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PLA strike strategies in westpac HIC
- Thread starter SEAD
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Are there good resources on the ways in which China plans to target American Naval forces in a Westpac scenario? I've been noticing a lot of scattered developments that may be relevant. China has plenty of capable missiles (although a Zircon equivalent is still missing), but targeting will probably be the main challenge, as American carriers would leave as much space between themselves and Chinese shores as possible. Some of the most relevant potential technologies include the following:
1. High altitude balloons. Surprisingly difficult to take down, and presumably rather cheap if production is scaled up
2. Satellites. There has been footage of Chinese satellites tracking relatively small objects. Additionally, China has launched the first geosynchronous orbit satellite, which can provide near constant coverage of a single location
3. Hypersonic reconnaissance drones, like the WZ-8
4. Underwater monitoring systems, most notably the so-called Great Underwater Wall
5. Air/ship-borne radar developments. Improved AWACS capabilities, better naval reconnaissance capabilities, etc.
6. Small unmanned vessels, both submerged and surface, with recon capabilities.
1. High altitude balloons. Surprisingly difficult to take down, and presumably rather cheap if production is scaled up
2. Satellites. There has been footage of Chinese satellites tracking relatively small objects. Additionally, China has launched the first geosynchronous orbit satellite, which can provide near constant coverage of a single location
3. Hypersonic reconnaissance drones, like the WZ-8
4. Underwater monitoring systems, most notably the so-called Great Underwater Wall
5. Air/ship-borne radar developments. Improved AWACS capabilities, better naval reconnaissance capabilities, etc.
6. Small unmanned vessels, both submerged and surface, with recon capabilities.
So I think this week's Tu95 and H-6 is quite significant as Yi Yazhou stated here in that this is the first time where China used a Russian air base to operate next to Alaska. And if H-6 can operate out of there, then other aircraft (like say Y-20AA and J-20) can theoretically operate out of there too.
At the same time, Chinese naval ships are visiting Vladivostok. I don't think it would be too hard to imagine Chinese ship at least stopping by in Vladivostok in a westpac scenario. Although, I think the usage of Russian air field by Chinese bombers would be far more significant.
Another thing we saw is WZ-7 going through air space to fly around sea of Japan.
All cooperations we are seeing that are new and would be significant in westpac scenario.
It's important to get some training of this done at this point so it would be familiar during an actual war.
Was wondering why this thread died. Good discussion here, should be continued.
I think the exercise is for China to signal US it has weakness previously uncovered. It should invest more resources there.
If US invest more resourced defending itself, it has less for conducting offence, thereby protecting China. It is also beneficial to buy more time.
If US invest more resourced defending itself, it has less for conducting offence, thereby protecting China. It is also beneficial to buy more time.
antiterror13
Brigadier
How about the real possibility in the near future that PLAN may have access to Sea of Japan. There was an agreement between China-Russia and NK to allow China to have access to Sea of Japan via Tumen River
That would be a game changer for PLAN. Imagine the Japan would be so scared and would put much more resources in that area, it means less resources for other areas
What China need to do, just put a few subs and destroyers + Frigates there ... thats it
That would be a game changer for PLAN. Imagine the Japan would be so scared and would put much more resources in that area, it means less resources for other areas
What China need to do, just put a few subs and destroyers + Frigates there ... thats it
They always have a way of making relatively unremarkable developments seem more significant than they are.
Operating a couple of H-6Ks from a Russian base for a flight near Alaska raises some eyebrows, but a one-off patrol like this (heck even if they started doing this annually or even monthly) it is not necessarily a huge deal because actually operating a useful amount of PLA aircraft from Russian bases (in a manner where they can provide capability gain rather than just be a liability) during wartime is much more hardware intensive (not only in terms of logistics to support the aircraft, but all of the defensive needs for such air bases as well), not to mention what the geopolitical limits and rules of engagement are as well.
Putting it another way -- the investment that would be needed to make any sort of "PLA basing in Russia's far east" is so huge and significant to even be considered an asset (rather than a liability) in a westpac war against the US, that these sort of patrols are almost not relevant beyond a simple "okay".
I don’t anticipate China to operate aircraft from Russian base during a westpac conflict as a regular thing, but rather as an emergency. So from that sense, it’s good for them to get a few practice in. Doesn’t matter as much where the missions is to.
And I would also like to see more overflight into Sea of Japan.