How the US plans to arm itself against China’s hypersonic weapons

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The integration of the Lockheed Martin-made missiles with ships’ air defence comes amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, as China rapidly modernises its military, and in the wake of successful missile defence efforts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

How the US plans to arm itself against China's hypersonic weapons

US Navy is moving forward with a plan to arm some of its vessels with Patriot interceptor missiles

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WASHINGTON: Fearing that China could use hypersonic weapons to sink ships in the Pacific, the US Navy is moving ahead with plans to arm some of its ships with Patriot interceptor missiles, two senior defence officials said.

Putting the highly agile Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (PAC-3 MSE) interceptors, which are primarily used by the military in the US, on Navy ships is expected to counter advances in Chinese missile technology, including the use of highly manoeuvrable hypersonic weapons, an industry official said.

Integrating the Lockheed Martin-built missiles into the ships’ air defense comes amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific region as China rapidly modernizes its military, and in the wake of successful missile defense efforts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

It’s uncertain how many PAC-3 interceptors the Navy will need, but overall demand is “very high,” said Tom Karako, a missile defense expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

There’s strong interest from foreign governments, he said, adding that the U.S. military wants to more than double production in the coming years.

The U.S. has chosen Japan, a key ally, as the location for joint production of Patriot missiles, and Lockheed Martin wants to set up a new production line for the missiles’ seeker in Florida, industry sources told Reuters.

That plant would complement Boeing’s seeker manufacturing efforts, and Lockheed Martin is explaining the benefits of additional production to the U.S. military, which would have to sign off on it.

The PAC-3 has already shot down maneuvering hypersonic missiles in Ukraine. The Navy thinks it can add another high-probability layer to its anti-missile system that has not been combat-tested against such weapons.

The Navy told Reuters, “The development roadmap requires more testing that will include launching the PAC-3 MSE from a ship and validating communications with the SPY-1 radar,” which is the main sensor in the Aegis missile system.

This follows efforts by the US military that have already developed new weapons and new strategies in the Indo-Pacific aimed at deterring Beijing from conflict or winning if a conflict occurs.

Beijing’s most sophisticated anti-ship ballistic missile, the DF-27, which uses a hypersonic glide vehicle to maneuver to its target, was tested in 2023. The Pentagon’s China Military Report that year said the weapon was “in development.”

The PAC-3 has a shorter range than the Navy’s SM-6 missiles and cannot go into space.

But mounting a rocket near the nose makes it more agile, and destruction of a threat is more likely because of its “hit to kill” concept, in which the interceptor attacks the target rather than exploding near it, said a missile defense program director with direct knowledge of the Aegis system.

Facing advanced Chinese weapons, including hypersonic glide vehicle warheads, these qualities “complement existing missiles on U.S. ships very well” because they can more easily hit and destroy high-speed, maneuvering ballistic missiles, the program director said.

Like the industry and defense officials, they declined to be identified because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Growing threat

A PAC-3 interceptor from a Patriot missile system, used primarily by the U.S. military and allies for land-based air defense, was fitted with a Mk. 70 vertical launcher on a “virtual Aegis ship” in May, but it has not been deployed on Navy ships.

However, it has intercepted a number of ballistic threats and aircraft in the Middle East and Ukraine over the past year, including Russia’s advanced Khinzal missiles, making it an attractive addition to Navy magazines, defense officials and people familiar with the matter said.

The PAC-3 round is also much smaller than the SM-6 or SM-3, weighing about 300 kilograms (660 pounds), while the SM-6 weighs 1,500 kilograms, and is about 9 cm (3.5 inches) smaller in diameter.

The price of each missile varies by customer and deal, but estimates put the cost for both at about $4 million.

China has already developed a formidable arsenal of anti-ship ballistic missiles, including the DF-21D “carrier killer” and anti-ship warheads for its DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM).

Its DF-27, which the Pentagon says can strike ranges of up to 8,000 km (5,000 miles), uses an aerodynamic warhead that can maneuver to evade defenses or more easily hit a moving target, said Tim Wright of the Missile Defense Initiative team at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Kumud Sharma

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