This is a little concerning....
From Yahoo News -- U.S. naval planners are scrambling to deal with what analysts say is a game-changing weapon being developed by China – an unprecedented carrier-killing missile called the Dong Feng 21D that could be launched from land with enough accuracy to penetrate the defenses of even the most advanced moving aircraft carrier at a distance of more than 1,500 kilometers (900 miles).
Since we are the only country that projects force using our super carriers, clearly this weapon is designed specifically to intimidate the US. The DF-21D is reported to travel at Mach10. Maybe our Aegis defensive measures can intercept that but, maybe not. If nothing else, the possibility of losing a carrier would prevent us from venturing too close to the Chinese mainland. The existence of this weapon opens the door much wider to the possibility of the Chinese retaking of Taiwan, since it would surely make our commanders hesitate before steaming over there to defend them against attack.
The last thing we want is for China to not only own the US monetarily as they do, but to be able to control us militarily by threats as well. Not good.
3 comments:
Wonder if Obama will apologize to China for us having built such weapons in the first place.
As for Mach 10, not much of a challenge to hit with the (hopefully) continued research into laser based anti-ICBM tech.
I doubt any sane country would be willing to destroy one of our carriers in international waters. But then again we live in insane times. Perhaps MAD isn't such a bad threat to make now a days.
Apparently they're independently maneuverable vehicles and therefor very hard to track and kill. We are developing a rail gun that disperses high-velocity shot, much like a shotgun, in the general area and the incoming target flies into it, getting damaged in the process. Tragically, Obama has massively cut funding for the project....almost as if he wants us to be more vulnerable to our enemies. What else would you expect from a 60's radical who grew up with nothing but contempt and disdain for the US military specifically and American dominance in general?
If any readers are interested in reading about this in great detail, the journal "Proceedings" of the US Naval Institute has covered it in depth this year with articles and letters from people who should have a lot of expertise.
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