(CG picture of Fujian ship)
Aircraft carrier is a symbol of the navy of a great power. The Chinese Navy's third aircraft carrier "Fujian" was launched in the middle of this month. This move shows the determination of the Chinese Navy to go to the ocean and the deep blue, but in the world While the world's eyes are focused on the "Fujian" aircraft carrier, some American media have issued a different reminder: CNN recently published an article titled "Forget about China's new aircraft carrier, the United States "What You Should Worry About Are Others", the article believes that the powerful challenge the U.S. Navy is facing from the Chinese Navy is far more than just a new aircraft carrier. There are at least four weapons or capabilities that are more worthy of concern.
(The smooth launch of the Fujian aircraft carrier marks another big step for the Chinese Navy to go to sea)
In this article analyzing the Chinese Navy, relevant US experts said: The "Fujian Ship" may be China's largest ships, but perhaps not the biggest issue on U.S. Navy commanders’ minds right now. The U.S. Navy needs to pay attention to the development of China's other "four maritime forces", and these maritime forces are not just the navy, but also include other civilian maritime forces.
(055 is sailing)
In the article published by CNN, the first thing mentioned was the Chinese Navy's 055 large guided missile destroyer. RAND Corporation senior analyst Timothy Heath commented on the 055 destroyer : "These ships have complex designs, stealth capabilities, radar and large missile inventories. They are larger than most U.S., Japanese and Korean ships. The destroyer is bigger and stronger. "
Objectively speaking, the emergence of the Type 055 destroyer has made the U.S. Navy fall behind other countries in the field of destroyer technology for the first time since the end of World War II. This obviously puts the U.S. Navy in a dilemma. After all, the US military has always been a military that relies on technological advantages to fight. Once it loses its technological advantages, the US military will not know how to fight.
(The 055 Dachu is currently the most beautiful and most advanced guided missile destroyer in the People's Liberation Army Navy. It is also the world's first large destroyer whose performance exceeds that of the destroyers under construction by the US military. This makes the United States very anxious)
The second one The "magic weapon" mentioned is the Type 039 conventional submarine that has been in service with the Chinese Navy for many years. The reason why this submarine is mentioned may be due to two encounters: As early as 2006, the USS "Kitty Hawk" aircraft carrier, which had not yet been retired at the time, was attacked by a Chinese Navy 039 submarine in the waters near Okinawa. "Ambush", the submarine continuously broke through several anti-submarine defenses of the US military until it suddenly surfaced less than 10 nautical miles away from the "Kitty Hawk" aircraft carrier, which really shocked the US military.
(Due to more than one "fight" with the Type 039 submarine at sea, the US military is psychologically quite afraid of this elusive ocean killer)
Not only that, in 2010, four US military "Arleigh Burke" class destroyers While advancing in anti-submarine formation in the South China Sea, they unexpectedly encountered a Type 039 submarine. At that time, the US destroyer also released the AN/SQR-19 towed array sonar, but did not detect the lurking 039 at all. Not only that, one of them The towed array sonar of the Burke ship also entangled the propeller of the 039, and was directly torn off by the 039 submarine... Probably because the protagonists of these two incidents were both Type 039 submarines, so the US Navy—— At least the Pacific Fleet has had a serious psychological shadow on the People's Liberation Army's Type 039 conventional submarine. This seems to have also affected the American media, otherwise they would not have placed such an conventional submarine such as the 039 in such an important position. .
(039 improved submarine leaving port)
In addition to warships, China's conventional civilian ship force has now also entered the scope of the US military's attention. American military observers believe that China's commercial ferries can play a more important role than naval amphibious ships in wartime. This is the third magic weapon.
From a technical point of view, many ships have common military and civilian capabilities. For example, ro-ro ships are used to transport large commodities such as cars. In wartime, they can be requisitioned to transport tanks, artillery , armored vehicles and other military equipment. , and the transportation capacity of large civilian ro-ro ships with a displacement of tens of thousands of tons is even better than that of warships of the same tonnage. Thomas Shugart, a researcher at the Center for a New American Security, said that using civilian ships can give China an additional 1.1 million tons of displacement ships, and the tonnage of these ships is equivalent to more than three times the total tonnage of the PLA's active amphibious assault ship .
(Military-civilian cooperation has always been a "compulsory course" for the Navy. Some American elites need not be "surprised". You US military often do this too)
In addition to civilian ferries and ro-ro cargo ships with huge displacements, even fishing boats did not escape. through American eyes. Shugart also pointed out that China has established a maritime militia team consisting of more than 100 commercial fishing vessels. Shuster said, "The maritime militia has automatic weapons on board, the hull has been reinforced, and its top speed is faster than 90% of the world's fishing boats." This is the fourth force that Americans believe the Chinese navy can use, that is, the fourth Great magic weapon.
(Chinese fishing boats are not equipped with automatic weapons, but China has a powerful maritime law enforcement force - the China Coast Guard, and the China Coast Guard has just received all 22 Type 056 coast guard ships)
It is undeniable that the US military analysis Experts have carefully observed the Chinese navy. For example, they admit that the Type 055 destroyer is technically ahead of all destroyers and cruisers in active service in the US military. Even the Burke 3 destroyer being built by the US military cannot compete with the Type 055 destroyer. . However, these military analysts appear to be very naive. For example, they actually believe that China's fishing boats are all "maritime militias" and that these fishing boats are equipped with automatic weapons. This is probably because in the 1974 Xisha naval battle, China used a large number of "maritime militia" composed of armed fishermen to assist the navy in repelling the invasion of the South Vietnamese navy at that time. This caused U.S. Navy observers to form the "Chinese fishing boats are all Equipped with automatic weapons" stereotype .
(During the Battle of Armagh Island in 1982, the British army requisitioned the "Atlantic Conveyor" merchant ship and changed it into a helicopter carrier )
At the same time, the civilian fleets of various countries have the term "Second Navy" When the British Navy traveled across the ocean to compete with Argentina for the Malvinas Islands, it requisitioned a full 57 merchant ships, more than twice the number of British Navy warships. This was the last time the British Army was able to fight away from home. The basic material guarantee for defeating Argentina. Therefore, China's development of its own dual-use military and civilian system is completely in line with the consistent practice of other countries around the world. It is very puzzling that American elites are so "surprised". After all, China still has a serious historical issue that has not yet been resolved. Objective facts require us to maintain a strong amphibious transport fleet. This is an important condition for ensuring that China can achieve reunification in the future.
(As a world power, China has a powerful navy, which is a basic requirement for defending its own interests)
In fact, with the continuous development of China's economy and the continuous enhancement of national power, maritime security and overseas trade have become important countries related to China's national economy and people's livelihood. interests. Today, China is the largest trading partner of more than 150 countries and regions in the world. Among the merchant ships that ply the world’s oceans every day, on average, 1 out of 7 ships is bound for China. Maritime security is already a matter of life and death for China. It is a major event, so it is only natural for China to develop its maritime power and build a powerful navy to defend its national interests and maritime routes. As for how many "magic weapons" our navy has, Americans don't have to worry about it. Anyway, there are much more than what was written in the CNN article.
