plawolf
Lieutenant General
Lets suppose the YJ-12 is real and the JH-7Bs can carry two of them each. 400 KM is well within the range of carrier aircrafts armed with AIM-120s, also traveling at Mach 4. A carrier borne E-2s can detect targets out about 550 KM. Which will provide early warning for the carrier, which receiving the threat warning will then launch a "whole lotta" F-18s/F-35s in the air "real quick" and also prompt the fleet air defense ships like the Ticos and the Burkes to get in position to launch their "whole lotta" SM-2s.
The outcome of this scenario is that a few YJ-12s might get through but not a lot. But I guess the PLNAF will then launch its second squadron of JH-7Bs with another 48 YJ-12s ...
Only in your fantasy will the PLAAF send in JH7 regiments piecemeal and with no friendly fighter escort.
You also might want to run some basic maths checks before getting too far ahead of yourself. Assuming the E2 spots an incoming attack wave 550km out, and those JH7s are only going at high subsonic speed of 1000kph, you got 9 minutes before they are within the 400km red line to start launching missiles. If those JH7s kicks into afterburner as soon as their RWR tells them they been spotted, you can cut that response time by half at least.
Assuming the escorts are making a 35-40knots dash, that's enough time for them to cover little over 10km in 9 minutes, considering a carrier group can spread anywhere between a few km apart or scores or even hundreds of km apart, those escorts were either in range to start with, or they won't have time to get in missile range in the short time they have after an attack is spotted.
Similar deal with fighter scrambles. I don't have exact figures for USN carriers, but the new RN QEII class for example, has a maximum launch rate of 24 birds per 15 minutes. Gives you a ballpark figure for how many fighters a carrier can realistically expect to get airborne in 9 minutes.
That is, of course just launching the fighters off the deck. An AMRAAM only as a 100km effective range or so, meaning those fighters would then have to cover 300km+ before they can launch at those incoming JH7s before they cross the red line.
Assuming a M2 dash (which the F35 can't actually achieve btw, but we'll let that slide), it would take around 7 minutes for those newly launched fighters to get 300km from their boat.
So, just how many fighters can a USN carrier launch in 2 minutes? Because that's all the time they have to launch birds for those fighters to have any sort of chance of getting a shot off at those incoming JH7s before they are within launch range of their YJ12s. Let me give you a hint, it ain't 'a whole lotta'.
That's also a best case scenario where the JH7s only maintain a leisurely high subsonic cruise after their RWR lights up like a Christmas tree, and I haven't even bothered to factor in the time it takes an AMRAAM to cover that last 100km after it has been fired.
In any realistic scenario, those JH7s would kick into max afterburner and make a mad dash towards their targets as soon as they realise they have been made. That can cut your reponse time in half easily, meaning even if you launched fighters the second you spotted those JH7s, those fighters still won't be in maximum missile range by the time those JH7s release weapons and head for home.
Factor in a multi-regiment saturation attack with its own AWACS and fighter escort, and you really have to be a fool to not take such a threat seriously.
