Strains between the United States and China have reached new highs and essentially a Cold
War is on.
The situation had worsened after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defiantly visited the
self-governing democracy -Taiwan, prompting mainland China to launch a show of force that
could be a trial run for a future invasion.
Taiwan was essentially surrounded by Chinese naval and aerial assets.
The incident gave insights into many aspects of the Chinese military game plan.
US Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach has now come out with one specific lesson and it’s a blunt
one.
In this video, Defense Updates analyzes why the US general feels the focus should be on
sinking Chinese ships if a war broke out over Taiwan ?
Let’s get started.
Wilsbach told reporters at the Air & Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium in Aurora,
Colorado, "You saw when Speaker Pelosi went to Taiwan,
what [China] did with their ships They put them on the east side of Taiwan" -- the side
opposite China -- "as a sort of blockade."
Surface-to-air missiles onboard the ships would give the Chinese military the ability
to create what Wilsbach called an "anti-access/area denial engagement zone" -- a zone where its
enemies might not want to fly because of the risk of getting shot down.
While U.S. officials continue to prioritize deterring China from trying to invade Taiwan
-- "we would encourage the Chinese not to attempt to take that island by force" -- the
question remains what to do if deterrence doesn't work, Wilsbach stated.
Wilsbach said, "We've got to sink the ships," Sinking ships
is a main objective of not only PACAF [Pacific Air Forces] but really anyone that's going
to be involved in a conflict like this."
For example, the Type 055 destroyer has 24-cell for HQ-10 short-range SAM 24 as well as 112
VLS which can accommodate a mix of anti-ship and air defense missiles like HHQ-9 SAM
HHQ-9 SAM is the first indigenous Chinese long-range naval SAM system.
The design of this system is based on both the Soviet S-300F and the indigenous land-based
HQ-9, which is derived from the Soviet S-300P series.
The missiles in the HHQ-9 system are similar, or even identical, to the ones used in the
land-based HQ-9 system.
The overall design of the missiles is very similar to the Soviet 5V55 and 48N6 missiles.
The missiles have four fins at the base and use thrust vector control (TVM) as a steering
mechanism, which looks somewhat different from Soviet designs.
Early reports indicated TVM guidance with inertial navigation augmented with mid-course
updates.
However, given the sensor suite on the launch platforms, the HHQ-9 is believed to have an
active radar-homing seeker.
HHQ-9 SAM has an orange of around 300 km or 186 missiles.
China is separated from Taiwan through the Taiwan Strait which is about 100 miles or
160 km wide.
The Chinese military will have to move its forces across the strait in case it decides
to invade.
During such an amphibious operation warships like Type 055, and Type 052 that have HHQ-9
SAM would play a crucial role in protecting the Chinese naval armada.
The range will enable the SAM to not only threaten Taiwan’s aerial assets that try
to oppose the invasion but also take out incoming anti-ship missiles.
So, paramount that these ships are taken out.
It is to be noted that the US has been working to deploy a range of anti-ship missiles like
AGM-158C Long range Anti Ship missiles (LRASM) and Block Va Tomahawk variant which is called
Maritime Strike.
Taiwan also has a mix of American origin and indigenous anti ship missiles.
Wilsbach pointed out a few approaches.
To prepare for a potential conflict in the region, Wilsbach stated the U.S. and its international
partner militaries are planning and practicing together a lot more; and that wings within
his command frequently practice the Air Force's strategy of dispersing crews and aircraft
across "many, many islands."
The U.S. could "amass firepower" in the region by arming drones, Wilsbach said, and the upcoming
new B-21 Raider bomber, which just rolled out of its hangar to be viewed for the first
time in December, could "be helpful in our mission here."