Five Chinese Weapons of War America Should Fear

The National Interest ^ | May 7, 2014 | By Kyle Mizokami

[Brad from Tennessee]

In the last twenty years, China has quickly ascended from a regional to global military power. A generation ago, the People’s Liberation Army was armed with antiquated weapons and oriented towards a manpower-intensive “People’s War”. In the intervening period China has gone from a green to blue water navy, the air force is actively developing so-called fifth-generation fighters, and the army has been extensively modernized.

A vast array of new Chinese weapons are under development, some alarming in their potential.

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The most dangerous weapon to U.S. forces in the Asia-Pacific region is the Dong Feng-21D anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM). Somewhat prematurely dubbed “the Carrier Killer”, the DF-21D is a medium-range ballistic missile specifically designed to attack American aircraft carriers, skirting the defenses of a U.S. naval task force to attack ships from above at hypersonic speeds.

DF-21D is a land-based system, with an estimated range of up to 1,500+km. Once launched, the missile would release a reentry vehicle traveling at speeds of up to Mach 10-12. The resulting velocity and kinetic energy—to say nothing of the reentry vehicle’s payload—would cause serious damage to even the largest naval vessels. Nobody knows for sure, but it is believed direct hits from a DF-21D could be enough to put an aircraft carrier out of action, or even sink it. . .

[chiefqc]

Weapon #1 - Mac daddies red line foreign policy.

Weapon #2 - Mac daddies waiting for confirmation reports

Weapon #3 - Mac daddies selecting who he will blame if things go wrong

Weapon #4 - Mac daddy pauses on retalitation

Weapon #5 - Mac daddies wide yellow stripe down his back

[Billthedrill]

Yep. Fear General Tso, too.

[Gaffer]

A near vertical targeting of a carrier with an accurate maneuvering, tracking missile would be hard to defend against. They should be scared of it.

[Gaffer]

The problem is the missile is pretty much in terminal mode, very fast,very high aspect angle, but still maneuverable and tracking. The high angle is pretty much in the handover angle for many of the multi-faceted radars and even the CIWS. I wouldn't wanna be on a carrier that was targeted by one depending on a nearby Arleigh Burke Missile destroyer to take it out.

[Mariner]

I quite reading when the author suggested China has a Blue Water Navy.

I'll believe that when I see them unrep a Task Force of Warships off the coast of California.

DF21 "Carrier Killer"? Show me.

I don't believe even the US could build something like that, as described. Hitting a moving target from 1k miles out with a ballistic missile? Good luck.

[Gaffer]

You have to be able to track and respond quickly enough to maneuver, and the carrier certainly won’t be doing the tracking so that means the combined carrier group assets, the ABs and their Aegis radars would have to do it and then get the data to the carrier quick enough and for them to respond. I don’t think they could do it personally.

And if you think Obama is going to respond to anything with a nuclear response, then I don’t know what to tell you.

[Mariner]

Check out this video on a new, Production US Weapon.

http://www.boeing.com/Features/2012/10/bds_champ_10_22_12.html

We can shut down pretty much anything we choose, whenever and wherever we want.

[factoryrat]

We off-shored all of the technology the chinese would ever need to defeat us in any combat scenario, along with giving them the upper hand in any asymmetrical warfare situation, all for making the next quarterly profit projection.

Face it, we sold our souls for profit, and gave away the keys to the kingdom in the process.

If the chinese enacted an embargo on the US tomorrow, virtually all industry in this country would grind to a halt within less than a month. That is how much of the US industry that was here, now resides in china, and they know
it, and they will use it as a weapon when the time comes.

[Mariner]

That’s what you call some Good Order and Discipline right there:)

[baddog 219]

[DCBryan1]

It's one thing to hit a stationary test target sitting the middle of a desert. Quite another to hit one maneuvering at 35+ knots.

With a kenetic round, yes, but with a low-yield nuke or Fuel-Air munitions, not so much.

[Kenny Bunk]

Brad, fuggedabout the missile.

The big danger is Chinese Military Tailoring. The cute soldier-boy in the posted article would cause our people to ROTFLTAO and be unable to operate their weapons.

That sleazeoid material reminded me of the stuff in the Hall'o'ween costume store, along with the 1944 girlie shoulder pads. Very Barbara Stanwyck.

BTW, a 1500 km range? That's "only" about 1,000 miles. Hell, Hitler did better than that.

[ryan71]

Do you think they shower together?

[G Larry]

“WILL”

It is the critical component missing from the American “quiver”......

[Carry_Okie]

True, but in wartime how will they get the targeting info for this weapon?

How about hacking our military data streams?

[Carry_Okie]

I wouldn't wanna be on a carrier that was targeted by one depending on a nearby Arleigh Burke Missile destroyer to take it out.

The only effective defense I can conjure would be a laser.

[AppyPappy]

“Quite another to hit one maneuvering at 35+ knots.”

Especially at those incoming speeds.

[Gaffer]

There such things as radar reflection decoys.

[AppyPappy]

http://www.boeing.com/Features/2012/10/bds_champ_10_22_12.html

[CodeToad]

True, but hitting a 35kts target is fairly easy, even using visual targeting. (Bright spot, dark spot tracking) From sub-orbital delivery, the time to ground is less than 10 seconds.