c***l
发帖数: 2395 | 1 While most folks were getting ready to head out for Labor Day barbeques,
American defense planners were preparing what could be a big upgrade of U.S.
missile-defense platforms on the high seas.
In a press release last Friday by Lockheed Martin, the company detailed a
new contract worth as much as $428 million over ten years to modernize the
highly respected U.S. Navy Aegis Combat System’s hardware and software. And
the timing could not be any better considering the news coming out of Asia
these days.
Lockheed explained in its release that the upgrades, or the Ship Integration
& Test (SI&T) program, “will will integrate Aegis onboard new Arleigh
Burke-class destroyers, and modernize destroyers and cruisers to operate the
latest iteration of the Aegis configuration, called Baseline 9.”
This is where things get interesting. The release continues, noting that: “
[T]hrough Baseline 9, ships can simultaneously defend against airborne
threats, such as aircraft or cruise missiles, while also targeting and
intercepting ballistic missiles. It is the only naval combat system in the
world to demonstrate the ability to conduct integrated air and missile
defense simultaneously.”
Defending against multiple types of threats such as cruise and ballistic
missiles simultaneously is a big deal and an important upgrade for AEGIS.
When one considers the possible threat environment, especially in the Asia-
Pacific, U.S. naval assets in any contest against China would face
challenges from both cruise and ballistic missile coming from multiple
different domains (air, land and sea). Being able to take on several
different types of threats at once is clearly of major importance—
especially as anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) challenges seem to keep
multiplying as the years go by (think Russia, North Korea, Iran and others).
“When a ship goes into harm’s way, the combat system must work 100 percent
of the time – there is no margin of error,” explained Chris Minster, SI&T
senior program manager of Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training. “
Whether it is designing a system for a brand new ship or working hand-in-
hand with sailors pierside, Ship Integration and Test is there to deliver.”
Considering China’s recent display of a new and longer-range “carrier-
killer” missile, the timing could not be any better. U.S. naval assets will
likely now have to plan for dealing with anti-ship threats that could
strike vessels up to 2,500 miles away, complicating America’s ability to
project power and deter challenges now and in the future. And while the
upgrades to AEGIS certainly won’t negate the increased range of Beijing’s
anti-ship weapons, any missile defense upgrades at this point are a welcomed
move.
As Andrew Erickson noted in a fantastic piece that detailed Beijing’s
display of not one but two “carrier-killer” missiles, the DF-26 is
noteworthy for its increased range beyond the much-discussed DF-21D:
“Official commentary elaborated that the DF-26 is “capable of targeting
large- and medium-sized targets on water” (打击大中型水面目标). This “Guam
Killer” missile is credited with 3,000-4,000-km (1,800-2,500 mile) range,
sufficient to strike U.S. bases on Guam. The set of sixteen DF-26 missiles
was further described as the “Conventional-/Nuclear-capable formation. The
DF-26 can perform medium-to-long-range precision attack on both land and
large-to-medium-sized maritime targets. A new weapon for strategic
deterrence” (核常兼备导弹方队, 东26能对陆上重要目标和海上大中型舰船实施中远
程精确打击, 是我军战略威慑力量体系中的新型武器).”
So the real question: Was the timing of this press release just coincidence
or a response to news from Beijing? In any event, the security dilemma
between the United States and China seems only to be gaining momentum.
Harry J. Kazianis serves as Executive Editor of The National Interest and a
Senior Fellow for Defense Policy at the Center for the National Interest. He
is the co-author and editor of the recent Center for the National Interest
report: Tackling Asia’s Greatest Challenges - A U.S. Japan-Vietnam
Trilateral Report. You can follow him on Twitter: @grecianformula and on
Linkedin. | t****n
发帖数: 10724 | 2 一年才43米粒， 买点啥好呢？
S.
And
Asia
Integration
【在 c***l 的大作中提到】
: While most folks were getting ready to head out for Labor Day barbeques,
: American defense planners were preparing what could be a big upgrade of U.S.
: missile-defense platforms on the high seas.
: In a press release last Friday by Lockheed Martin, the company detailed a
: new contract worth as much as $428 million over ten years to modernize the
: highly respected U.S. Navy Aegis Combat System’s hardware and software. And
: the timing could not be any better considering the news coming out of Asia
: these days.
: Lockheed explained in its release that the upgrades, or the Ship Integration
: & Test (SI&T) program, “will will integrate Aegis onboard new Arleigh
| l*********u
发帖数: 19053 | 3 这只是卖瓜的吆喝钱 :)
【在 t****n 的大作中提到】
: 一年才43米粒， 买点啥好呢？
:
: S.
: And
: Asia
: Integration
| l******t
发帖数: 55733 | | Z****a
发帖数: 5434 | | c***l
发帖数: 2395 | 6 悲剧个鸟，生于忧患，死于安乐
【在 Z****a 的大作中提到】
: 东风系列杯具了
| c*****a
发帖数: 1728 | 7 换掉cpu和主板，双倍内存，这钱还是够的。
【在 t****n 的大作中提到】
: 一年才43米粒， 买点啥好呢？
:
: S.
: And
: Asia
: Integration
|
|
