Posted on 08/16/2011 8:48:02 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Supersonic Cruise Missile in Development
South Korea is developing a supersonic cruise missile that can be used to attack aircraft carriers, Aegis ships and up-to-date destroyers.
"Think tanks like the Agency for Defense Development have been developing a supersonic anti-ship cruise missile for some years now. They're expected to complete development in three to four years at the earliest," a government source said Tuesday.
The missile under development is modeled after Russia's powerful Yakhont missile, which is 8.9 m long and weighs 3 tons, but will be smaller, the source added. It will be able to reach speeds of up to Mach 2.5, with a range of 250-300 km.
Currently, the Navy has homegrown Haesung ship-to-ship missiles with a range of 150 km and the American-made Harpoon anti-ship missiles with the same range. But they can be intercepted by short-range anti-aircraft missiles or machine guns, as they fly slower than the speed of sound.
But supersonic missiles are harder to intercept as they fly fast a few meters above the surface. Russia has been developing various models to respond to American aircraft carriers. China and Japan already have such missiles or are developing them.
The missile South Korea is developing will also be capable of hitting targets on the ground, including North Korean coastal artillery batteries and long-range artillery.
If we had a leader, this spot would be glass by now.
Let’s name it the “Long Big Bang Dong” missile.
Do our carriers have reliable counter measures against missiles like this, or are they basically sitting ducks?
We could tell you, but...
It starts with the "outer air battle." That's where the carrier's aircraft take out any potential launch platforms before they can launch on the fleet.
Then there are the SAM equipped ships and AEGIS weapons system. Smaller engagement envelope against supersonic sea skimmers, but still effective.
Self-defense includes two missile systems: Sea-Sparrow and Rolling Airframe Missile.
Then there is the last ditch Close-In Weapons System, a 20mm 6 barreled gattling gun firing from 3000 to 4500 rounds per minute (50-75 per second) with its own radar and engagement computer.
Toss in electronic countermeasures... Then if worse comes to worse... They are big, 1000 ft long, something like 7 layer hulls. Certainly no one single (non-nuclear) missile is going to sink them. Probably won't even significantly impact flight ops.
Hang on there guys.
South Korea is our ally and we have tens of thousands of troops there.
I think you may all be thinking of North Korea.
North bad... South good...
As to the US’s capabilities against these types of weapons. Limited capability exists with more in the pipe.
yes, but what if they sell it to the chicoms? /s
Both are pretty big and cumbersome and you can’t launch them from your average sub, frigate, missile boat or tactical fighter. The Korean weapon, being much newer is likely to be significantly smaller.
The BrahMos can be launched from subs, ships, aircraft, and from land.
You can’t launch the Brahmos from the standard 533 mm torpedo tubes of a sub; you would need a VLS for that. Which would requiring modifying your (small) Diesel-electric subs; which is also why the Indian navy has continued to buy the smaller Klub cruise missile for its subs.
About surface-ships, it’s more or less the same problem. Your average missile boat or corvette can mount about four of them and even then won’t be able to exploit it fully due to the limitations of their onboard sensors. About aircraft, the only TACTICAL aircraft which can deploy the Brahmos is the SU-30 and theoritically the F-15 too.
Sounds like a missile their military can grow into!
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