CM-400AKG: Pakistan's supersonic carrier killer

[Ammyy]

And the price of Brahmos is in multiples of millions.
Who will buy such expensive missile.

Countries who believe to test weapons before inducting it into their force will surely buy brahmos

 

[Mitro]

The impact could have been done with any air to ground or surface to surface missile. The diameter of the impact is too small for the size of the bahramos. No proof which indicates its bahramos all we see here is bunch of clips compiled.

This is what i got from that video i think it is some air to ground missile

 

[Dazzler]

Quoting Tony 4562 from another forum, some good basic analysis of CM400AKG.


"400AKG is most probably derived from the SY-400 surface-to.surface missile/guided rocket. It is somewhat a hybrid product between ballistic missile and cruise missile. According to its manufacture, the missile is designed to have its entire flight envelope within the atomsphere, we can therefore conclude that it probably has a relatively flat trajectory compared to other ballistic missile. When it is launched from an aircraft, at preferably high attitude, it will climb to a height of 50-60 km, traveling at perhaps 4 mach. Then upon reentry, at distance of perhaps 20-30 km from the target and an attitude of perhaps 15km , it will turn on its terminal radar and adjust its trajectory for the terminal dive, and in the process speeding up to perhaps 5.5 mach. China has invested big time the last 20-30 years in ballistic missile technology, probably this missile incorporates some of the technology developed for the DF-21D anti-carrier ballistic missile.

This for sure will be a very difficult missile to defend against given its high velocity and almost vertical terminal dive. Right now none in india shipbourne air-defence arsenal (SA-N-7, SA-N-12, Barak-8) is effective again such attack, thus this missile likely will have a huge impact on India's naval strategy and defence procurement, maybe leading to India acquiring an Aegis ship armed with SM-3 missiles, or perhpas an european ship with Aster30? Anyway, it is a game changer and certainly has to potential to nullify any advantages Brahmos might have brought for India. A brief summary comparing 400 AKG and Brahmos.

Range: equal

Speed: 400AKG

Maneuvability: Equal in the terminal phase, edge to Brahmos in the middile course

Warhead: Brahmos, but it is a much bigger missile also

Detectability: Brahmos is sea skimming capable (don't think it can fly as low as Exocet or C802 though), 400AKG is not
Cost: 400AKG

Flexibility: 400AKG is small, 2 can be carried by JF17. Only specially modified 30MKI can carry just 1 Brahmos, edge 400AKG
Guidance: Equal"

 

[Dazzler]

Finally, found Huitong's new page


Chinese Military Aviation: Fighters I


This supersonic standoff missile was first on display at the 2012 Zhuhai Airshow as part of FC-1/JF-17's "complete" weapon package. Unlike most modern ASMs flying at the low altitude, the missile flies a rare high ballistic trajectory, powered by a solid rocket motor. It appears that CM-400AKG may have evolved from the earlier SY-400 SRBM. Therefore the effectiveness of such attack profile is still unknown. Some specifications: weight 900kg, max range 240km, max speed Mach 5.5 (at diving stage?). It has INS during the mid-course and utilizes active radar/passive radar/IIR seeker with target-recognition capabilities at the terminal stage, which may improve its accuracy. The missile is claimed to be capable of terminal maneuver in some degree to avoid interception by SAM. CM-400AKG is speculated to have been designed to attack fixed or "slow moving", high value ground targets. It has yet to be confirmed that CM-400AGK is in service with PAF's JF-17.

 

[Kompromat]

Just for the record, when i said that "we have an air launched ballistic missile" i wasn't joking, nor was i joking when i said that its a hybrid of both cruise and a ballistic missile

Thanks nabil

 

[Kompromat]

Nabil: I, am just thinking - this thing can kill a frigate only with its near hypersonic kinetic energy impact, forget about the damn warhead, it will cut through the ship like a hot knife through butter. Reminds, me of the Nazi smart bomb the Fritz X, during initial attacks, it was so powerful that it went through the ships before it could explode.

 

[trident2010]

SY-400

Last two pics are of CM-400AKG, have a look at the middle fins, both are different?

 

[Kompromat]

SY-400

Last two pics are of CM-400AKG, have a look at the middle fins, both are different?

CM-400AKG is based on SY-400. The one in that promotion image is perhaps an early prototype.

 

[trident2010]

This seems to be a regular air to surface missile. This is most probably a missile like the KH-15 or KH-22. It will most probably climb to a height of 20 or 30 Km and then drop down from there at a high speed.

 

[Safriz]

Nabil: I, am just thinking - this thing can kill a frigate only with its near hypersonic kinetic energy impact, forget about the damn warhead, it will cut through the ship like a hot knife through butter. Reminds, me of the Nazi smart bomb the Fritz X, during initial attacks, it was so powerful that it went through the ships before it could explode.

Think shaped charge at mach 5+

 

[Obambam]

Nabil: I, am just thinking - this thing can kill a frigate only with its near hypersonic kinetic energy impact, forget about the damn warhead, it will cut through the ship like a hot knife through butter. Reminds, me of the Nazi smart bomb the Fritz X, during initial attacks, it was so powerful that it went through the ships before it could explode.

Warheads are the icying on the cake, it is not a necessity for these types of missile. As mentioned somewhere on this thread the kinetic impact alone is enough. The number one objective is to secure a mission kill whatever happens afterwards are simply added bonuses.

 

[帅的一匹]

China should sell this beauty to Argentina.

 

[The Green1]

Another gift of friendship from China Long live Pak-China friendship.

This weapon is a big leap in the arsenal of Pakistan Air Force.

 

[MastanKhan]

Hi,

Like the Thors hammer---a kinetic energy based weapons system---.

 

[Hobo1]

Firstly, CM-400AKG hasn’t yet been qualified on the JF-17 Thunder. Secondly, claim of 180km-250km range is way off the mark, simply because those figures apply only to the SY-400 NLOS-BSM from which the CM-400AKG is derived. Thirdly, any long-range fire-and-forget air-to-ground PGM can only employ active radar for terminal guidance & not IIR, simply because no missile-based IIR sensor has the kind of target detection/lock-on range (of up to 26km). Such sensors exist only on board laser designator pods & therefore cannot be made to fit on-board a missile the size of CM-400AKG. Fourthly, if the missile has a digital scene-matching system, then it stands to reason that it cannot also have an on-board active radar for terminal guidance, a fact clearly borne out by external visual examination of the CM-400AKG’s airframe. Fifthly, therefore, re-targetting in mid-flight is an impossibility. Sixthly, the CM-400AKG’s impact velocity cannot be hypersonic if an IIR sensor is employed for the terminal flight-phase. It can be hypersonic ONLY if climbs to a high altitude & undertakes a high-speed dive on the target (i.e.top-attack mode by using an X-band synthetic aperture radar), MEANING that this performance data applies only to the SY-400 NLOS-BSM, & not an aircraft-launched PGM meant for targetting an aircraft carrier cruising at a speed of 30 Knots.

TRISHUL: Highlights Of Airshow China 2012 In Zhuhai Part-2

: I wonder why the PAF has to be in ‘lockdown’ mode as far as info on the CM-400AKG goers, since a lot more information has been officially given by its OEM to CCTV channels. If anyone understands Mandarin, then it will clearly emerge after listening to such interviews that the claimed terminal velocity of this missile is Mach 5.5, while the range envelope—depending on launch altitude-- is between 100km & 240km. As for the advent of such missiles having an impact on the naval doctrines of those navies that operate carrier battle groups, I don’t foresee such a possibility. This is because gone are the days (like in 1971) when a carrier battle group had to cruise only 25nm away from hostile coastlines while launching/retrieving carrier-borne combat aircraft. Today, a distance of 150nm will have to be maintained despite the availability of 24/7 AEW & C capabilities. In an IN versus PN conflict scenario, a chain of TELs housing the PN’s 290km-range C-602 ASCMs backed up by P-3C Orion Update 3 MRMR/ASW aircraft will be deployed to deter the IN’s carrier battle groups from approaching Pakistan’s coastline. But the PN’s main challenge will be to breach the IN’s close-in anti-ASCM air-defences, which will be the Barak-2 MR-SAMs & EL/M-2248 MF-STAR AESA volume search radars on board at least three P-15A DDGs that will accompany each aircraft carrier, plus such weapons & sensors mounted on the aircraft carrier itself. Even if one considers the prospect of air-launched missiles like CM-400AKG being used, one will require at least 24 such missiles to be launched in swarms from 12 JF-17s (backed up by at least one Saab 2000 AEW & CS platform) in order to overwhelm the IN’s close-in air-defence systems. In fact, that’s why the PLAN had acquired four Type 956E DDGs (each with eight Raduga-built Kh-41 Zubr supersonic ASCMs) since, as per Soviet naval doctrine, it would take at least 24 supersonic ASCMs (fired concurrently from warships, SSGNs & Tu-22M3s) to overwhelm the air-defences of a US Navy carrier battle group. Will the PAF therefore be able to simultaneously deploy 12 JF-17s with 24 CM-400AKGs & a Saab 2000 AEW & CS, or will it, along with the PN, launch a combined forces attack with C-602s & CM-400AKGs? In either scenario, the element of surprise will be lost very early since the C-602 is not exactly sea-skimming, while a flight of 12 JF-17s will be easily located by Ka-31 AEW helicopters while the JF-17s are still 250km away from the IN’s carrier battle group.
That is why I can only conclude that the PAF has gone for the CM-400AKG not for the sake of using them against naval targets, but against fixed land-based targets like industrial installations & transportation infrastructure, since it has realised that CALCMs like the Ra’ad & the PA’s Babur will no longer be effective against the IAF’s air-defence systems like the EL/M-2084 AESA-based early warning/engagement radars & SpyDer-SR SHORADS combination, & the Barak-2/ELM-2258 combination. But then again, if the Barak-2 can successfully supersonic inbound ASCMs, then there’s no reason why its land-based variant won’t be able to intercept inbound supersonic CALCMs like the CM-400AKG.

TRISHUL: Highlights Of Airshow China 2012 In Zhuhai Part-2