It’s a hypersonics thread. Can we keep LRASM and F-35 out of this?
Chinese Hypersonic Developments (HGVs/HCMs)
- Thread starter A.Man
- Start date
LRASM is a deadly weapon. Are you guys serious? Low RCS is arguably more effective than high speed and easily detectable and trackable.
Sea skimming extremely low RCS and small target is pretty much impossible to spot.
This however isn't hard for Chinese MIC to develop and field. I really suspect China hides their own low RCS PGMs hidden because they are the mainstay, high tier anti-surface weapons (after YJ-18 and YJ-12). China has plenty of experience with metamaterials and stealth shaping, it has small turbofans and various engines that may be used for such an application, all the comms sensors and guidance tech. Something of an LRASM equivalent is very easy for China to do if they devoted the funding for it. It's extremely useful and certainly many times less expensive and easier to make than a hypersonic.
Stealth PGMs would be hard for any 1st rate fleet to detect even well within radar horizon. I literally do not know of any way even the best ships could detect these attacks. If F-35s fly low, they can get very close before releasing weapons. They could fly at 20m above sea level and give missiles enough clearance for example.
For these reasons I honestly think China has been developing these sorts of weapons because they are so useful and basically undetectable no matter how good conventional sensors are. Unless PLAN and USN fleets have some special secret sensor tech to deal with these threats, they simply no way of countering them until they're like 10 km away.
China just needs to be able to contest airspace first before this method becomes an effective option. Right now, it hasn't got the ability to fly close enough to USN or have the numbers to wear down the F-18s and F-35s.
The Russians keep dumping stealthy Kh-101 air launched cruise missiles into Ukraine. They have used them every single day since the war started. I doubt China does not have an equivalent. Perhaps the main issue is lack of a viable launch platform. The Russians right now are using the Tu-160 and Tu-95 as carriers. Neither platform is available in China.
I expect those kinds of missiles to show up once the H-20 becomes operational.
With regards to the LRASM I think the main issue it has is lack of range. It is way less viable a platform in the expanses of the Pacific than in some other place like Europe. It has only slightly more range than latest air defense systems. And the extra expense involved in making it stealth is pointless against non-peer opponents.
I expect those kinds of missiles to show up once the H-20 becomes operational.
With regards to the LRASM I think the main issue it has is lack of range. It is way less viable a platform in the expanses of the Pacific than in some other place like Europe. It has only slightly more range than latest air defense systems. And the extra expense involved in making it stealth is pointless against non-peer opponents.
Last edited:
I don’t think LRASM is that good considering it’s VLO capability is optimized for S/X band, and all it’s survivability is based on stealth, it won’t be any good in the near future when KJ-600(UHF) and all the other sensorcraft (UHF/Mi band)were in serviceWhat evidence do you have that this is anything but fantasy?
LRASM probably has the lowest RCS of anything flying, an intelligent passive guidance system, 450kg warhead, and a 500km+ range. So the stealthiest cruise missile on the planet being fired by a stealth aircraft is "nothing particularly special" huh?
Surely not. For several years now, the PLAN has been practicing with stealth target drones, presumably meant to simulate LRASM.
Exactly. A missile sized object cannot be made VLO against long wavelength.
I just found something interesting…
Successfully implemented hydrogen fueled continuous rotating detonation rocket engine hovering test…kerosene fueled rotating detonation engine hot firing test for thousands of times. Flight test of continuous rotating detonation engine for the first time in the world in Jan 2022.
Perhaps we will see a new HCM for soon? Meanwhile, “rotating detonation rocket engine” and “rotating detonation engine” are somehow different, implying the latter one is air-breathing?
Successfully implemented hydrogen fueled continuous rotating detonation rocket engine hovering test…kerosene fueled rotating detonation engine hot firing test for thousands of times. Flight test of continuous rotating detonation engine for the first time in the world in Jan 2022.
Perhaps we will see a new HCM for soon? Meanwhile, “rotating detonation rocket engine” and “rotating detonation engine” are somehow different, implying the latter one is air-breathing?
I just found Japan has tested a rotating detonation rocket engine several years ago. So I guess “the first time in the world” mentioning an air-breathing engine.