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Chinese Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile (ASBM) 'Kill Weapon' Flummoxes U.S. Navy
Posted on Monday, April 06 @ 04] bubble", causing a major sea change (excuse the pun) in U.S. Navy focus strategy away from an emphasis on littoral combat ships designed to operate in shallow water near coastlines and toward improving the capabilities of deap-sea war ships and "developing anti-ballistic defenses". The U.S. Navy's reaction to the Chinese ASBM threat leads the USNI believe it's legitimate.
At this moment in time, DefenseReview isn't aware of any viable U.S. ship-borne defense system that can effectively deal with the Chinese anti-ship ballistic missile. If one of our readers is aware of one, please don't hesitate to contact us. If the U.S. Navy indeed doesn't have a viable defense agains the Chinese ASBM, the first three obvious questions are "why not", "how long will it take to develop one", and "how much will it cost". Defense Review doesn't doubt for a second that we can do it, it's just a question of "how long" and "how much".
However, instead of just spending a ton money on really expensive surface-ship defense systems, perhaps it's time to explore the idea of submarine aircraft carriers for the U.S. Navy, as well as submarine destroyers and cruisers, if possible. Combat Reform has an interesting page on this concept. A mostly submarine (or, at least, sub-surface) force with submarine aircraft carriers, cruisers, and destroyers would provide an organic passive defense system against wake-homing and supercavitating torpedoes and anti-ship cruise and ballistic missiles. If you want to add non-organic active anti-torpedo and anti-missile defense systems the submarine ships, that's fine. At least you're not starting with huge, expensive, slow-moving above-the-surface targets that are easy to hit and difficult and costly to protect.
Remember, low-observability, or "stealth", is its own protection and doesn't require an entire fleet of other ships with sophisticated defense hardware to protect you from ballistic threats. If the enemy can't see you, he can't hit you.
A submarine aircraft carrier fleet coud conceivably use the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft to great effect, assuming the F-35B STOVL JSF works as advertised. If the ships can employ launch ramps, perhaps they could also carry and deploy two-seat A-10 Thunderbolt II "Sea Hogs" (OA-10B-type) for augmented ship defense, including anti-submarine a.k.a. sub-hunting operations.
Related Articles and Links: [Go to original article for links]
Report: Chinese Develop Special "Kill Weapon" to Destroy U.S. Aircraft Carriers: Advanced missile poses substantial new threat for U.S. Navy (U.S. Naval Institute)
PLAN ASBM development (Information Dissemination)
SUBMARINE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS: THE FUTURE FOR THE U.S. NAVY IN THE 21st CENTURY (Combat Reform)
F-22 Raptor and Other Big-Budget Military Programs Reinvigorated
U.S. Navy Aircraft Carriers Vulnerable to SS-N-27B Sizzler Anti-Ship Missile
U.S. Aircraft Carriers Vulnerable to Attack?: The Ticking Time Bomb
Aircraft Carrier (In)Vulnerability: What it takes to successfully attack an American Aircraft carrier (PDF Format) (Lexington Institute)
Return of the Air Commandos: USAF Close Air Support for the 21st Century (Combat Reform)
Chinese Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile (ASBM) 'Kill Weapon' Flummoxes U.S. Navy
Posted on Monday, April 06 @ 04] bubble", causing a major sea change (excuse the pun) in U.S. Navy focus strategy away from an emphasis on littoral combat ships designed to operate in shallow water near coastlines and toward improving the capabilities of deap-sea war ships and "developing anti-ballistic defenses". The U.S. Navy's reaction to the Chinese ASBM threat leads the USNI believe it's legitimate.
At this moment in time, DefenseReview isn't aware of any viable U.S. ship-borne defense system that can effectively deal with the Chinese anti-ship ballistic missile. If one of our readers is aware of one, please don't hesitate to contact us. If the U.S. Navy indeed doesn't have a viable defense agains the Chinese ASBM, the first three obvious questions are "why not", "how long will it take to develop one", and "how much will it cost". Defense Review doesn't doubt for a second that we can do it, it's just a question of "how long" and "how much".
However, instead of just spending a ton money on really expensive surface-ship defense systems, perhaps it's time to explore the idea of submarine aircraft carriers for the U.S. Navy, as well as submarine destroyers and cruisers, if possible. Combat Reform has an interesting page on this concept. A mostly submarine (or, at least, sub-surface) force with submarine aircraft carriers, cruisers, and destroyers would provide an organic passive defense system against wake-homing and supercavitating torpedoes and anti-ship cruise and ballistic missiles. If you want to add non-organic active anti-torpedo and anti-missile defense systems the submarine ships, that's fine. At least you're not starting with huge, expensive, slow-moving above-the-surface targets that are easy to hit and difficult and costly to protect.
Remember, low-observability, or "stealth", is its own protection and doesn't require an entire fleet of other ships with sophisticated defense hardware to protect you from ballistic threats. If the enemy can't see you, he can't hit you.
A submarine aircraft carrier fleet coud conceivably use the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft to great effect, assuming the F-35B STOVL JSF works as advertised. If the ships can employ launch ramps, perhaps they could also carry and deploy two-seat A-10 Thunderbolt II "Sea Hogs" (OA-10B-type) for augmented ship defense, including anti-submarine a.k.a. sub-hunting operations.
Related Articles and Links: [Go to original article for links]
Report: Chinese Develop Special "Kill Weapon" to Destroy U.S. Aircraft Carriers: Advanced missile poses substantial new threat for U.S. Navy (U.S. Naval Institute)
PLAN ASBM development (Information Dissemination)
SUBMARINE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS: THE FUTURE FOR THE U.S. NAVY IN THE 21st CENTURY (Combat Reform)
F-22 Raptor and Other Big-Budget Military Programs Reinvigorated
U.S. Navy Aircraft Carriers Vulnerable to SS-N-27B Sizzler Anti-Ship Missile
U.S. Aircraft Carriers Vulnerable to Attack?: The Ticking Time Bomb
Aircraft Carrier (In)Vulnerability: What it takes to successfully attack an American Aircraft carrier (PDF Format) (Lexington Institute)
Return of the Air Commandos: USAF Close Air Support for the 21st Century (Combat Reform)