Chinese ‘Carrier-Killer’ (1 Viewer)

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comiso90

Senior Master Sergeant
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Dec 19, 2006
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China Testing Ballistic Missile 'Carrier-Killer' | Danger Room | Wired.com


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Last week, Adm. Robert Willard, the head of U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM), made an alarming but little-noticed disclosure. China, he told legislators, was "developing and testing a conventional anti-ship ballistic missile based on the DF-21/CSS-5 [medium-range ballistic missile] designed specifically to target aircraft carriers.
 
Well, given how decisive carriers are in a Naval battle, you can't really blame them for being prepared. Did the article say if they were giving the evil eye to any particular country?
 
I dunno, I just get the impression that saying they're building these things specifically for the US (although the odds are in favor) would be like saying "hey, the Chinese developed a 12mm rifle round, they must be wanting to start something with us!" Having a missile that can take out a carrier just seems...prudent. We have subs that can dance around their carrier escorts, pop a few ADCAPs in the side of a carrier, and then chew on the escorts for desserts. Makes sense that they'd want a similar capability.

Sorry, just playin devil's advocate for a second here. I just don't get the feeling that the crosshairs are on any one nation in particular.
 
The US Navy and perhaps the threat of nuclear retaliation has been the only thing that has kept Tawain safe. These missles are an equalizer that may turn Taiwan into another Hong Kong.
 
I'm sorta leaning in your direction of thought RA. I mean, as much as we owe China and all the business we do with them it would not seem prudent to be doing this as a first strike weapon but you never know.
 
It would need active homing for it too work. And anything active can be jammed.

Besides, maybe this will be a kick in the ass wake up call to further develop lasers and other exotic weapons.

Also .... ever wonder why China screams so loud about the US anti-ballistic missle tests?
 
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Is this actually genuine or just propaganda though?

I mean how do you steer a ballistic missile? Its a contradiction in terms.

A carrier is a tiny pinprick on the worlds oceans and it is also moving. Precision guided munitions have to have the means to correct theor path, look at any paveway bomb. At the moment I am strggling to see how this idea could work at all, rather than whether China specifically has the ability.
 
There are two things involved in steering - guidance system, and some kind of mechanism making missile go desired way. I think mechanism (be it aerodynamic or pyrotechnic) already exists in existing re-entry vehicles of modern ballistic missiles so nothing new to invent here.
The guidance system is what is new here, in order to deal with moving target on sea surface. If Chinese have produced the material that is both strong enough to withstand great heat during re-entry, while being RF-transparent, and a radar that can 'ground-map' when pointed at almost 90deg, they might have a dangerous system.
 
If it can hit carriers, it can hit anything else too. Destroyers, Cruisers, Container ships, ect. It's a big anti-ship missle.

Looking at it from the Chinese perspective, it makes sense. They have very few natural resources and their lines of communication to the Persian Gulf go right past India, the other growing power in the region. Sooner or later, those two will bump heads. Having a ship killing missle is just a logical development of their force projection.

Don't see the Chinese bothering the US Navy or the US anytime soon. More a problem economically for both countries if a fight breaks out than if we just cruise along as we are. China at war with the US loses her largest trading partner, holder of their debt and largest supplier of illegal information. The US loses access to what is essentially it's manufacturing base. Loser for both countries.

Lastly, as other people have noted on this thread, building an anti-ship missle and getting it to work reliable are two different things.
 
I think you guys are forgetting something about China's ability to hit something. It wasn't that long ago when China launched a successful missile at a satelite. A satelite is considerably smaller than an aircraft carrier even if it is traveling at a know direction and speed. But perhaps were not looking at this right. Here's a what if for you. What if that missile is not suppose to directly hit that ship but instead go off above it. Lets say something like an EMP bomb. An EMP bomb would take out not only the carrier but the entire task force and anything with electronics within a large area. Just something to consider. :)
 
There are two things involved in steering - guidance system, and some kind of mechanism making missile go desired way. I think mechanism (be it aerodynamic or pyrotechnic) already exists in existing re-entry vehicles of modern ballistic missiles so nothing new to invent here.
The guidance system is what is new here, in order to deal with moving target on sea surface. If Chinese have produced the material that is both strong enough to withstand great heat during re-entry, while being RF-transparent, and a radar that can 'ground-map' when pointed at almost 90deg, they might have a dangerous system.

Targetting a city with an ICBM is a very different thing than trying to hit a ship at sea, you have come up mwith some VERY big if's there tomo, thats why I think its just scaremongering. Also, they didn't hit a satellite with a ballistic missile, thats the point where it falls down for me, right there.
 
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"American intelligence believes it was a successful Chinese test of anti-satellite weapons. Launched from the Xichang range, the medium-range ballistic missile carried a kinetic interceptor in place of a warhead, which in a direct hit destroyed a weather satellite put into a polar orbit in 1999 at an altitude of about 860 kilometers.

An undisputed fact is that we now have a cloud of debris in orbit which is expected, according to some sources, to last a quarter of a century and pose a threat to space vehicles. It is this debris that raises the first question in a series of uncertainties about the tests: Where does it come from?"... There are skeptics and there are believers. Fact of the matter is there is a debris field where a satelite use to function.

The Chinese Satellite Killer

"Reports of this week's test first came to light in the publication Aviation Week Space Technology, which cited U.S. intelligence analysis of orbital tracking. The tracking data indicated that the Chinese weather satellite disintegrated suddenly on Jan. 11 — and although the cause could not be confirmed, the fact that Washington expressed concern led to the conclusion that a satellite-killing missile was employed."

Questions deepen over satellite-killer test - Space- msnbc.com

You can believe what you wish. I prefer to err on the side of caution. :)
 
So are you saying that the ballistic missile might launch smaller, guided weapons? I can see that being more achieveable than a straight ballisitic missile hit. Yes, that would actually be quite scary, IF thats what they are doing. Unless you can hit it before the 'multiple warheads' are deployed you are doomed.

On another point though. Wouldn't a ballistic missile trigger a nuclear response?
 

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