Latest Chinese missile technology to target US carriers

[Neo]

Thursday, May 17, 2007

‘Latest Chinese missile technology to target US carriers’

TOKYO: China plans to equip its upcoming missiles with infrared technology to give them the ability to hit US warships in Asia, a Japanese newspaper said on Wednesday.

The upgrade is part of preparations for a potential conflict over Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory and which has a security pact with the United States, the Sankei Shimbun said.

Citing unnamed military sources in Japan and Taiwan, the conservative newspaper said that China was developing an infrared detection system for its medium-range Dongfeng-21 missiles so they can pinpoint warships.

The upgraded Dongfeng would discourage the United States or Japan from sending in their warships equipped with the Aegis technology designed to shoot down incoming missiles, the newspaper said. The Dongfeng-21 has a range of some 2,150 kilometers (1,350 miles). The Sankei estimated that around 100 are deployed.

Western analysts have also speculated that China is also developing a next-generation long-range Dongfeng-41 capable of hitting the US mainland.

Beijing has repeatedly threatened to invade Taiwan, where nationalists fled in 1949 after losing the civil war to Mao Zedong’s communists, if the island declares formal independence.

The United States and Japan in a first-of-a-kind statement in February 2005 declared that a peaceful resolution of Taiwan Strait issues was a common strategic objective of the Pacific allies.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\05\17\story_17-5-2007_pg4_1

 

[Cheetah786]

ouch thats going to hurt.
Any how so chinese are carying on the same way as Russians lot more investment in Missiles then navy .

 

[Officer of Engineers]

Not this again. No, it is NOT possible for ballastic missiles to hit a moving target.

 

[EagleEyes]

What about nuclear tipped cruise missiles?

 

[Officer of Engineers]

Why use a strategic option when there are plenty of tactical AShM options?

 

[EagleEyes]

True, but the point is that i can be done if it is required too. Also the damage would be more devastating considering that it is nuclear.

 

[Adux]

Non of the P-5 countries, other than China uses a BM to hit a Moving target. If the report is true, Which I dont think is so stupid.
BM is a big enough target to be easily intercepted using the SM-2 in the Ageis system. actually way too easily... When the russians themselves prefferd using the SunBurn and the granits to target Aegis and carrier's in salvo fires overwhelming the system.

And also I dont know wether a BM has enough agility to hit a moving target like a carrier. it will be detected at launch like any BM, by the time it reaches its target, the carrier will be miles away. It is also does not make economic sense or common sense when you have so many other systems at your disposal

 

[Officer of Engineers]

True, but the point is that i can be done if it is required too. Also the damage would be more devastating considering that it is nuclear.

Actually, no, the damage would be one ship and may not be the carrier. Anyone remembers the Falklands War will recall that Prince Andrews was flying decoy replicating the sigs of the HMS ARKROYAL and HMS INVINCIBLE.

And the Americans today is far more advance than the Brits back then in duplicating those sigs.

Even if it is a carrier, the lost of a carrier does not reduce the combat power of the beyond 25%. Other ships have their own offensive capabilities.

Lastly, the Chinese are evaluated with only 200 nuclear warheads (based upon Chinese statements as being the smallest of the N5). They're not going to waste a nuke on a tactical target.

 

[Keysersoze]

This is probably typical South Asian defence reporter idiocy..... He/she has probably gotten two different systems confused. More than likely the report that was quoted was probably referring to anti-ship missiles etc etc and then as a sidebar mentions other missile programs.

I am guessing a bad translation program is at fault here

 

[kvLin]

Dailytimes, a foreign funded Pakistani newspaper is the equivalent of ToI.
Check the similarity in reported news in both newspapers.

when did you become a dailytime fan,neo?

 

[Awesome]

Actually, no, the damage would be one ship and may not be the carrier. Anyone remembers the Falklands War will recall that Prince Andrews was flying decoy replicating the sigs of the HMS ARKROYAL and HMS INVINCIBLE.

And the Americans today is far more advance than the Brits back then in duplicating those sigs.

Even if it is a carrier, the lost of a carrier does not reduce the combat power of the beyond 25%. Other ships have their own offensive capabilities.

Lastly, the Chinese are evaluated with only 200 nuclear warheads (based upon Chinese statements as being the smallest of the N5). They're not going to waste a nuke on a tactical target.

What about the IR pinpointing? I thought that was the focus of the article. Pretty much any missile can be used (given that it has the necessary datalink) capability.

Hmmm the technique you are mentioning would only work if blip enhancement ECMs are used. But they've not mentioned using radars for detection... How do you suppose they'd "pinpoint"? My initial reaction was, Satellite.

 

[Bull]

This basically means China at present doesnt have anything that can target the USN.

 

[Keysersoze]

This basically means China at present doesnt have anything that can target the USN.

Errr no thats like eliminating every single possibility simply because one threat does not exist. There are undoubtably other threats in the arsenal.

 

[Awesome]

This is supposed to be a sure shot kill technology. If they can fire a ballistic missile with pinpoint accuracy(which is a big IF), then that's what they'd get.

Can a ballistic missile be modified to be guided like a cruise missile at it's final stage?

Plus I think most of the media as become kind of an alarmist whenever a "new Chinese weapon" news comes by. Remember when they were targeting US Spy sats with the lasers?

 

[Adux]

Asim,

They will run out of fuel. BM aint a cruise missile, they will be detected on launch. What do you think moving trget will do then. They cant salvo BM's onto a tactical target, what do you think SM-2's on Ageis will do when they when BM reaches 300 Kms of target area. Either the reporter got it wrong, or chinese just became stupid; which i doubt