Speaking of anti-ship and anti-aircraft carriers, this is probably the longest and most in-depth study of the domestic navy, and it is also a topic that friends are most concerned about. Among the various ways to fight aircraft carriers, in addition to innovative ballistic missile anti-aircraft carriers, air-launched hypersonic anti-aircraft carriers, carrier-based weapons anti-aircraft carriers, submarine-launched attacks are also an important part of the saturated anti-aircraft carrier system. Recently, a white line was drawn on the sea surface, and the submarine-launched YJ18A picture made its debut, so what is the significance of the debut of this weapon?
In a special report on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the submarine force on 19 June, a picture of a submarine missile attack appeared, and a white line could be seen like a long dragon skimming the sea in an instant, heading straight for the target. It is not difficult to see that this is a launch scene of a submarine-launched missile, and unlike the YJ82 submarine-launched missile, which has a certain launch angle, this state of flying over the sea throughout the whole process, I believe many friends have seen it for the first time.
According to relevant speculation, this should be the submarine-launched version of the YJ-18A anti-ship missile, which is also the first appearance of the submarine-launched version of the YJ18A after the test launch in 2021. So some friends may say that domestic anti-ship missiles have always taken the Russian-style sea-skimming route, which is different from the Western stealth route, so what is the difference between YJ-18? Broadly speaking, there are two points.
Let's talk about the water attitude first, YJ-18A may use a low angle when submersible launching, which is different from the submersible YJ82 high-angle sea, after going to sea, YJ-83 can smoothly enter the low-altitude sea-skimming state, without other missiles to climb up, descend, turn and a series of ways to adjust the attitude, YJ-18 is like a silent lurker, without any other superfluous movements, directly towards the target.
Then there is the way of flight and attack, YJ-18 is a typical "sub-super combination", simply put, subsonic flight rush, supersonic speed to give the target the final blow. In the subsonic stage, the YJ-18A is only 5-7 meters above the water surface, which is the flight state of a white line at sea that everyone sees. When the missile enters the terminal guidance, it will abandon the cruise power behind it, ignite the rocket engine and enter the supersonic flight stage, and the maximum speed can reach Mach 3 in the sea. At this time, there is not much time left for the aircraft carrier to react, and once it enters the final penetration stage, it is almost impossible to intercept and defend.
Judging from the current situation, the maximum range of the YJ-12A can reach more than 600 kilometers, while the long-range anti-submarine network of the American aircraft carrier formation is 400-600 kilometers, that is to say, only if it can break through the outer defense circle, domestic submarines can use the YJ-12A for long-range precision strikes. This was also illustrated in media interviews, where Su Xiaoning of the submarine force said that with the help of submarines, long-range missile precision attacks can be launched.
Of course, this also needs to be integrated into the system, and there are two points in this integration system, one is to quickly calibrate the coordinates of the target with the help of remote sensing means in the system. The second is to use the anti-submarine aircraft and anti-submarine helicopters in the system to help the submarine break through the defense, so that the submarine of the other side will not be interfered with by the opponent's submarine, quickly occupy the best launch position, and be able to seize the opportunity to strike. Sometimes, naval warfare is actually a state of "beast chess" at sea and underwater, and the weapons of both sides are often restrained from each other, and the key is the rhythm of equipment use, and it is best to strike first.
In general, the significance of the YJ-18A submarine-launched version is that another "platform" has been added to the domestic anti-aircraft carrier saturation attack mode, if you count the H-6 air-launched platform, 055 large drive and 052D carrier-based platform, carrier-based aircraft platform, land missile anti-ship platform, plus the submarine-launched platform of the submarine, this is the five major platforms to strike at the aircraft carrier air defense circle at the same time. With five platforms, different weapons, and very different launch distances and ballistics, do you guess that the aircraft carrier air defense command system at this time will be a mess of porridge? According to the estimate, the YJ-18A warhead is about 250 kilograms, and when it hits at a speed of Mach 3, it can inflict heavy damage on the aircraft carrier once it explodes, not counting the destructive capabilities of other anti-ship weapons.
The emergence of various anti-aircraft carrier platforms actually shows that the American aircraft carrier set is outdated, and there are many platforms for striking aircraft carriers, more weapons, and more tactical tactics. Gone are the days when the United States wanted to use one or two aircraft carrier formations to run rampant in a region. If the Houthis can only drive away American aircraft carriers, then our anti-aircraft carrier system is not to drive them away, but to take them away!