Could China’s Fire Dragon missiles sink US warships?



NEW DELHI: A research by the Folks’s Liberation Military (PLA) means that China’s Fireplace Dragon 480 missiles, developed by Norinco Group, may pose a major menace to US warships. This long-range rocket, identified for its precision-guided sensors and excessive impression velocity, is acknowledged as a formidable tactical ballistic missile, a South China Morning Publish report mentioned.
Li Jiangjiang, a scientist with the PLA’s 92228 unit, emphasised the missile’s capabilities in a paper, saying, “Its warhead surpasses the 400kg mark, considerably outweighing that of a traditional anti-ship missile. Furthermore, its impression velocity exceeds 500 meters (1,640 toes) per second, making certain {that a} 10,000-tonne cruiser could be destroyed upon being struck by simply two of those missiles.”
Regardless of its marketed vary of 290km, the research means that the Fireplace Dragon 480 may doubtlessly attain targets over 500km away. The missile might be launched from a high-speed cellular wheeled platform, making it each cost-effective and adaptable to harsh environments.
The PLA’s simulation concerned launching 12 Fireplace Dragon 480 rockets at two Ticonderoga-class cruisers. The simulation indicated that one of many cruisers was sunk regardless of the defensive efforts of the US warships, which included launching air protection missiles and activating the Phalanx close-in weapon system.
Moreover, the research explored the usage of “swarm warheads,” the place drones are deployed to distract protection programs and supply exact goal coordinates for subsequent rocket assaults. This tactic confirmed a near-zero survival price for the Ticonderoga-class cruisers within the simulation, the SCMP report mentioned.
Li highlighted the significance of upgrading China’s long-range rocket launcher system and enhancing anti-interference skills and information hyperlinks between the rockets and drones to maximise the effectiveness of those ways.
The US, in the meantime, is step by step decommissioning its Ticonderoga-class cruisers in favor of extra fashionable ships, with the final one scheduled for retirement in 2027.





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