The second is the development of the MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aerial vehicle, a dedicated aerial refueling platform. The first is the use of CFTs, which according to this 2013 Aviation Week & Space Technology report could add nearly 300 miles of range to Super Hornets. The Navy realizes this is a problem and is working on two workarounds. That means to get the Hornets into the fight, the aircraft carrier, and all 5,000 people on board, must be in range of Chinese missiles. Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet has a range of just over 500 miles, fully loaded with munitions to hunt ASBM launchers. In the meantime, the Navy needs a credible way to hold such ASBMs at risk using its number-one strike asset: carrier-based aircraft. Until the Navy squares away new tactics to defend against DF-21Ds, that creates a 1,100 mile no-go zone around any location with a DF-21D, which includes pretty much all of the Chinese coastline. The DF-21D’s maximum range is about 1,100 miles. ASBMs like the DF-21D variant, because of their ballistic trajectory, fast reentry speed, and steep terminal descent angle, are difficult (but not impossible) to intercept. These medium-range ballistic missiles, such as the DF-21 mobile missile, are designed to attack aircraft carriers. China in particular has so-called anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs). The rise of China and Russia has pushed so-called “big power warfare” to the forefront of national security concerns. In this photo, the F-15E’s conformal fuel tanks are visible as bulges between the air intake and the traditional drop tank.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |