Military of China, force comment.
Military of China, force comment.

Data Figure: China’s Navy high-speed 022 stealth missile boats data for: Chinese Navy 022 stealth missile fleet ongoing water mobile training

United States August 4, Wired magazine article said that in just ten years time, China has created a team of 83 022-type missile boats formed a small fleet of ships. In wartime, the fleet may parade in China’s coastal areas, firing missiles to intercept U.S. aircraft carrier and destroyer escort. However, it is worth noting that small missile boats in the Battle of large ships and aircraft, when poor performance is likely to become the target of U.S. helicopters and submarines.

decade ago, the U.S. Navy started the construction of a new class of small low-cost LCS in order to get in dangerous coastal waters edge. However, the effect was not satisfactory. Retired U.S. Navy John ? Patsy said, Littoral Combat Ships, “is born at the wrong time, wrong ship.” The other side of the Pacific, the U.S. Navy’s Liberation Army Navy’s largest offshore competitors face the same demand for cheap small ships. However, the People’s Liberation Army Navy ship successfully developed three 022-type missile boats.

Some observers believe the PLA Navy missile boats in the Pacific and the U.S. military faces a major threat. According Tuiyi Meiguohaijun Zhihui Guan George ? Lute said that the PLA 83 022-type missile boats can volley over 640 missiles, which “caused a great concern.” However, some people believe that 022-type missile boats and submarines only target of U.S. helicopters. They battle over a small missile boats, large ships and aircraft in the poor performance to prove it. However, one thing is indisputable. Patch said the 022-type missile was “the potential deployment of small warships success stories.” Advantage in the battle remains to be seen, but at least on combat missions.

022 missile boats of the seven sprint

Journal said the United States, in just seven years, the PLA Navy built 83 400-ton 022-type missile boats, priced at approximately $ 40 million. At present, China is still a number of shipyards in the production of such ships. In contrast, the same time, the construction of only two U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ship, priced more than $ 600 million. Moreover, the 022-type missile boats equipped with eight anti-ship missiles, and to install a ship-to-air defense guns and missiles. U.S. Littoral Combat Ship itself is lightly armed, plans to install “plug and play” weapons system, but relevant work is not complete.

critics believe that even if there is a 83 022 the same type of missile boats and submarines, air power will be easily denied. In naval warfare, very bad performance of small missile boats, the late naval historian Anthony ? Preston said that this ship is since 1860 the world’s worst ship design.

Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington military analyst Robert ? Walker (Robert Work) summed up the Iran and Iraq, respectively, fast attack boats in 1988 and 1991 Battle of the missile when the United States and allied combat experience. “American/allied forces destroyed a total of 40 fast attack boats, in addition to paralysis of two, but the enemy did not hit the United States or allied ships, not to mention the sinking of Walker, said the data reflects the missile in Modern sea-battle ship battleship weaknesses. missile is not dominant for the simple reason that now the “asymmetric attack by the enemy to attack surface targets, such as the use of aircraft, submarines to attack surface ships.” In other words, regardless of construction How many missile boats, if the enemy were able to mount the missiles deployed submarines and aircraft, will be able to easily destroy the.

Littoral Combat Ship is a double-edged sword?

Journal said the United States, for China, there are two sides to this reality. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said analyst Michael Owen ? Coulter, given China’s current anti-submarine skills and equipment are limited, “the U.S. submarine can be in China freedom of movement along the coast. However, as more and more advanced aircraft and ship-to-air missiles fitted out, the U.S. aircraft will not be in China’s coastal airspace free flight. However, with the 022-type missile boats directly on the war, little chance of winning the LCS, but the amount can not win. LCS absence of significant air defense capability, not a lot of self-defense missiles. Similarly, the United States can not carry the LCS to fight such as 022-type missile ship’s long-range anti-ship missiles.

Journal said the United States, however, directly compare the LCS and 022-type missile combat power is not meaningful, because the two are not designed to directly play against each other. In wartime, 022-type missile boats may be from China’s coastal waters between the Philippine Sea to the parade, firing missiles to intercept U.S. aircraft carrier and destroyer escort. In contrast, the LCS may destroyers and aircraft carriers in the vicinity under the protection of clean enemy mines and submarines. In fact, the U.S. Littoral Combat Ship will perform exactly the task of any kind, still no one can see.

Journal said the United States, however, Beijing is rapidly building a large number of low-cost small warships. Washington tried to do the same thing, but ended in failure. China’s economic development to enable the rapid construction of large number of weapons, despite the strict quality control risks. However, this is not the success of China’s small naval construction the only reason. The most important reason is that China needs to small vessels, but also to adhere to the development of small ships. In contrast, the United States complicates the design team loose the initial concept of the LCS, smash the construction cost or the hope of fast small ships.

for the U.S. Air Force officers, small/fast weapon systems advocate Dan ? Ward is concerned, this outcome is not surprising. He said: “We as a complex precision, while the complexity of addiction is the real culprit.” This is Beijing’s success in creating a coastal fleet of small ships, while the U.S. can only hope that this fleet has a real reasons. (Jinxin)

(edit: SN049)