- The US Navy has shot down Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles in recent weeks.
- These weapons could pose a major threat to the United States in a potential war with China in the Pacific.
- Experts said the current engagements in the Middle East are giving Americans valuable combat experience.
The U.S. Navy operating in the Middle East has shot down anti-ship ballistic missiles, a deadly threat that China could rely heavily on if war breaks out in the Pacific.
This type of weapon was not used in combat until recently. Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched dozens of anti-ship ballistic missiles into waters off Yemen’s coast in recent weeks, forcing the U.S. Navy to respond repeatedly.
Despite differences in anti-ship ballistic missile capabilities between China and the Houthis, these dangerous engagements provide U.S. warship crews with important combat experience and help prepare them for possible future conflicts. They are learning opportunities, but they are never training.
“Regardless of how powerful an anti-ship missile is, if it hits, it will damage things and kill people,” retired U.S. Navy Admiral Archer Macy told Business Insider. “This is not a rehearsal or a training exercise. This is a real combat operation.”
President Joe Biden said last month that anti-ship ballistic missiles were used “for the first time in history” as the Houthis carried out an “unprecedented” attack. Iranian-backed rebels launched these weapons into the international shipping lanes of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden amid tensions in the region over the past few months. Some of the missiles hit merchant ships, while others landed in the sea.
The US Navy shot down several anti-ship ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis.pentagon Confirmed The first intercept appears to have been in late December, and in the weeks that followed, American warships struck and shot down several more missiles. The US government also carried out a pre-emptive strike in Yemen, destroying rebels before they could launch anti-ship ballistic missiles.
The Houthis have had anti-ship weapons for nearly a decade, according to an analysis published in early January by the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank. The rebels boast a vast collection of both ballistic and cruise missiles. Some are of Iranian origin, while others only contain parts from Tehran.
Centcom has not disclosed which anti-ship ballistic missiles were used in the attack on international shipping lanes.
Brian Clark, a former U.S. Navy officer and defense expert at the Hudson Institute, said the Houthis have capable anti-ship weapons, although their ballistic missiles are less maneuverable.
“They don’t use sophisticated seeker systems like China’s anti-ship ballistic missiles,” he told Business Insider.
Anti-ship capabilities often come up in discussions of great power competition, especially with China, but they are becoming an increasing concern for the United States as tensions rise in the Western Pacific.
In 2022, China has been identified as a “pacing challenge” for the U.S. military. War is not an objective, but it is acknowledged as a possibility. And experts say the maritime domain is likely to become a key battleground between the two countries if they ultimately go to war in the Indo-Pacific region. For this reason, anti-ship capabilities are an important factor.
China has a powerful arsenal of anti-ship ballistic missiles, including the DF-21D and DF-26, and is increasingly expanding it. These missile threats, sometimes described as “ship-killer” or “carrier-killer” missiles, could pose a significant threat to U.S. naval forces such as warships and aircraft carriers operating in the theater during a potential conflict. .
The Chinese government has even built a model of a U.S. warship, believed to be used for target practice and to improve China’s missiles. Efforts to strengthen the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, particularly its anti-ship ballistic missile capabilities, highlight Beijing’s interest in using them in anti-access and area denial strategies to keep the U.S. Navy at bay.
Clark said Chinese anti-ship ballistic missiles are equipped with seekers and advanced guidance systems that allow them to detect and target ships in flight. Houthi ballistic missiles, on the other hand, do not appear to have the same capabilities.
“It has to be launched at a geographical point and we hope it hits there,” he added.
Unlike the Houthis, the Chinese military also has a wide variety of sensors that can be used to direct anti-ship ballistic missile attacks, said Shaan Shaikh, a research fellow in the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank. . These capabilities include a variety of platforms such as ground radar systems, ships, maritime drones, and satellites.
“There are all different sensors available to China to complete the kill chain,” Shaikh told Business Insider. In a conflict, China’s anti-ship ballistic missiles could also require U.S. Navy ships to use more advanced interceptor missiles, he added.
But even though the threat environment in the Pacific is more advanced and difficult than in the Red Sea, experts say the crews of American warships tasked with the relentless mission of shooting down Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles are , states that he has gained combat experience in actual combat. It will be valuable if another conflict arises at some point in the future.
“I think training is often best done in a combat environment,” Clark said. He added that the course of action is consistent regardless of the threat.
“It really doesn’t matter what comes to them,” said Macy, a retired admiral who served aboard several U.S. Navy warships. “Their processes, procedures and decisions are all the same.”
For example, the advanced Aegis combat system installed on some U.S. Navy ships can handle differences between missiles, he said. The crew has to deal with whether there’s an object somewhere, where it’s going, whether it’s a threat, and when to engage it.
“This is not a small entertainment for the crew,” Macy emphasized. “A battle is a battle, and I’m only partially interested, if at all, in who’s on the other side of it and what flag they’re flying.”