Deadliest missile at sea – Carswellfamilyfoundation

September 25, 2012 became one of the most important dates in Chinese military history. With pennants streaming from her bow, Liaoningfirst in China aircraft carrierwas enlisted in the People’s Liberation Army Navy. It was the cornerstone of a large and growing fleet that quickly evolved from a so-called “navy” designed to patrol inland waterways and coastlines into a true “blue water fleet” capable of carrying out missions on a global scale.

For the first time in centuries, China, a traditional land power, was building a naval force that could operate—and might one day even dominate—the Western Pacific, the South China Sea and, most ominously, the Taiwan Strait. This put him on a collision course with the US Navy, the undisputed master of the Pacific since 1945.

But the service turned out to be completely unprepared for the challenge of China. Two decades after the end of the Cold War, their numbers have fallen alarmingly from 529 warships of all types in 1991 to 287 in 2012. And the U.S. Navy has become so accustomed to its position as the world’s leading maritime power that many destroyers have not. even carry anti-ship missiles. The AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile was an obsolete design and was originally introduced into service in the 1970s.

If the United States were to intervene to stop Chinese aggression in the Pacific theater, the US Navy would need a new anti-ship missile—and soon. The resulting Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM for short) is so important to the Pentagon’s war plans that it could now mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Irasm rocket launch with cloud of smoke and steam against blue sky

Lockheed Martin

LRASM is an intelligent, precision-guided anti-ship missile that can help the United States maintain naval superiority in the Pacific theater.

Of course, LRASM builds on the legacy of rockets that came before it. In 2003, the US Air Force introduced the AGM-158A Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile, or JASSM. Designed to be launched from strategic bombers, including the B-1B Lancer, B-2A Spirit and B-52H Stratofortress, JASSM heralded a new generation of ground attack cruise missiles. The short-wing subsonic missile is designed not only to stay below enemy radar, but also to fly almost at treetop level under enemy radar cover. JASSM uses a combination of GPS and a backup inertial guidance system to navigate to a target and then confirms the target using a nose-mounted infrared seeker. The missile’s warhead, a half-ton penetrating and high-explosive fragmentation warhead, is capable of hitting even underground targets.

JASSM was a success, and the Pentagon decided it could become the basis for a new anti-ship missile. However, targeting ships at sea brought new challenges: First, ships at sea rarely sit still, and a ship moving at 35 knots can travel up to 40 miles per hour. Warships, especially aircraft carriers and amphibious transports, are also often better protected than ground targets, surrounded by a protective cordon of cruisers, destroyers and frigates armed with radar and anti-aircraft missiles.

The effort to create the next generation anti-ship missile was the result of a three-way partnership between DARPA (the Pentagon’s research and development arm), the Navy and the Air Force. The requirements were clear: “The need to deter Chinese aggression in the naval theater requires anti-ship capabilities and longer-range standoffs,” explains Tom Karako, a senior fellow in the International Security Program and director of the Center for Strategic Studies. and international studies. “LRASM brings many enhancements to the modernization, including stealth characteristics, greater range, and a variety of launch platforms and modes.”

Development lasted from 2009 to 2013 and was completed Test shot 2013 that a new missile launched from a B-1B Lancer bomber hit a naval 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. The range is about 350 miles, which is four times longer than the old Harpoon. The missile is certified to fly aboard the B-1B Lancer bomber and the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighter, while the F-35 Lightning fighter and P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft are currently undergoing flight testing.

Once launched, LRASM maintains wireless communication with the ship or aircraft that launched it, allowing for last-minute target information updates. Unlike ground-based JASSM, LRASM flies towards the enemy at a much higher altitude, where its onboard radio frequency sensor can detect, analyze and identify the radar signatures of enemy ships. LRASM can recognize enemy radars in its path and then re-route around them to avoid being shot down and maintain the element of surprise.

As the target approaches, the LRASM decreases to an altitude above sea level, typically 30 feet or less. The infrared seeker would then detect enemy warships in its path, identify targets such as aircraft carriers, and direct the missile to intercept, striking the target with a 1,000-pound warhead. It is reported that LRASM can even target specific objects on a ship, such as a distinctive island overlooking the flight deck of an aircraft carrier or a specific side of the ship. The latter feature is especially useful against three Chinese carriers: Liaoning, ShandongAnd Fujianall of which have aircraft elevators located on the starboard side. An airline that can’t move its planes between the elevator and the flight deck can’t rearm or refuel them, spelling disaster for the flight.

Despite LRASM’s incredible capabilities, the Navy cannot rely on it alone. Surface ships will likely carry the Navy’s new strike missile, while submarines will carry torpedoes and a new hypersonic conventional strike missile. The idea is to present multiple threats to the Chinese navy so that one of them gets through. “To put the Chinese fleet at risk will require a number of solutions,” Karaoke notes, “of which LRASM is only a part.”