PLAN Anti-ship/surface missiles
- Thread starter tphuang
- Start date
Equation
Lieutenant General
Don't forget this bad boy will be coming into play as well later on. I think it's still in development stage, not sure. Someone with more knowledge about it can clarify it for us please.
Most of us would agree that China is getting more powerful at sea, but why do I get this feeling that the essay was more bend on the China threat theory? And seriously I do not believe that 2 cruise missiles will have any impact on US powers in the region. Indeed that two missiles and the other one that Equation had shown are powerful weapons, but I do not really think that US doesn't had these type of weapons too. And US had much larger Naval fleet and the such, plus fully functional aircraft carriers with large number of aircraft available.
What I see Chinese cruise missiles are more as a deterrence from any powers trying to get in to have a piece of China and to protect her vital sea routes but was never a chip for her to be more aggressive (and I think Beijing knew that too).
AssassinsMace
Lieutenant General
It's primarily about lobbying more money for the military.
I think the goal of China's military modernization is to get to general qualitative parity with the most advanced militaries of its neighbors, which happens to be Japan and Russia. Given China's size that means in overall power in absolute terms it will be somewhere above them and below the US, but in relative terms it will be just enough of a deterrence to prevent aggression against China.
The quality of pundits/talking heads commenting on Chinese affairs today is vastly inferior to the professionals that wrote about Soviet Union during the cold war era. There are also many other issues like Asian studies major producing scholars who are just looking for a meal ticket. But this is going off topic so I'll shut up here.
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AssassinsMace
Lieutenant General
Nice short video of the history of Chinese anti-ships missiles. Launches, hits, and manufacture. From Chinese Defense Forum.
ONI's document on the PLAN has specified YJ-18 as a point of interest, and a variety of news outlets have picked up on it as a "carrier killer missile".
Ignoring all that, I have a bone to pick with ONI's claim that YJ-18 is simply a reverse engeineered 3M-54E missile, and their stats seem to have taken numbers directly from the 3M-54E (Klub-S export version that PLAN bought).
The video footage we have of the supposed YJ-18 launch from the test ship has a vastly different geometry to 3M-54E...
Then there's how rumours of YJ-18's range seem to be in the higher range of 300km-400km rather than a measly ~200km. Given how YJ-62 alone has a range of 400km I would be surprised if any new generation AShM didn't at least approach that kind of reach.
In fact, they seem to have gotten their numbers for YJ-18 directly from deagel, which isn't exactly known for its accuracy regarding PLA hardware: ...
I feel like many western defense watchers have interpreted discussion on the Chinese internet of YJ-18 being "China's Klub/3M-54" as being "China has reverse engineered Klub/3M-54". At this stage of course, things are still up in the air until we get clear pictures of YJ-18 however what limited evidence and information we do have suggests to me that ONI (and many other outlets) have got their facts wrong in this case.
Ignoring all that, I have a bone to pick with ONI's claim that YJ-18 is simply a reverse engeineered 3M-54E missile, and their stats seem to have taken numbers directly from the 3M-54E (Klub-S export version that PLAN bought).
The video footage we have of the supposed YJ-18 launch from the test ship has a vastly different geometry to 3M-54E...
Then there's how rumours of YJ-18's range seem to be in the higher range of 300km-400km rather than a measly ~200km. Given how YJ-62 alone has a range of 400km I would be surprised if any new generation AShM didn't at least approach that kind of reach.
In fact, they seem to have gotten their numbers for YJ-18 directly from deagel, which isn't exactly known for its accuracy regarding PLA hardware: ...
I feel like many western defense watchers have interpreted discussion on the Chinese internet of YJ-18 being "China's Klub/3M-54" as being "China has reverse engineered Klub/3M-54". At this stage of course, things are still up in the air until we get clear pictures of YJ-18 however what limited evidence and information we do have suggests to me that ONI (and many other outlets) have got their facts wrong in this case.
SinoSoldier
Colonel
It doesn't make sense; there's no need for China to reverse engineer the Klub when the YJ-12 is readily available for use and substantially easier to integrate in terms of software. If it does turn out to be the Klub's child out of wedlock, then it would most likely be different and improved enough as to be considered as a new family of systems.
Well YJ-12 is different to what YJ-18 and 3M-54 are; YJ-12 is a supersonic cruise missile for the entire duration of the flight whereas YJ-18 and 3M-54 are both supersonic only in the terminal phase and subsonic for the preceding flight.
So I can understand why western observers may think that YJ-18 is automatically a reverse engineered 3M-54 given its flight profile is admittedly quite unique.
However looking at pictures of YJ-18 I doubt a reverse engineered 3M-54 is the case, and of course it isn't like it is beyond Chinese industry to develop their own 3M-54 equivalent.
So I can understand why western observers may think that YJ-18 is automatically a reverse engineered 3M-54 given its flight profile is admittedly quite unique.
However looking at pictures of YJ-18 I doubt a reverse engineered 3M-54 is the case, and of course it isn't like it is beyond Chinese industry to develop their own 3M-54 equivalent.