense of security with aircraft carriers. Aircraft carriers are very old tech, even with the upgrades the bottom line is they were designed for a different world than we have today.
The article is totally wrong. It would only take a skiff with a load of explosives to sink the carrier.
Why? Political Correctness (PC)! Just like the incident with the Cole.
PC guarantees that we would not dare to actually fire a BB gun at an attacking enemy until an “all clear” was given by the head PC officer so that an international incident would not be incurred.
In the Cole incident the guards carried rifles but they were not loaded and if they were, permission to shoot would have to be “staffed” before they could.
Political Correctness is the secret weapon of all against the U.S. and the enemy know it.
... with error bars extending from 0% to 100% of the PLA fleet for 0 to 11 US carriers.
I see the armchair admirals are denigrating the AC carrier again.
Um, no it wouldn't......
I had a friend who served on carriers during the 1950’s. When they made a courtesy call in South America, they would play fire hoses at any small craft that approached too close, and that was an effective tactic. They made a courtesy call in Amsterdam and were confronted by Moscow-lead, protesters in small boats, who were treated to a salt water shower. My friend who was a tall handsome young Lt. JG at the time, was selected to be a member of a delegation who visited the Queen. She expressed her personal satisfaction at the treatment of the protesters to the U.S. Naval officers, and indicated her belief that most Dutch appreciated their actions.
If the PLA were to sink a U.S. carrier, they should lose more than 40% of their fleet. They should lose all their military bases, command and control facilities and their seat of government.
With our current regime, it ain’t gonna happen.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.