Foreword
If the US military was officially involved in the 1996 Taiwan Strait crisis, then after a lapse of 26 years, as the United States returned to the Asia-Pacific, it even threatened to lay mines in the Yellow Sea . Under this background, if the US military once again intervenes in the Taiwan Strait with force, will we be able to respond, and will we be able to determine victory and defeat once and for all to break the trouble of the first island chain?
The "Independence" aircraft carrier launched carrier-based aircraft into the Taiwan Strait
6 years ago, the equipment of the three armed forces was 30 years behind the US military
In 1996, as China announced the test launch of ballistic missile , the US military intelligence department received news that China might use the exercise to launch a landing operation. In response, the U.S. Department of Defense showed the White House photos of China's military deployment of satellites, as well as related intelligence data. These intelligence showed that the People's Liberation Army has assembled a large number of combat readiness materials on the southeast coast, and the mysterious second artillery has also entered the dense forests of Fujian and Jiangxi through railways. . In March, the three armies of the People's Liberation Army have entered a state of war, the amphibious troops have boarded the ship, and the frontline officers and soldiers have even written suicide notes, and the war is imminent.
The U.S. Department of Defense believes that China should understand that this is an unfeasible "risky behavior." Therefore, some people in the U.S. Congress even claim that five aircraft carrier battle groups should be dispatched to curb the possibility of China launching military operations. At that time, the Clinton administration did not want to cause the relationship between the two parties to plummet, but in order to show toughness, it appropriately reduced the scale and dispatched the USS Independence and the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier into the Western Pacific. The two aircraft carrier battle groups formed a barrier against the waters southwest of Kaohsiung, Taipei, and the waters east of Hualien, Suao, to separate and block the People's Liberation Army's possible blockade and landing sea and airspace against Taiwan.
Dongfeng-15 ballistic missile
"Independence" aircraft carrier
The dual aircraft carriers were nothing to China at that time. Apart from the visits to the aircraft carriers in the past when relations between the two sides were good, the most intuitive feeling is the 94 Yellow Sea confrontation. The "Kitty Hawk" aircraft carrier battle group besieged a Type 091 nuclear submarine. With the interference and cooperation of the EA-6B electronic warfare aircraft , the sea and air rescue teams did not dare to act rashly. As a result, Type 091 was simulated attacked seven times within 72 hours. Finally, under the desperate expulsion of the Su-27 and J-8II, the US military evacuated on its own after collecting the desired data. Two years later, we faced dual aircraft carriers again at home. The strength of the three armed forces has not improved qualitatively. You can imagine how much pressure there is.
EA-6B electronic warfare aircraft
From the perspective of weapons and equipment, the three armed forces are in a period of sluggishness, and a large number of weapons are still at the level of the 1970s and 1980s. If compared with American standards, they are 30 years behind the world's advanced ranks. After the military exchanges between China and the West in the 1980s, although we knew that the equipment was backward, the military industry was still in the learning and application stage at this time and could not produce results quickly. Take air control in the 96 Taiwan Strait crisis as an example. The U.S. military estimates that it can easily seize air supremacy over the Taiwan Strait with 2 wings of 140 fighter aircraft. Referring to their deployment of two aircraft carrier battle groups, nearly 200 carrier-based aircraft, excluding auxiliary models, can basically meet the needs.
It is also the world's largest carrier-based aircraft. Its main fighters are standard third-generation beyond visual range models, F-14 "Tomcat" fighters and F/A-18 "Hornet" fighters. Other auxiliary aircraft include EA-6B "Prowler" electronic warfare aircraft , E-2 "Hawkeye" early warning aircraft, and various helicopters. Among them, EA-6B has too strong soft kill capabilities. We have suffered many losses, and coastal radars often Being disturbed, the screen is filled with snowflakes or airplanes. As for F-14 "Tomcat" and F/A-18 "Hornet", these two models are also at the top of their strength. Taking the most famous F-14 as an example, the variable sweep wing layout, coupled with AIM -54 "Phoenix" ultra-long-range missile. With the support of carrier-based early warning aircraft and electronic warfare aircraft, it can hit almost anywhere with its ultra-long range. It is also at the leading level among fighters of the same level.
F-14 "Tomcat" fighter jet
F/A-18 "Hornet" fighter jet
Compared with the confident US military, the People's Liberation Army at this time had more than 3,000 various fighters, which were quite large in scale but quite lagging in performance. First- and second-generation aircraft account for the vast majority. For example, the J-5, , and J-6, which are old antiques with cannons as their main weapons, cannot be allowed to take off to attack each other with the F-14 "Tomcat". Head.Even more advanced are the 570 J-7 fighter jets and 130 J-8 fighter jets. Among them, the high-mobility J-7E type and the J-8II type with air intakes on both sides are very few. In the final analysis, they are still based on cannons. Add close combat bombs as an attack method.
Excluding these unfavorable factors, there are only 24 Su-27 fighter jets that have just formed combat effectiveness on the battlefield and can compete with US carrier-based aircraft. The number of supporting R-27 medium-range bombs is not large, and the performance is even worse. There are also several J-8IIs that have been urgently modified to fire "Aspad" medium-range bombs. Only 20 of the medium-range bombs can be used in less than one round of attack. Because the air control capability was so poor, it was impossible not only to seize air control but also to cope with attacks. This was the reason why the so-called "mid-range breakthrough" tactic was developed. The old-fashioned J-6\7 act as a drone swarm to lure the opponent to fire and consume missiles . When the two sides' fleets get close enough, the J-8 will launch PL-8 for close combat to trade quantity for quality.
J-8 J-7 fighter
Su-27 fighter
Su-27 fighter
The air force was too weak to seize air supremacy, and the navy was indispensable for sea supremacy in landing operations, but it was also "weak" at the time. It is equipped with a large number of old 051 destroyers , 053H1 frigates , type 037 hunting submarines, and various small tonnage torpedo boats, with displacements ranging from dozens of tons to more than 3,000 tons. The only thing that can be related to modernization is the Type 052 "Harbin" destroyer, which is an assembly of various technologies introduced during the honeymoon period between China and the West. The combined displacement of the most advanced warships is less than a fraction of that of the US aircraft carrier fleet. Air defense relies on anti-aircraft guns, anti-submarine relies on rockets, and anti-shipping relies on Seahawks. Thinking about it, I feel that there is no comparison.
shipboard air defense weapons and equipment are mainly composed of dual 25mm and dual 37mm artillery . The slightly more advanced ones only have the French "Sea Sidewinder" air defense missiles and the Hongqi-61 air defense missiles . The range is only 10-12 kilometers, and it can only achieve barely point-to-point air defense. As for fleet area air defense, it is limited to imagination. In terms of anti-shipping, the "Seahawk" series is still widely used. In addition to its high power, the subsonic is susceptible to interference. The "Eagle Strike-8" with slightly stronger performance has just begun to be installed. In fact, the overall feeling is better than that of the artillery destroyer and frigate. Times are not much better. As for the Army, which is still using the Type 59 as its main force, it cannot gain control of the air or the sea. No matter how strong its combat effectiveness is, it cannot fight ashore.
051 destroyer
Yellow water battleship (Type 037 submarine hunter)
6 years later, the equipment level of the three armed forces has been comparable to that of the U.S. military
Time has passed by 26 years, and Americans probably did not expect that China's military industry would develop so fast, from being 30 years behind to the present The two sides are basically on the same starting line. Measured by military industrial strength, China and the United States are already standing side by side in the first echelon. Although there is still a gap overall, in some areas we have even gone further. There is no such joke: the United States is responsible for drawing the PPT and we are responsible for realizing it. Due to China's rapid rise and comprehensive national strength approaching that of the United States, the United States began to regard China as its main opponent as early as around 2000, and tried every means to contain China's development. 's constant provocations also raise the possibility of direct conflict between the two parties.
Back to the essence of the comparison of military power between the two sides, the United States is still the global hegemon, but its position is a bit unstable. The strength of the old capitalist power has been severely damaged by the epidemic in the past two years, and its international status has continued to decline due to its messy and arrogant behavior. Starting from maintaining its global dominance as an aircraft carrier, there has been no disruptive change in equipment levels. The number of super aircraft carriers is in double digits, and the supporting carrier-based aircraft have been replaced by F/A-18 "Super Hornet", and F-35 series stealth fighter jets. The original EA-6B "Prowler" electronic warfare aircraft has also been updated to the EA-18G "Growler" electronic warfare aircraft. Relatively speaking, the combat effectiveness has improved. Taking the two aircraft carrier battle groups as an example, it is comparable to medium powers, but It is no longer enough to enter the Taiwan Strait again.
EA-18G electronic warfare aircraft
F-35 stealth fighter
After years of repaying historical debts, the People's Liberation Army Air Force has entered the stealth era and is also benchmarking against the US military. It has two high and low configurations stealth fighter . The Air Force's J-5\6 has long become synonymous with history, J-7 have also been retired in large numbers, and the original Su-27 fighter jets of the fire brigade are also on the eve of retirement. The current equipment is mainly composed of the Three Musketeers in the air, including J-10, J-16, and J-16, and J-20 fighter jets. It can basically compete with the US military's F-16, F-15, and F-22 fighter jets. Not only is the equipment large in scale but also of high quality. Also enters first class. Moreover, in the era of beyond visual range combat, the PL-15 ultra-long-range missile has surpassed the US military AIM-120, with a range of more than 150 kilometers, supported by the stealth fighter . It can hunt high-value targets such as aerial tankers and early warning aircraft . It no longer has to face the frustration of exchanging quantity for quality in order to achieve "breakthrough in the middle range" of the J-6\7 modified drones.
is an aerial strategic launch platform. When the H-6 carried the anti-ship missile to deter the US aircraft carrier, it was unable to lock the target under the opponent's electromagnetic interference , and could not even launch it anywhere. Various upgraded models are now completed with more performance and stronger performance. For example, the H-6K can carry 6 YJ-12 supersonic anti-ship missiles and carry out effective strikes outside the 400-kilometer defense zone. Does the US aircraft carrier dare to approach the Taiwan Strait? It's worth asking. Moreover, as a major country in the development of drones, it can rely on a large number of long-endurance, high-altitude drones and satellites to effectively monitor US aircraft carriers and eliminate them upon discovery.
J-20 stealth fighter
J-10C fighter
J-16 fighter
As for the Navy, it has been making dumplings over the years. It already has two 60,000-ton ski-jump takeoff aircraft carriers and an 80,000-ton electromagnetic catapult aircraft carrier. The prototype of the J-15 carrier-based aircraft comes from the Su-33. After replacing the radar avionics and weapons, its strength has skyrocketed. It is completely comparable to the US F/A-18 fighter jet, and even has a battle with against the F-35 stealth fighter. force. Of course, we have not yet fallen behind on the supporting equipment for aircraft carrier-based aircraft, including the J-15T ejection type and the J-15D electronic warfare type. In addition, the J-35 stealth fighter can also compete with the F-35 in the future. The strength showdown will only be stronger. . In addition, the 054 series frigates, the 052/C/D/DL series destroyers, the 055 10,000-ton large-scale drive, the 075 amphibious assault ship , etc. are all being built in batches and put into service. A medium-power navy can serve in one year with a strong lineup. Scary.
In the past, it was impossible to gain control of the air and sea, and the army with extremely strong combat effectiveness was useless. It is different now. There are many ways to prevent US aircraft carriers from entering the first island chain. With the support of long-range fire sweeps, many aircraft types such as the WZ-9, WZ-19, WZ-10, and WZ-20 can even directly conduct airborne operations across the sea, and the Type 071/075 amphibious assault ship can also Quickly send a large amount of weapons, equipment, and personnel ashore. Air-ground fire support and air assault are all-encompassing. With the cooperation of air-ground integration and a large number of advanced main battle tanks, aerial drones, etc., cross-sea vertical airborne landing and close fire support are completely out of the question.
J-15 fighter
075 amphibious assault ship
055 destroyer
Conclusion
Facing the US aircraft carrier, we have quite rich counterattack methods. Back then, the Second Artillery did not have anti-ship missiles that could hit moving targets. Now the Rocket Force Dongfeng-21D/26 can accurately counterattack at long range. Ship, Dongfeng-17 hypersonic missile is even more terrifying. In addition, in addition to carrying the YJ-12 supersonic anti-ship missile, the H-6 can also carry the hypersonic missile to maneuver from the air. Its range of thousands of kilometers is enough to make US aircraft carriers retreat. In the past, the strategic nuclear submarine was required to take risks and act as a trump card. Now, sitting at home, we can deter the US military thousands of miles away. If the US military really intervenes in the Taiwan Strait again and takes risks, we will not only have the ability to respond but also have the ability to counterattack.
Dongfeng-21D missile
H-6K carrying Eagle Strike-12
