jhungary
MILITARY PROFESSIONAL
- Joined
- Oct 24, 2012
- Messages
- 19,295
- Reaction score
- 387
- Country
- Location
While the latest Dongfeng 21D entered service as the sole player of the market, coming with a tag "Carrier Slayer" make navy in the world think this is the end of Aircraft Carrier Dominance in navies. Where the idea of 1 missile, 1 carrier is very tempting, but does it really work like it said it would do? In this article, i will use my limited knowledge on Navy to go over the ASBM and it's pros and cons.
First, let's talk about how ASBM works.
For a ASBM to launch, it need to fulfil 3 stages before firing the actual missile.
Stage 1.) Acquiring a Target.
As ASBM are generally targetting large ship over the horizon, beyond visual range, first you need to acquire a target, which by mean of Radar Interception, Calculation of Target range and size, and finally visually identify the target. Radar only show you the size of the ship, it did not tell you whether it is a Naval warship or Civilian Ship. Calculation of size and information processing can rule out friendly ship in the area but you would not know if it was your intented target (Enemy Carrier) YOu must VID the ship before firing the missile, otherwise who know what you are shooting at. Verification can be done via either Satellite or Aircraft VID.
Stage 2.) Calculate the Trajectory of the Missile.
When you have a target coordinate, you need to calculate the trajectory, as the rocket don't go in straight, it enter the earth atmosphere before coming back down to earth for target apporach. You need a bunch of scientist to do that.
Stage 3.) Fuel up the missile and firing it off.
Well, no mobile missile launcher are ever loaded with fuel when it transport as solid rocket fuel are pretty unstable and one bump, one spark, all gone to hell. So you fuel it when you stop and prepare to fire.
When these 3 stage are done, your missile is RTF.
Now you know how it work, we can start discuss the use of the missile.
Obiviously it is a cheap substitute of a carrier, a millions something missile to go for a multi-billion aircraft carrier is a good trade. It save you heaps of money to form a fleet and defeat the carrier before them even know about you.
It would be also serve as deterrence force to discouage enemy fleet to get in range of your missile, give you a large breathing space between you and the enemy navy.
Final advantage of having this missile is to give you a moral boost when it did destroy an enemy carrier.
However, this is all good things to have, there are always problem related on using such weapon.
Problem 1.) IT will only be good if you can hit the target, but ASBM, unlike tradition ballistic missile, need a pin point accuracy as they are using an impact det instead of area det which require less accuracy, A LOT LESS accuracy.
The problem stem from the complicated work on acquiring and guidenance system. There are certain defeat point you can deafeat the missile, before flight, in-flight or inbound. You can jam the enemy radar and thus your carrier will not appear in their radar. You can mask the enemy satellite, you can shoot down the recon aircraft come here to identify you. You can even intercept the missile in flight.
Also, using a ballistic missile to hit a target that less than 1 square mile mean pin-point accuracy. Meaning you need to keep feeding the missile updated info in flight, until terminal range where either the carrier cannot move out of the blast zone, or got in the onboard guidance system range. If you lose track on enemy target anytime during flight, your missile is useless. And since a carrier can run about 40 mile per hour. So for a 30 minutes old information, you are looking at 20 mile different. Which will render the missile to be ineffective.
Problem 2: It will be of no use if the enemy did not use their Carrier.
No carrier, no strike, you can probably hit a carrier which is running 31 knots, but it will be useless against a destroyer which is 1/8 of the size of a carrier, and doing 50 knots overpower, or 40 knots full flank.
Aircraft carrier can operate outside 2000 mile off coast, which render outside the missile range, with aerial refueling, there are unlimited range on Aircraft Carrier's aircraft, so to stay out of the range and still able to operate their plane is possible. What the enemy navy do is simply have the AC run on and off your missile range, put on fighter/bomber, when you refuel your rocket, it give them time to their aircraft to attack you. Or simply send in Destroyer or Frigate to cover the sea first, if the enemy have an absolute advantage on sea, which they usually do or you will not use the missile in the first place.
Problem 3: It would be an easy prey for the Combine Ballistic MIssile Defence system.
While the many navy have their own AGEIS system for all airborne target, Army and airforce also have their own PAC-3 system which shown time and again effective against incoming ballistic missile, when you talk about range of 1700 mile, you have to cover some land and gone feet dry before reaching your target. So a combine SM3 and PAC3 missile barrier are to use to shoot down the incoming missile. Even if the missile broke throught and heading toward your carrier.
Conclusion
No doubt they have their use on the modern naval engagment, but the use should be limited, as the complicated targetting and guidance system suggest that hitting a target is no easy business, it would be more of a deterrance than of actual use.
Believe it or not, US Navy were investigating the possibility of using ASBM as part of their naval power, back in 2009, but they ultimately rejected the idea. The program itselve are just too costly without actual any work done. Those missile will act as the same thing as any F-18E/F carry full load of harpoon missile, which is consider cheaper and harder to stop than any missile can produce.
http://www.usni.org/news-and-features/chinese-kill-weapon
http://thediplomat.com/2012/01/20/behind-the-china-missile-hype/2/?all=true
First, let's talk about how ASBM works.
For a ASBM to launch, it need to fulfil 3 stages before firing the actual missile.
Stage 1.) Acquiring a Target.
As ASBM are generally targetting large ship over the horizon, beyond visual range, first you need to acquire a target, which by mean of Radar Interception, Calculation of Target range and size, and finally visually identify the target. Radar only show you the size of the ship, it did not tell you whether it is a Naval warship or Civilian Ship. Calculation of size and information processing can rule out friendly ship in the area but you would not know if it was your intented target (Enemy Carrier) YOu must VID the ship before firing the missile, otherwise who know what you are shooting at. Verification can be done via either Satellite or Aircraft VID.
Stage 2.) Calculate the Trajectory of the Missile.
When you have a target coordinate, you need to calculate the trajectory, as the rocket don't go in straight, it enter the earth atmosphere before coming back down to earth for target apporach. You need a bunch of scientist to do that.
Stage 3.) Fuel up the missile and firing it off.
Well, no mobile missile launcher are ever loaded with fuel when it transport as solid rocket fuel are pretty unstable and one bump, one spark, all gone to hell. So you fuel it when you stop and prepare to fire.
When these 3 stage are done, your missile is RTF.
Now you know how it work, we can start discuss the use of the missile.
Obiviously it is a cheap substitute of a carrier, a millions something missile to go for a multi-billion aircraft carrier is a good trade. It save you heaps of money to form a fleet and defeat the carrier before them even know about you.
It would be also serve as deterrence force to discouage enemy fleet to get in range of your missile, give you a large breathing space between you and the enemy navy.
Final advantage of having this missile is to give you a moral boost when it did destroy an enemy carrier.
However, this is all good things to have, there are always problem related on using such weapon.
Problem 1.) IT will only be good if you can hit the target, but ASBM, unlike tradition ballistic missile, need a pin point accuracy as they are using an impact det instead of area det which require less accuracy, A LOT LESS accuracy.
The problem stem from the complicated work on acquiring and guidenance system. There are certain defeat point you can deafeat the missile, before flight, in-flight or inbound. You can jam the enemy radar and thus your carrier will not appear in their radar. You can mask the enemy satellite, you can shoot down the recon aircraft come here to identify you. You can even intercept the missile in flight.
Also, using a ballistic missile to hit a target that less than 1 square mile mean pin-point accuracy. Meaning you need to keep feeding the missile updated info in flight, until terminal range where either the carrier cannot move out of the blast zone, or got in the onboard guidance system range. If you lose track on enemy target anytime during flight, your missile is useless. And since a carrier can run about 40 mile per hour. So for a 30 minutes old information, you are looking at 20 mile different. Which will render the missile to be ineffective.
Problem 2: It will be of no use if the enemy did not use their Carrier.
No carrier, no strike, you can probably hit a carrier which is running 31 knots, but it will be useless against a destroyer which is 1/8 of the size of a carrier, and doing 50 knots overpower, or 40 knots full flank.
Aircraft carrier can operate outside 2000 mile off coast, which render outside the missile range, with aerial refueling, there are unlimited range on Aircraft Carrier's aircraft, so to stay out of the range and still able to operate their plane is possible. What the enemy navy do is simply have the AC run on and off your missile range, put on fighter/bomber, when you refuel your rocket, it give them time to their aircraft to attack you. Or simply send in Destroyer or Frigate to cover the sea first, if the enemy have an absolute advantage on sea, which they usually do or you will not use the missile in the first place.
Problem 3: It would be an easy prey for the Combine Ballistic MIssile Defence system.
While the many navy have their own AGEIS system for all airborne target, Army and airforce also have their own PAC-3 system which shown time and again effective against incoming ballistic missile, when you talk about range of 1700 mile, you have to cover some land and gone feet dry before reaching your target. So a combine SM3 and PAC3 missile barrier are to use to shoot down the incoming missile. Even if the missile broke throught and heading toward your carrier.
Conclusion
No doubt they have their use on the modern naval engagment, but the use should be limited, as the complicated targetting and guidance system suggest that hitting a target is no easy business, it would be more of a deterrance than of actual use.
Believe it or not, US Navy were investigating the possibility of using ASBM as part of their naval power, back in 2009, but they ultimately rejected the idea. The program itselve are just too costly without actual any work done. Those missile will act as the same thing as any F-18E/F carry full load of harpoon missile, which is consider cheaper and harder to stop than any missile can produce.
http://www.usni.org/news-and-features/chinese-kill-weapon
http://thediplomat.com/2012/01/20/behind-the-china-missile-hype/2/?all=true
)
