![]() ![]() It has orbited dozens, some resembling the electronic listening satellites the U.S. The second option China has is reconnaissance satellites. Finally, the radar itself is a large, fixed object subject to preemption at the onset of war. ![]() Third, the resulting picture of surveilled areas is of such low resolution that the radar cannot establish a target track even if it detects a carrier. Second, at each bounce to and from the target, much energy is lost. First, they must operate at long wavelengths that generate relatively little information in order to bounce off the ionosphere rather than passing through it. The energy will reflect downward, and once it reaches the surface generate indications of anomalies that return to the original site of transmission via the same path.Ĭhina has at least two huge radars that can do this, but their utility is modest. These powerful radars monitor vast swaths of ocean by bouncing their radar signals off the ionosphere. First, it could use “over-the-horizon” radar located on land. The Navy and its partners in the joint force have plans for disrupting potential attackers at each step in the process.Ĭonsider the initial steps of finding and fixing the carrier’s location. Because each step must be accomplished sequentially, if any “link” in the chain fails the whole process breaks down. The Navy refers to this process as a “kill chain,” and the metaphor is instructive. First, they would have to find the carrier then they would have to fix its location then they would have to establish a continuous track of its movements then they would have to actually target the carrier with specific weapons then they would have to penetrate the carrier’s multi-layered defenses to reach the target and finally they would need to assess whether the resulting damage was sufficient to disable the carrier. That area grows to over 6,000 square miles after 90 minutes, which is the more likely time elapsed between detecting a carrier and launching a missile from the Chinese mainland.īut let’s back up for a moment and consider the multiple hurdles that Chinese attackers would need to overcome to successfully target a carrier. At 35 miles per hour, the carriers can be anywhere in an area measuring over 700 square miles within 30 minutes. If China’s military actually sights a carrier, it will not be where it was seen by the time weapons arrive. carriers essentially have unlimited range. ![]()
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