XPost: sci.military.naval, soc.history.war.misc, or.politics

from https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/27/asia/rimpac-air-force-b2-bomber-low-cost-bomb-sinking-exercise-intl-hnk-ml/index.html

The US says it has successfully practiced using a low-cost bomb to sink
a major surface ship. China is taking note
By Brad Lendon, CNN
6 minute read
Published 9:14 PM EDT, Sat July 27, 2024

A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber flies over Whiteman Air Force
Base, Mo., July 10, 2024.
A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber flies over Whiteman Air Force
Base, Mo., July 10, 2024. Tech. Sgt. Anthony Hetlage/U.S. Air Force
Seoul, South Korea
CNN
—
A very specialized part of the world’s largest naval drills off the
northern Hawaiian island of Kauai is gaining attention on both sides of
the Pacific.

Earlier this month, the US and allies practiced taking out a large
surface ship with long-range weapons, including, for the first time, a
US Air Force B-2 bomber.

In one test that analysts called “very significant” in what it could
mean for the calculus of any future, hypothetical conflict between the
US and China, a B-2 stealth bomber hit a decommissioned amphibious
assault ship with an inexpensive guided bomb.

The test of the weapon, dubbed QUICKSINK by the US Air Force, occurred
on July 19, when a B-2 participated in the sinking of the ex-USS Tarawa,
a retired 820-foot-long, 39,000-ton amphibious assault ship, a vessel
the size of a small aircraft carrier.

It showed the US military can use one of its most survivable weapons
platforms, the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, to sink a major surface ship
with a low-cost guided bomb.

“This capability is an answer to an urgent need to quickly neutralize maritime threats over massive expanses of ocean around the world at
minimal costs,” said a press release from the US Navy’s 3rd Fleet, which led Rim of the Pacific 2024 (RIMPAC), the exercise that included the
sinking of the ex-Tarawa.

The B-2 bomber is the US military’s most sophisticated aircraft. The Air Force says its stealthy characteristics allow it to penetrate heavily
defended areas and also fly with a small chance of being detected by
radar at high altitudes. That gives the B-2’s sensors the ability to get
a view of the battlefield not possible in lower-flying planes.

Mating it up with relatively cheap and demonstrably effective
precision-guided bombs with warheads of up to 2,000 pounds could give
the Air Force bombers the “anti-ship lethality” of a submarine-launched torpedo without the liabilities of a submarine, according to a US Air
Force website.

Two GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions with QUICKSINK adaptions are
laid out in preparation to load onto an F-15E Strike Eagle at Royal Air
Force Lakenheath, England, Sept. 7, 2022.
Two GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions with QUICKSINK adaptions are
laid out in preparation to load onto an F-15E Strike Eagle at Royal Air
Force Lakenheath, England, Sept. 7, 2022. Airman Seleena
Muhammad-Al/U.S. Air Force
“A Navy submarine has the ability to launch and destroy a ship with a
single torpedo at any time, but by launching that weapon, it gives away
its location and becomes a target,” the Air Force Research Lab says.

QUICKSINK could provide “a low-cost method of achieving torpedo-like seaworthy kills from the air at a much higher pace and over a much
larger area than covered by a lumbering submarine,” it says.

The Air Force first tested QUICKSINK in 2022, when an F-15 fighter jet
released a GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) that destroyed a full-scale surface target in the Gulf of Mexico, according to an Air
Force statement.

Analysts say QUICKSINK launched from a B-2 would give China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) much to consider in the event of any
possible conflict in the western Pacific, including around hotspots like Taiwan, the Philippines and the southern islands of Japan.

“It is very significant,” said Carl Schuster, former head of the US
Pacific Command Joint Intelligence Center.

“The B-2’s demonstrated anti-maritime capability will constrain if not deter PLAN operations east of Taiwan or off the Philippines.

“You cannot ignore a weapon that can sink a 25,000-plus-ton ship with
one hit,” Schuster added.

The amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa is pictured transiting the Indian
Ocean while deployed in support of maritime security operations Dec. 22,
2007.
The amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa is pictured transiting the Indian
Ocean while deployed in support of maritime security operations Dec. 22,
2007. Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jon Husman/U.S. Navy
In any conflict close to its home shores, China, on paper, holds
distinct advantages.

It has thousands of missiles on the Chinese mainland, the world’s
largest navy to dominate nearby seas and the ability to provide air
cover to those ships from land-based aircraft.

But the B-2, and other systems tested at RIMPAC, could negate some of
China’s advantages with long-range fire, analysts said.

“It extends the range at which potential enemies can be held at risk
through advanced weapons whilst retaining a considerable degree of
stealth. It basically says, you are not safe no matter where you are in
this vast theater,” said Alessio Patalano, professor of war and strategy
at King’s College in London.

Anti-ship missiles
Long-range missiles were also fired from aircraft and ships during RIMPAC.

A US Navy F/A-18 also hit the ex-Tarawa with a Long-Range Anti-Ship
Missile (LRSAM), “a precise, stealthy, and survivable cruise missile,”
the Navy’s 3rd Fleet press release said.

This missile can hit targets up to 230 miles (370 kilometers) away with
a 1,000-pound warhead while navigating semi-autonomously to its target.

And the Royal Australian Navy destroyer HMAS Sydney struck the ex-Tarawa
with a Naval Strike Missile (NSM), an achievement Vice Adm. Mark
Hammond, Australia’s chief of navy, said “represents a significant
increase in the lethality of our surface fleet.”

“Multi-domain strike capabilities including Naval Strike Missile are foundational to deterring any potential adversary’s attempts to project
power against Australia,” he said.

HMAS Sydney fires the Royal Australian Navy’s first Naval Strike Missile during a SINKEX off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii, as a part of Exercise Rim
of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024.
HMAS Sydney fires the Royal Australian Navy’s first Naval Strike Missile during a SINKEX off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii, as a part of Exercise Rim
of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024. LSIS Daniel Goodman/Royal Australian Navy
The Naval Strike Missile, developed by Norwegian defense company
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, can challenge an adversary’s defenses by flying at sea-skimming altitudes and making evasive maneuvers in flight
at a range of 115 miles (185 kilometers).

A US Navy destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, also tested a Naval Strike Missile
during RIMPAC, and the weapon has previously been fired from a US
littoral combat ship and land-based versions have been successfully
tested by the US Marine Corps.

The ex-Tarawa was one of two surface vessels sunk during RIMPAC. On July
11, the ex-USS Dubuque, a 17,000-ton amphibious transport dock was sent
to the bottom of the Pacific, also off Kauai.

‘Real-world experience’
Besides the US and Australian units, forces from South Korea, Malaysia
and the Netherlands participated in ship-sinking exercises.

“Sinking exercises give us a chance to sharpen our skills, learn from
one another, and get real-world experience,” US Navy Vice Adm. John
Wade, RIMPAC 2024 Combined Task Force commander, said in a statement.

“Using advanced weapons and seeing the professionalism of our teams
during these drills shows our commitment to keeping the Indo-Pacific
region safe and open.”

The destroyer USS Fitzgerald fires a Naval Strike Missile during RIMPAC
2024 exercises off Hawaii. US Navy
John Bradford, a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs
fellow, said the RIMPAC tests show what kind of conflict the US is
preparing for in the region.

“We can fully expect a major power naval conflict in the Pacific to be predominantly a fight of long-range weapons,” Bradford said.

“The US is investing in readiness for this sort of combat,” he said.

View from China
China was taking note of the RIMPAC plans even before the ship-sinking exercises took place.

A commentary in the state-run Global Times on June 27, the day RIMPAC
began, said, “the only country deemed as ‘enemy’ by the US that operates a 40,000-ton amphibious assault ship in the Asia-Pacific region is China.”

The PLA Navy has three Type 075 amphibious assault ships, which displace
around 36,000 tons, in service with a fourth being readied. A bigger
successor, the Type 076, is also under construction.

Global Times has previously cited Song Zhongping, a Chinese military
expert and TV commentator, as saying the Type 075s could be called into
action in the Taiwan Strait or South China Sea if the situation dictated it.

“The choice of the USS Tarawa as the sinking target reflects the concern
of the US and its allies about the development and strength of China’s maritime power, especially regarding the mainland’s military deterrence
on the Taiwan island,” the Global Times commentary said.

But it said sinking the ex-Tarawa, which was commissioned in 1976, had
little relevance in 2024.

“Such an outdated ship cannot be compared with modern military
equipment,” Global Times said.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)