Two global superpower the U.S and Japan have joint hands to conduct a military drill in
the South China Sea.
The exercise includes joint combat training in the waters and airspace
Japanese Navy destroyers Murasame and Akebono have joined the Izumo and USS Reagan for this
drill.
The US Seventh Fleet said in a statement stated, “The [US] Navy and JMSDF regularly fly,
sail and operate together with other allies and partners to promote security and stability
throughout the region.”
Captain Pat Hannifin, the USS Ronald Reagan’s commanding officer, said: “The time we are
able to spend at sea training and operating with our partners in the Japan Self Defense
Forces is invaluable.
“Our alliance has never been stronger, and it’s never been more important to this region
than right now.”
In this video Defense Updates analyzes how powerful is the U.S & Japanese flotilla that
is conducting exercises in the South China Sea?
Let's get into the details.
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China claims almost all of the South China Sea and is trying to establish de facto control
of the waters.
It wants all ships & aircraft navigating in the area to identify itself to the Chinese
Navy.
China has reclaimed a lot of lands artificially.
It has added four large military airfields in the SCS with extensive facilities for the
operation of military aircraft.
This includes advanced fighters, as well as patrol, electronic-warfare and advanced early
warning aircraft.
China has also been deploying military assets on the islands like YJ-12 anti-ship missile
and HQ-9B surface-to-air missile.
Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan also have claims on these waters but
China has outmuscled them and set up military infrastructure in the many islands like the
Spratly Islands.
The South China Sea route is significant as about $5 trillion in trade and almost 50%
world’s oil shipment passes through it each year.
The waters are also thought to have 11 billion barrels of untapped oil and 190 trillion cubic
feet of natural gas.
Countries like the US, Japan and India have no claims in the area and want ‘Freedom
of Navigation’ as per international maritime laws.
Viewers may note that the U.S conducts Freedom-of-Navigation regularly and has been urging others to conduct
joint exercises with the U.S.
We will now look into each warship which participated in the exercise.
The Murasame-class destroyer is a class of destroyers, serving with the Japan Maritime
Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
Murasame is the lead ship of the class and Akebono is the 8th ship of this class.
These vessels are has a displacement of 6,200 tons, length of 151 m (495 ft) and can reach
speeds of 30 knots (35 mph; 56 km/h) The warships are equipped with the Aegis Weapon
System (AWS).
Multiple radars are present which include OPS-24 active electronically scanned array
radar and OPS-28 surface search and target acquisition radar.
The warships also have advanced Electronic Warfare suit.
It has 16 cells Mk 48 VLS for Evolved Sea Sparrow SAM for air defense and 16 cells Mk
41VLS VL-ASROC for anti-submarine warfare.
Up to 2 Mitsubishi SH-60J/K helicopter can be accommodated.
Izumo is the lead ship of Izumo class.
Izumo class is official a helicopter carrier class, meant to carry rotary blade crafts
of different types though it is poised to carry F 35Bs in the future.
Izumo class displaces 27000 tons when fully loaded.
It has a speed of 30 knots or 56 km/h. Izumo can carry up to 970 personnel including
crew and troops.
The ship can carry up to 28 aircraft.
This can include Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) helicopters, or Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopters.
Japan currently has about 102 SH-60 Seahawks ASW helicopters of different variants and
is expected to add another 80 new ASW helicopters.
SH-60 Seahawks can carry three Mark 46 or Mk-54 torpedoes, 4 to 8 AGM-114 Hellfire missile,
different types of machine gun & Rapid Airborne Mine Clearance System
USS Ronald Reagan is a Nimitz class supercarriers
Nimitz-class aircraft carriers were designed to be improvements on previous U.S. aircraft
carriers, in particular, the Enterprise and Forrestal-class vessels
All 10 Nimitz-class aircraft carriers were constructed between 1968 and 2006 at Newport
News Shipbuilding Company, Virginia, in the largest dry-dock in the western hemisphere.
USS Ronald Reagan is the 9th ship of her class and was commissioned on 12 July 2003.
She is named in honor of Ronald W. Reagan, President of the United States from 1981 to
1989.
Yokosuka, Japan is the homeport of USS Ronald Reagan.
Ronald Reagan is one of the largest vessels constructed.
It has a displacement of 100,000 tonnes, and an overall length of 332.8 m or 1,092 feet.
To give viewers a perspective, it is about 3 football fields long.
USS Ronald Reagan is powered by two A4W nuclear reactors, kept in separate compartments.
These power 4 propeller shafts and can produce a maximum speed of over 30 knots or 56 km/h.
As a result of the use of nuclear power, the warship is capable of operating continuously
for over 20 years without refueling and is predicted to have a service life of over 50 years.
Practically it has unlimited range & endurance.
Ronald Reagan being Nimitz class possesses a multitude of different radars including
electronically scanned array 3D radars.
It has an elaborate defensive armament suite.
Ronald Reagan is equipped with 16 to 24 RIM-7 Sea Sparrow or NATO Sea Sparrow missiles.
RIM-7 Sea Sparrow is a US ship-borne short-range anti-aircraft and anti-missile weapon system,
primarily intended for defense against anti-ship missiles.
Its range is 19 km. Close in weapon (CIWS) duties are performed
by Phalanx, & RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile.
Phalanx CIWS has a 4500 /min rate of fire.
RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles have speed in excess of 2 Mach.
For offense, Ronald Reagan carries a flight group of more than 60 aircraft, including
F-18 jet fighters.
These are twin-engine, supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable 4th generation multirole fighter
aircraft.
They have a payload of 7700 kg (17000 lbs) and can carry ground attack weapons as well
as air-to-air missiles.
The versatility of the aircraft can be gauged from the fact that on the first day of Operation
Desert Storm, two F 18, each carrying four 2,000 lb. bombs shot down two Iraqi Migs and
then proceeded to deliver their bombs on target.
Supporting aircraft like EA 18 Growler and E2 Hawkeye are also available apart from helicopters.
The flotilla of aircraft has enough firepower to mount a credible offensive against any
Chinese misadventure.
Viewers may note that last month Australia, France, the US, India, Japan, and the Philippines
had held joint drills.
The situation in the region has been tense and recent developments are strained things
further.
Chinese provocations near Pagasa island has resulted in an open warning from the Philippines
On Apr 4th events took a new turn when President Duterte stated,
“I’m trying to tell China, Pagasa is ours.
So let us be friends, but do not touch Pagasa Island and the rest.
Otherwise, things would be different.”
He insisted that “this is not a warning, this is just a word of advice to my friends,
because China is our friend”.
Mr. Duterte went on, “I will not plead or beg, but I’m just
telling you to lay off Pagasa, because I have soldiers there, If you touch it, that’s
another story.
Then I will tell my soldiers ‘prepare for suicide missions’.”
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledged that the US would protect the Philippines
if “any armed attack” took place in the South China Sea.
The corrosive behavior of China seems to be galvanizing the other nations in the region
into an informal coalition aimed at resisting the Chinese activities.
It remains to been seen how thing pans out in coming days but it very likely that China
will be facing increasing and more resolute opposition.