New Delhi. September 25, 2012 was a very special day in China’s military history because on this day, China commissioned its first aircraft carrier ‘Lianning’ into the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). It was not only a symbol of China’s growing naval power, but it also gave the Chinese Navy the power to operate on a global level. This move transformed China from a “brown-water navy” to a “blue-water navy”, which meant the Chinese navy now had the ability to conduct missions outside its territorial waters. Now the Chinese Navy was moving towards control in the Western Pacific, South China Sea and most importantly, the Taiwan Strait.
This was creating a situation of competition with the US Navy, which has been the dominant power in the Pacific region since 1945. However, the US Navy was completely unprepared for this challenge. In comparison to 1991, there was a huge reduction in the number of warships with the US Navy in 2012, which dropped from 529 earlier to 287. Additionally, most of the missile systems on US warships were also outdated, including the key anti-ship missile AGM-84 Harpoon, which was designed in the 1970s.
Currently, the navies of the US and other countries are developing new and more capable anti-ship missiles to increase their maritime power. In view of China’s growing naval capability, these missiles have become important for America and its allies in the Pacific. These new missiles are equipped with modern technology and have the power to destroy any enemy power on the seas.
To this end, the LRASM is based on the legacy of earlier missiles. In 2003, the US Air Force introduced the AGM-158A Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile, or JASSM. It was designed to be launched from strategic bombers such as the B-1B Lancer, B-2A Spirit, and B-52H Stratofortress. JASSM also developed a new generation of ground attack cruise missiles.
This short winged, subsonic missile is designed not only to remain off enemy radar, but also to fly at almost tree height under enemy radar coverage. JASSM approaches the target using GPS and a backup inertial guidance system, then confirms the target with a nose-mounted imaging infrared seeker. The missile’s warhead, a half-ton penetration and blast fragmentation warhead, can also reach ground targets.
After the success of JASSM, the Pentagon decided that it could be used as the basis for a new anti-ship missile. But targeting ships at sea brought new problems: For one, ships at sea are rarely stationary, and a ship traveling at 35 knots can travel up to 40 miles per hour. Warships, especially aircraft carriers and amphibious transports, are often better protected than ground targets, surrounded by a protective ring of cruisers, destroyers and frigates that provide radar and anti-aircraft defense. Are equipped with missiles.
The effort to create the next generation anti-ship missile was a partnership between DARPA (the Pentagon’s research and development department), the Navy and the Air Force. The needs were clear: “Continuously increasing anti-ship forces to deter Chinese aggression in the maritime domain. Tom Karako, senior fellow in the International Security Program and director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, reports in Popular Mechanics, “LRASM features several modern improvements, including stealth features, longer range, and multiple launch platforms and modes.” Are included.”
Development ran from 2009 to 2013, culminating in 2013 with a test shot in which the new missile was launched from B-1B Lancer bombers and attacked a maritime target. After two successful flight tests, the new missile, now known as the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, or AGM-158C, officially became a Navy program. With a range of about 350 miles, it can reach four times the range of the older Harpoon missile. The missile can fly on B-1B Lancer bombers and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighter, while F-35 Lightning fighter and P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft are currently undergoing flight testing.
Once launched, LRASM maintains a wireless data link with the ship or aircraft that launched it, allowing last-minute updates on targeting. Unlike JASSM, which flies close to the ground, LRASM flies at high altitude towards the enemy, where its onboard radio frequency sensors can detect, analyze and identify the radar signatures of enemy ships. LRASM can identify enemy radars coming in its path and then bypass them, so as to avoid being shot down.
As it approaches the target, the LRASM descends close to the ocean surface, typically at an altitude of 30 feet or less. The imaging infrared seeker detects enemy warships, such as aircraft carriers, and directs the missile, which carries a 1,000-pound warhead, to hit the target. LRASM can also reportedly target specific features on the ship. This feature is particularly useful against China’s three carriers, Liaoning, Shandong and Fujian, whose aircraft elevators are on the starboard (right) side.
Tags: China, United States
FIRST PUBLISHED : November 16, 2024, 4:38 PM IST