Chinese Hypersonic Developments (HGVs/HCMs)

bsdnf

Junior Member
Registered Member
the issue is not about the purpose which you are right, nor is torpedo tube laughing itself in general.

HCM can not ignite at subsonic speed. Nor can it sustain high mach flight at low altitude. This means it has to travel vertically immediately from surface of water because it has no lift unlike all other cruise missiles launched from torpedo tubes.

this means that horizontally launching it is highly challenging and risky therefor my assessment of it being doable for arguments sake.
Even the YJ-19 needs to accelerate to ignite the scramjet, its still way faster than the YJ-18, the subsonic phase of the YJ-18 is simply too long and too slow.
 

Equation

Lieutenant General
Speed and flexibility aside they also said YJ-19 has more range than YJ-18, but there is one drawback in that it's warhead is a lot smaller and against very robust targets like CVN it may struggle.

Don't have to completely sink an opposing aircraft carrier to put it out of action. Just enough damages to the catapult and recovery system alone would put the carrier from launching aircrafts. No more power projection if no aircrafts can be launch and recover safely.
 

iewgnem

Senior Member
Registered Member
Don't have to completely sink an opposing aircraft carrier to put it out of action. Just enough damages to the catapult and recovery system alone would put the carrier from launching aircrafts. No more power projection if no aircrafts can be launch and recover safely.
Just need to take out Burkes and you can finish off the carrier with almost anything in PLA inventory.
 

Blitzo

General
Staff member
Super Moderator
Registered Member
Don't have to completely sink an opposing aircraft carrier to put it out of action. Just enough damages to the catapult and recovery system alone would put the carrier from launching aircrafts. No more power projection if no aircrafts can be launch and recover safely.

The point is not that YJ-19 is useless against carriers (a hypersonic cruise missile even with a lighter payload is still going to hurt), but rather that there are other options/payloads which can be developed (and are developed) which are better optimized against carriers or other large ships than YJ-19, considering YJ-19 is designed to fit 533mm diameter torpedo tubes, and the UVLS has a larger diameter of 850mm.
 

Heliox

Junior Member
Registered Member
Just need to take out Burkes and you can finish off the carrier with almost anything in PLA inventory.

Yup. Even if you cannot get to the CV itself, a mission kill on a few escort platforms could literally send the entire CVBG to the rear area to regroup, effectively mission killing the CV without even touching it.

Within the short term, a small warhead that hits and "mission kill" a combatant is still a good result in changing the force mix and ability of the opponent to generate combat power where it matters.

Given the limited shipyard capabilities of the US, it could also be argued that within the short-medium term, a mission kill is still as good as a "sink". The historical capabilities of the US to refloat sunk ships at Pearl Habour and return them to service within a couple of years is practically non-existent in current times. Potentially, ships queued up outside of limited dry dock facilities could be targeted at will - by low cost, long range drones even.

So even if the payload is on the low side, the capabilities this (YJ-19) gives to the sub fleet is not to be scoffed at.
 

ougoah

Brigadier
Registered Member
This is going to be like a soccer (football/ basketball whatever team game) match where the Chinese and American sides both have very similar range of skill players but the Chinese side has 10x more players on the field representative of skill range and there are 10x more balls. How many goals are going to be scored by each side?

The only way to counter is to change the rules with revolutionary weapons. On that front, there are as many Chinese scientists and engineers working away as American ones if not even more. Similar levels of institutions, tools and facilities. I'd suggest there are lots of Chinese Americans on the US side currently working for the US too. Some of these people may return to China and some may even be active spies. US would have spies too in China but China's now running faster.

US grand strategy is to put all eggs into AGI/ASI. Even on that front, China is matching lol. Plus half of US AI industry is Chinese born and educated Chinese. In many cases even Chinese citizens. It's over for the US. Well and truly over.

And the reputable leakers who've been proven right every time over the decade are saying these displays are not even of the latest and greatest available weapons to the PLA. These are things the US have either on the drawing board or in very early level concept testing stages. At most, the HAWC is nearly done but still not in service. GG well played, US political elites are getting their bunkers, knees and exit strategies ready depending on who they are and how much they've fucked around over the years.

All China needs to do is produce all it currently has shown and it rules its region against US and allies. With even greater weapons still under shrouds of secrecy, it has militarily (conventional) supremacy over any range.

In 10 years time PLA will be mostly robots doing the low end shooting and even more unmanned platforms basically fiction Skynet but in real life and Chinese. By that time Taiwan will negotiate for peaceful reunification. No point to even game out and militarily plan by then.
 
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vincent

Grumpy Old Man
Staff member
Moderator - World Affairs
The YJ-15 AShMs, assuming to have similar effective strike ranges as the YJ-18 AShMs which it is meant to succeed on submarines (~500-600 kilometers) far outrange the HWTs that all SSNs (and SSKs) field. In addition, AShMs should offer the SSNs much greater operational flexibility in standoff strikes against enemy warships + Better chances at evading enemy ASW efforts than HWTs.
YJ-15 is not meant to succeed YJ-18. It has lower minimum engagement range and higher speed throughout. YJ-19 is the successor of YJ-18.
 

ACuriousPLAFan

Brigadier
Registered Member
One problem with regards to heavyweight torpedo (HWT) on submarines would be their effective strike ranges versus those of the AShMs...

Correction version below - Dear mods, please delete my previous post on the YJ-15 above.



One problem with regards to heavyweight torpedo (HWT) on submarines would be their effective strike ranges versus those of the AShMs.

The HWTs of today don't reach triple digits of kilometers of effective strike ranges, given how large their sizes would need to get in order to meet those requirements (or having to resort to nuclear propulsion, which introduces a whole lot of new problems to deal with).

The YJ-19 AShMs, assuming to have similar effective strike ranges as the YJ-18 AShMs which it is meant to succeed on submarines (~500-600 kilometers) far outrange the HWTs that all SSNs (and SSKs) field. In addition, AShMs should offer the SSNs much greater operational flexibility in standoff strikes against enemy warships + Better chances at evading enemy ASW efforts than HWTs.

Sure, the YJ-19 has smaller warheads than HWTs due to strict size limitations. However, achieving a mission-kill against an enemy surface combatant (e.g. destroying the main radar and sensor systems, or blowing up the CIC) without actually sinking it would still constitute a "kill" in the overall battlefield nonetheless, as said enemy surface combatant would be left blind and unable to contribute to the enemy's war effort in a warzone without getting drydocked for repairs, if not leaving said enemy warships more vulnerable to subsequent allied attack attempts.

As for HWTs - I would expect their main use on SSNs (and SSKs too) in the future would become more relegated to strikes against targets of opportunity during combat patrol or ambush missions around maritime chokepoints, with countering enemy submarines in self-defense being another key use.
 
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