China 'close' to deploying missile to kill carriers
Source: Agencies |
December 29, 2010, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINA is moving closer to deploying a ballistic missile designed to sink an aircraft carrier, the commander of the United States Pacific Command said in an interview published yesterday.
Admiral Robert Willard told Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper that he believed the Chinese anti-ship ballistic missile program had achieved "initial operational capability," meaning that a workable design had been settled on and was being further developed.
Known among defense analysts as a "carrier killer," the Dong Feng 21D missile would be a game-changer in the Asian security environment, where US Navy aircraft carrier battle groups have ruled the waves since the end of World War II.
The DF 21D's uniqueness is in its ability to hit a powerfully defended moving target with pinpoint precision - a capability US naval planners are scrambling to deal with.
The system's component parts have likely been designed and tested, but US sources have not detected an over-water test to see how well it can target a moving ship, Willard said.
Years of tests are probably still needed before the missile can be fully deployed, he said. The system requires state-of-the-art guidance systems, and some experts believe it will take China a decade or so to field "a reliable threat."
The missile is considered a key component of China's strategy of denying US planes and ships access to waters off its coast. The strategy includes overlapping layers of air defense systems, naval assets such as submarines, and advanced ballistic missile systems, all woven together with a network of satellites.
At its most capable, the DF 21D could be launched from land with enough accuracy to penetrate the defenses of even the most advanced moving aircraft carrier at a distance of more than 1,500 kilometers.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu yesterday referred questions about Willard's comments to military departments, but reiterated that China's military threatens no one.
"I can say that China pursues a defensive national policy," she told reporters at a regular news conference in Beijing. "We pose no threat to other countries. We will always be a force in safeguarding regional peace and stability."
Admiral Robert Willard told Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper that he believed the Chinese anti-ship ballistic missile program had achieved "initial operational capability," meaning that a workable design had been settled on and was being further developed.
Known among defense analysts as a "carrier killer," the Dong Feng 21D missile would be a game-changer in the Asian security environment, where US Navy aircraft carrier battle groups have ruled the waves since the end of World War II.
The DF 21D's uniqueness is in its ability to hit a powerfully defended moving target with pinpoint precision - a capability US naval planners are scrambling to deal with.
The system's component parts have likely been designed and tested, but US sources have not detected an over-water test to see how well it can target a moving ship, Willard said.
Years of tests are probably still needed before the missile can be fully deployed, he said. The system requires state-of-the-art guidance systems, and some experts believe it will take China a decade or so to field "a reliable threat."
The missile is considered a key component of China's strategy of denying US planes and ships access to waters off its coast. The strategy includes overlapping layers of air defense systems, naval assets such as submarines, and advanced ballistic missile systems, all woven together with a network of satellites.
At its most capable, the DF 21D could be launched from land with enough accuracy to penetrate the defenses of even the most advanced moving aircraft carrier at a distance of more than 1,500 kilometers.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu yesterday referred questions about Willard's comments to military departments, but reiterated that China's military threatens no one.
"I can say that China pursues a defensive national policy," she told reporters at a regular news conference in Beijing. "We pose no threat to other countries. We will always be a force in safeguarding regional peace and stability."
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
