US Carrier Conducts Air Wing Sortie Drills in South China Sea

[F-22Raptor]

A little more than a week after a massive People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) drill in the South China Sea, the U.S. Navy made its presence known.

On Tuesday, USS Theodore Roosevelt, a Nimitz-class supercarrier in the South China Sea, conducted an aircraft sortie exercise. According to Reuters, 20 F-18 Super Hornet fighters launched from the carrier’s deck and conducted landings, emphasizing the impressive sortie rate that the United States’ experienced carrier aviators can maintain.

The operation came a day after the U.S. Department of Defense publicized China’s deployment of electronic warfare equipment to Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly group.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group entered the South China Sea in the final days of March 2018, taking the place of the USS Carl Vinson strike group, which departed the region to enter the Western Pacific.

Since last year, the U.S. Navy has made its presence clear in the South China Sea and increased the operational tempo on its freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs) within 12 nautical miles of various features held by China and other claimant states in the waterway.

It’s unclear if USS Theodore Roosevelt‘s exercise was planned, but it is certainly not an everyday occurrence for a U.S. carrier strike group to conduct an air-wing sortie drill in the South China Sea.

The PLAN’s exercises in late March were unusually large and included the Liaoning, China’s sole operational aircraft carrier, which is considerably smaller than a U.S. Nimitz-class supercarrier.

Presence operations in the South China Sea involving U.S. carrier groups are not entirely new.

In March 2016, several months after the Obama administration initiated FONOPs near China’s artificial islands in the Spratly group, the USS John C. Stennis carrier strike group transited the South China Sea and conducted replenishment operations.

“The South China Sea has been subject to colonial invasion and illegal occupation and now some people are trying to stir up waves, while some others are showing off forces,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at the time.

China points to the U.S. Navy’s operations in the South China Sea as evidence of militarization, but the United States holds that military and civilian vessels alike should enjoy freedom of navigation throughout the South China Sea.

China claims most of the South China Sea under its capacious nine-dash line claim, which was found to be invalid in 2016 by a Hague-based tribunal.

Tuesday’s exercise came while the carrier strike group was en route to the Philippines, a U.S. treaty ally and South China Sea claimant state, for a port call.

https://thediplomat.com/2018/04/us-carrier-conducts-air-wing-sortie-drills-in-south-china-sea/

 

[ZeEa5KPul]

America's cowardly sailors are pis*ing themselves and frankly, I don't blame them. I would be fearful too if I were beneath this shadow:

Knowing that in the blink of an eye, the oversized fishing trawler I'm on could become my tomb. That I might never see my family again. Yes, their fear is as understandable as it is palpable.

 

[Akasa]

America's cowardly sailors are pis*ing themselves and frankly, I don't blame them. I would be fearful too if I were beneath this shadow:

Knowing that in the blink of an eye, the oversized fishing trawler I'm on could become my tomb. That I might never see my family again. Yes, their fear is as understandable as it is palpable.

The DF-21D & DF-26 rely on a kill chain, i.e., supporting network of satellites, airborne sensors, and guidance assets that require each and every component to function in order for the missiles to function as a viable weapons system. If any of those are disrupted, the DF-series ASBMs are as good as nothing as they will cease to function. In any hypothetical conflict between China and a technologically- and numerically-superior opponent, the latter will almost certainly have the ability to target the "kill chain" and hence put a rapid stop to the use of the ASBMs.

 

[Dai Toruko]

To be fair, China had suffered foreign invasion and humiliation from late 19 century through good part of 20th century. When it started to grow economically after the reform, it very naturally wanted to beef up its military and defense capability so that it does not have to go through the same humiliation as in the past. The western world is having a hard time accepting the fact that, for the first time in history, there rises a super power that is non-white culture. Especially the great power of US just cannot tolerate anyone else to either turns against the west or potentially become a more powerful nation than himself. Hence China bashing becomes a norm. Coupling numerous other measures to ‘contain’ China.

 

[Akasa]

To be fair, China had suffered foreign invasion and humiliation from late 19 century through good part of 20th century. When it started to grow economically after the reform, it very naturally wanted to beef up its military and defense capability so that it does not have to go through the same humiliation as in the past. The western world is having a hard time accepting the fact that, for the first time in history, there rises a super power that is non-white culture. Especially the great power of US just cannot tolerate anyone else to either turns against the west or potentially become a more powerful nation than USA. Hence China bashing becomes a norm. Coupling numerous other measures to ‘contain’ China.

Does everything have to do with race and the notion of "white" culture? This tactic is getting quite obsolete.

 

[hirobo2]

The DF-21D & DF-26 rely on a kill chain, i.e., supporting network of satellites, airborne sensors, and guidance assets that require each and every component to function in order for the missiles to function as a viable weapons system. If any of those are disrupted, the DF-series ASBMs are as good as nothing as they will cease to function. In any hypothetical conflict between China and a technologically- and numerically-superior opponent, the latter will almost certainly have the ability to target the "kill chain" and hence put a rapid stop to the use of the ASBMs.

Kill chain my rear end. Generally, the rule of (power) engagement is never go to them. Make them come to you. US presence in SCS (China's backyard) is already a loser's strategy from the onset...

 

[Akasa]

Kill chain my rear end. Generally, the rule of (power) engagement is never go to them. Make them come to you. US presence in SCS (China's backyard) is already a loser's strategy from the onset...

If only poetic discourse could nullify the reality that the United States can and will go after these very assets...

 

[ZeEa5KPul]

The DF-21D & DF-26 rely on a kill chain, i.e., supporting network of satellites, airborne sensors, and guidance assets that require each and every component to function in order for the missiles to function as a viable weapons system. If any of those are disrupted, the DF-series ASBMs are as good as nothing as they will cease to function.

You make a categorical error in describing the DF-21D's targeting process as a "chain", implying that if one link is broken then the "chain" is broken. In actuality, there's a lot of redundancy built into the system, any one of a number of satellites, drones, aircraft, the warhead's own sensors, etc. could guide the missile, and it's highly unlikely all of them them would be destroyed. That's not really a chain, it's more like a kill net; and it would be very difficult for a target to cut its way out of that net.

In any hypothetical conflict between China and a technologically- and numerically-superior opponent, the latter will almost certainly have the ability to target the "kill chain" and hence put a rapid stop to the use of the ASBMs.

Doubtful. The latter is numerically superior when considered on a global basis. But the fight wouldn't be on a global basis, it would be China against the latter's regional expeditionary forces.

 

[Dai Toruko]

Does everything have to do with race and the notion of "white" culture? This tactic is getting quite obsolete.

It doesn't matter. A country like China becoming a world power doesn't seem like it would work well. China wants to make itself more powerful and rich and unless other countries can do that then China really won't care for them. It's just a mess for the United States to deal with China because peace will just lead China to become the world superpower without any problems and war will most likely see both countries fall far away from world superpower status. The best case scenario is for the United States to manipulate NATO and maybe Japan to get them involved with China too as a distraction. This would give the United States time to get its population motivated for war leading to economic growth. It's what happened during WW2 so it could happen again. Of course China could do the same with its allies if they care enough. Anyways I'm just saying that a country that doesn't care or listen to its people and just rewrites its constitution just because it finds something it doesn't like is a country that doesn't deserve this much power. I'm predicting sometime in my lifetime there will be a big war and the United States and China will be in it. Something tells me they won't be allies.

 

[ZeEa5KPul]

Anyways I'm just saying that a country that doesn't care or listen to its people and just rewrites its constitution just because it finds something it doesn't like is a country that doesn't deserve this much power.

You mean like with Erdoğan? I agree. Turkey certainly doesn't deserve the power it has. Stop interfering with Syria and prolonging its long-suffering people's agony.

 

[Dai Toruko]

You mean like with Erdoğan? I agree. Turkey certainly doesn't deserve the power it has. Stop interfering with Syria and prolonging its long-suffering people's agony.

I mean like the idiot dotard Trump in charge, war isn't just inevitable, it's a guarantee. If he makes war with North Korea, Russia and China will likely get involved. China doesn't want war, but they are building a massive military. Japan in turn is rebuilding their military. China is trying to dominate the eastern side of the world slowly but surely. China is far more patient and their leadership is far more capable. American politicians are asleep at the wheel and their population voted for a reality TV star who is a communist slave.

 

[Kiss_of_the_Dragon]

US Carrier Conducts Air Wing Sortie Drills in South China Sea

Put few squadrons of J-11B Air Wings in these freshly built islands and US will be very upset.

 

[LeGenD]

America's cowardly sailors are pis*ing themselves and frankly, I don't blame them. I would be fearful too if I were beneath this shadow:

Knowing that in the blink of an eye, the oversized fishing trawler I'm on could become my tomb. That I might never see my family again. Yes, their fear is as understandable as it is palpable.

My friend,

US is not a paper tiger. Just saying.

 

[KAL-EL]

My friend,

US is not a paper tiger. Just saying.

Are you sure?

Going by what some around here say, US is nothing more than a third-world primitive military with primitive technology now

 

[LeGenD]

Are you sure?

Going by what some around here say, US is nothing more than a third-world primitive military with primitive technology now

Scores of members here are merely enthusiasts; not professionals or serving. Technical know-how is limited.

@Akasa raised a valid point about the KILL CHAIN scenario. You do not shoot a missile blindly into an ocean; you need to get a lock on the target first which won't be easy in an oceanic environment. Additionally, too many defenses and variables at play.