Time： 2024-08-18
韦克威科技
Japan is dumbfounded! An advanced missile developed for 12 years has been forced into a dead end by China
China is referred to by public opinion as the "developed country crusher", which means that the rapid rise of Chinese industry has left Western developed countries with no way out. In fact, China's rise has not only "forced" many Western industrial industries, but also "forced" a considerable number of "advanced weapons". Among these weapons, Japan's ASM-3 supersonic anti-ship missile is a typical example.
(Planned ASM-3 supersonic anti-ship missile)As early as 2000, the Japanese Defense Agency (at that time, it dared not call it the "Ministry of Defense") proposed the development of a new supersonic anti-ship missile to replace the ASM-1/2 airborne anti-ship missile in the hands of the Japanese Air Force at that time, and to be used in conjunction with the F-2 fighter jet. This is the ASM-3 supersonic anti-ship missile. According to the Japanese plan at that time, the maximum range of the ASM-3 missile was around 200 kilometers, powered by a rocket ramjet engine, and had a maximum flight speed of about 3 Mach. The F-2 fighter jet could carry four ASM-3 missiles in one strike, making its sea attack capability sufficient to pose an effective threat to neighboring countries.
Although the ASM-3 missile was approved early, the subsequent development work has not been smooth. The developer of the missile, Mitsubishi Corporation of Japan, originally planned to complete aerodynamic and payload testing around 2015 and then enter the prototype production stage. However, it was not until 2018 that the missile basically completed the testing project. It was not until December 2019 that the Japanese Ministry of Defense injected about 10.3 billion yen (about 96.1 million US dollars) into the project again, but requested to increase the range of the ASM-3 missile from the initial 200 kilometers to 400 kilometers.Moreover, it is worth noting that even after Japan abandoned the joint development and installation of LRASM missiles with the United States, the ASM-3 did not have any chance of turning the tide. In the procurement list of the Japanese Ministry of Defense, only the Type 12 subsonic anti-ship missile was listed, and there was no name for the ASM-3 missile.
(F-2 fighter jet testing ASM-3 missile)From a technical perspective, although the basic performance of the ASM-3 anti-ship missile is not particularly outstanding, it is definitely not inferior: a maximum range of 200 kilometers, a flight speed of 3 Mach, and a ramjet engine power, all of which are standard configurations of current supersonic anti-ship missiles.Moreover, according to the Japanese government, the upgraded version of the ASM-3 missile will increase its range to 400 kilometers, which means that the missile has the ability to launch from outside the defense zone and can launch attacks on enemy ships beyond the range of their ship to air missiles. However, even though the performance is relatively good, the Japanese government still rejected the ASM-3 missile, not because the technology of ASM-3 itself is not good, but because Japan's opponents have changed!
(Now even the modern class destroyer has undergone a comprehensive upgrade, and the picture shows the upgraded 136 "Hangzhou" destroyer)In the year 2000, when the ASM-3 missile was approved, the equipment of the Chinese Navy was not even described as "shabby", but could only be described as "unbearable". At that time, the Chinese Navy only had two 956E "Hyundai" class destroyers ordered from Russia with medium range air defense capabilities, and the effective range of the SA-N-7 air defense missile was only 25 kilometers. At that time, not only were long-range area air defense missiles a luxury for the People's Liberation Army, but even ships equipped with air defense missiles were few.So in that era, Japan's F-2 fighter jets could easily lock onto targets at a distance of 200 kilometers while carrying ASM-3 missiles, and then fire. The People's Liberation Army Navy had no ability to counter ASM-3 missiles at that time.However, Japan's ASM-3 missile has been dragging its feet for more than a decade. By the time ASM-3 missile testing was basically completed in 2018, the People's Liberation Army had a powerful fleet consisting of various types of Aegis ships such as 052C/D/DL and 055. Not only did they have large anti-aircraft destroyers, but they also had two 60000 ton aircraft carriers on board! This completely stunned the Sea of Japan.Because the tactics of F-2 fighter jets and ASM-3 missiles can be used to deal with fleets lacking effective area air defense capabilities without any problem, but when facing fleets with carrier based aircraft cover, the problem becomes bigger!Because the F-2 fighter jet is not a stealth fighter jet, and the range of the ASM-3 missile in Japan's hands is only 200 kilometers, while the J-15 fighter jet, even if using a ski jump takeoff method, has a combat radius of up to 370 kilometers when performing air defense missions, the F-2 fighter jet has no chance of breaking through the outer defense circle of the People's Liberation Army aircraft carrier battle group.Taking a step back, even if the F-2 breaks through the outer defense circle of the J-15, most of the shipborne air defense missiles currently deployed by the Chinese Navy have a range of about 200 kilometers. Even if the F-2 fighter breaks through the outer defense of the PLA aircraft carrier battle group, it is difficult to launch the ASM-3 missile at an effective distance.In addition, the People's Liberation Army Navy fleet has established a multi-level dense anti missile system mainly composed of missiles and supplemented by Gatling rapid fire guns. Currently, there are no hypersonic anti-ship missiles with a speed of over 6 Mach, making it almost impossible to break through the People's Liberation Army fleet's air defense system. So, the ASM-3 missile was "forced to death" by the People's Liberation Army.
(The one who "forced" ASM-3 to death is probably this guy...)In fact, the fact that the ASM-3 missile was "forced to death" by the People's Liberation Army is just a reaction to the overall global trend. With the continuous rise of China's national strength, the weapons and equipment of the People's Liberation Army will also be upgraded on a large scale. Nowadays, the People's Liberation Army is entering a new era of "superiority over inferiority" from the past. In the future, more and more weapons will be "forced to death" by the People's Liberation Army.However, watching the "advanced weapons" developed by the Japanese after more than a decade of hard work being "forced to death" by the People's Liberation Army is truly a very regrettable story.
Source: Guoke Huanyu
