Liu said the missile went undetected because China’s space-based electromagnetic weapons system suppressed the destroyer’s radar in a “top-down” manner.
“Since ancient times, commanding height has always been a crucial tactic in warfare,” Liu and his team wrote in December in the Chinese peer-reviewed journal Shipboard Electronic Countermeasures.
“Evolving concepts of warfare and advancements in technology have made space a new height of contention for the world’s military powers.”
According to the paper, simulations showed that Chinese missiles were backed up by multiple low-orbit electronic warfare satellites located above a US aircraft carrier.
The satellites spotted radar signals from U.S. warships and emitted similarly powerful signals, so even if the radar waves were being reflected by missiles, their echoes were indistinguishable from the strong background noise.
Liu’s team concluded that low-orbit constellations have some “unique advantages” for such difficult missions.
Space-based platforms, unlike electronic warfare aircraft, for example, can operate across borders, allowing them to be quickly mobilized around the world and cover a wider combat radius.
And because these satellites are in orbits of only a few hundred kilometers, the jamming signals emitted by the satellites “have minimal power loss, the receiver and transmitter power required are less sensitive, and “This is more technically feasible,” the research team said.
The report said China is “promoting related research and applications” and that “electronic warfare in outer space using low-orbit satellite constellations has become an important means of information warfare.”
Based on their research, researchers believe that a constellation of as few as 28 satellites could support a global attack, although two to three satellites are sufficient to attack an aircraft carrier constellation. .
02:06
China’s hypersonic weapons test ‘has all of our attention’, says US General Mark Milley
China’s hypersonic weapons test ‘has all of our attention’, says US General Mark Milley
The Chengdu team’s simulation was based on the U.S. military’s SPY-1D radar, which is primarily used on the Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to detect long-range anti-ship missiles.
Lockheed Martin manufactures the radar and told U.S. media last year that it could remain in service until 2060.
According to the researchers, the SPY-1 series has been in service since the 1970s, meaning the Chinese military is familiar with its capabilities.
They believed they could use two satellites to suppress the same radar from different angles, creating “false air warnings to the enemy’s front, sides, and rear.”
Therefore, when a Chinese anti-ship missile approaches within 50 kilometers (30 miles) of its target, “the satellite completes its suppression mission, the missile’s onboard jammers are activated, and the missile penetrates further until it destroys the target.” The final operations will be carried out,” the paper said.
Long-range strikes against carrier strike groups are considered difficult to accomplish, as satellites, missiles, and ships are all fast-moving targets. But Liu’s team claims that simulations that set out the timeline and spatial scope of such an attack show it is possible.
They noted that other countries, such as the United States and Russia, are also looking at space weapons for this scenario.
The Fifth Power: Is China Adding Hypersonic “Near Space Command” to its Military?
The Fifth Power: Is China Adding Hypersonic “Near Space Command” to its Military?
The hypersonic missile used in the simulation was not disclosed, but the paper notes that its terminal maneuverability differs from traditional ballistic missiles, meaning it may approach its target on an unpredictable trajectory. It emphasizes that.
The missile’s nominal range is similar to that of China’s “carrier killer” YJ-21. Hypersonic anti-ship missiles are thought to be able to reach speeds of up to Mach 10, giving enemy air defense systems less than 20 seconds to react.
Military experts believe the YJ-21 is being deployed on warships such as Type 055 destroyers. The Chengdu team did not reveal the missile launch platform in the simulation.
In another simulation last year by researchers at China’s Northern University, a Chinese hypersonic missile was fired from land at a U.S. carrier strike group.
In this scenario, more than 20 hypersonic missiles were deployed to attack the U.S. naval fleet, but no space assets were used and Chinese missiles were detected from launches by the United States.