【Military and military sub-plane】Author: Lele
13, domestic official media made a very rare public statement that the Navy organized naval and air force equipment that day to successfully expel the US Navy "Benford" who illegally broke into the waters of Xisha (DDG-65) destroyer, and released pictures and information of close encounters between warships from both sides, which immediately aroused heated discussion in the public opinion. As it was previously officially reported that the Navy's Changsha warship had driven away a US warship sailing into Xisha with one enemy and three enemies at the beginning of this year, therefore, the expulsion operation on the 13th has been regarded to some extent as the "Changsha warship's heroic deeds." two". More importantly, compared to the previous practice of the Navy often disclosing relevant information to the outside world many days after the incident, this time the Navy announced the general outline of the incident on the same day. This confident change is undoubtedly welcomed by the outside world. .
▲Officially released relevant information
In January 1974, the People's Navy fought bloody battles, killing and wounding more than 100 invading South Vietnamese troops at the cost of 18 people and wounding 67 people, and captured 48 people, which basically solved the long-term problem. There is the problem of South Vietnam encroaching on my Paracel Islands . After that, my country gradually controlled the situation in the Xisha and more distant Nansha Islands through strategies such as expanding forward maritime bases and building islands/reefs. Of course, in this process, the opponents we faced also changed from South Vietnam and Vietnam to the United States, which has the world's largest maritime power. Fundamentally speaking, the United States has always regarded maritime hegemony as the foundation of its nation. It is the core mission of the U.S. Navy to ensure that the world's major sea lanes under the control of the United States with its aircraft carrier battle group are under the control of the United States.
▲The aircraft carrier is a key piece of equipment for U.S. maritime hegemony.
The South China Sea serves as a strategic channel connecting the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. It is a strategic core that cannot be lost in the planning of the U.S. Navy. After all, the United States may not care about the rich oil, gas, and mineral resources in the South China Sea, but the high-tech industrial clusters in Northeast Asia along the South China Sea to the north are core control areas that the United States cannot let go of. This is the fundamental reason why the U.S. Navy has repeatedly dispatched warships to operate in the South China Sea as our country's navy has gradually grown, especially since the naval equipment level in the southern theater has rapidly improved. In fact, in similar operations by the US Navy, although the direct confrontations are often with Chinese naval vessels, the most important purpose of the former is to show other countries that the United States still has a certain degree of control in the South China Sea.
▲The recently expelled USS Benford (DDG-65) destroyer
For our country, the Paracel Islands are related to national sovereignty and there is no room for negotiation. In the early years, due to the limited number of ships equipped by the Navy and insufficient performance, and the situation in the East China Sea, the situation in the East China Sea was more critical. Therefore, there were limited resources invested in the South China Sea, and there was a lack of adequate supervision of the U.S. Navy's actions. However, with the explosion of domestically produced military equipment in the past decade, the total tonnage of the navy's main battleships has increased by more than 1 million tons in more than 10 years. Among them, the Navy of the Southern Theater Command, due to the complicated surrounding situation, has successively equipped the Type 002 Shandong ship, the Type 075 Hainan ship, the Type 055 Dalian ship, the Type 055 Yan'an ship and other main battleships of more than 10,000 tons, and has initially developed a maritime formation. The ability of the South China Sea to deal with large-tonnage aircraft carrier formations outside the region.
▲The Type 002 aircraft carrier Shandong ship, which is mainly active in the South China Sea
More importantly, in addition to these famous large warships, 72 056 series light frigates have also been built in China (22 of the early models have been converted to Coast Guard Force ), and 30 054A medium-sized frigates, quickly replaced the 037 series of submarine hunting submarines that were nicknamed "yellow water battleships" due to their long service time. These mid- and near-shore naval vessels, with a tonnage of more than 1,000 tons and equipped with modern electronic combat systems and ship-borne weapons, ensure the navy's patrol density in most areas of the South China Sea. Not only can it collect relevant sea area hydrological information in daily operations, it is also a solid line of defense used by the navy to protect maritime territory.Often once a ship from a foreign country appears in the relevant sea area, the 054A, 056A equipped in the southern theater, or even the larger destroyer can quickly track and monitor it, and take relevant measures depending on the specific situation. This is the case in the South China Sea in recent years. An important reason why the situation is basically stable.
▲ A large number of 054A in service is very critical
In addition, my country's actions to build islands in the South China Sea have also aroused long-term heated discussions at home and abroad. For now, island construction is very successful, making things like Air Police-500, Important auxiliary aircraft such as the Y-9 anti-submarine aircraft can be deployed in the South China Sea, and even fighter jets such as the J-16 and J-11B will occasionally appear. Its advantages of fast flight speed and high reconnaissance/ anti-submarine efficiency, combined with the large number of warships operating on the sea, have jointly created a tight defense network. In peacetime, any foreign military force that dares to overstep will only be beaten to death. From October 2021, the USS Connecticut attack nuclear submarine was hit in the South China Sea, and in May 2022, the Australian P-8A maritime patrol aircraft was intercepted by the Chinese Air Force J-16 fighter jet in the South China Sea. You can tell.
▲J-16 showed its prowess in the South China Sea before.
In view of the importance that China and the United States attach to the South China Sea, it is very possible for the two sides to confront and fight in this sea area, or even a more serious conflict to break out under the influence of some accidental factors. of. For our country's navy, if we want to better deal with foreign forces in this situation, it is essential to further develop advanced military equipment for the navy and air force. In November 1985, our country's Type 051 Chongqing ship, with a tonnage of less than 3,000 tons, bravely rushed towards the 24,000-ton Soviet Navy "Frunze" cruiser. It has always been regarded as a symbol of naval courage, but if it can be dispatched... A 60,000-ton aircraft carrier went to intercept it. Wouldn’t the ending be more ideal?
▲This scene can definitely have better results
Great power competition covers a wide range of areas, but confrontation in the military field is always the most dangerous and decisive factor. China has currently deployed a large number of mid- and offshore ships in the South China Sea, and they are linked with aviation forces on the islands, and the results are quite good. But if you want to expand the defense scope further, large equipment such as the 002 Shandong ship and 055 also need to find a suitable position and effectively exert their combat effectiveness. More importantly, as the strongest maritime force in the world, the U.S. Navy is definitely a powerful presence, and minimizing its influence in the South China Sea will not happen overnight. Only by combining bravery, perseverance, patience and perseverance can we gradually achieve the desired results over time. This also means that incidents such as the Changsha ship against one against three and the recent expulsion of the "Benford" will continue to occur, and the performance of our navy is increasingly worth looking forward to.
