Recently, the frequency of installing new equipment in the US military arbitrage of the global tyrants is very frequent. However, unlike the previous style of deploying attack weapons, the new equipment added by the US aircraft carrier formation is Partially auxiliary, in addition to the E-2D shipborne early warning aircraft equipped with refueling in the previous array, in the past few days, the news of the first flight test of the US military MQ-25 unmanned refueling machine was reported.
For the purpose of research and development of the MQ-25 unmanned refueling machine, it is said that it is to increase the operational radius of the U.S. aircraft carrier-equipped drone. Of course, this is absolutely true for the US military that has always been a "chicken thief". Not as simple as it seems.
Then, why is the US military aircraft carrier added to the refueling drone to deal with the PLA rocket army? What is the reason? This has to start with the equipment configuration of the National Rocket Army.
As one of the most important defense lines for the People's Liberation Army to protect China's seas and seas, the anti-ship combination of the Rocket Army's Dongfeng-21D+Dongfeng-26 series can be said to have brought the PLA's "firepower deficiency phobia" to the extreme. First, Dongfeng-26 is the anti-rocket army of China. The core equipment of the ship system has a maximum range of 5,000 kilometers. It can carry up to three sub-guided warheads. That is to say, Dongfeng-26 can launch three shells with one launch, and the firepower brought by its single missile launch vehicle. The output efficiency can be imagined.
In addition to being able to carry conventional anti-ship warheads, Dongfeng-26 can also carry nuclear warheads to attack enemy forces. If Dongfeng-26 opens the mode of nuclear warhead attack, and enemy ships are launched by them. If the nuclear warhead hits, then, whether it is a 100,000-ton aircraft carrier or another type of ship, there is no second option except for the complete group.
Of course, the Dongfeng-21D is a firepower supplement to the Dongfeng-26 range, and its range can reach 2,700 kilometers. The Dongfeng-21D now has the ability to attack enemy mobile ships, although it cannot carry nuclear warheads like Dongfeng-26. It is more than enough for an aircraft carrier to be hit by it, so that it will lose its combat capability. Thanks to the overall improvement of the PLA's military technology level in recent years, its strike accuracy has now risen exponentially, which brings strategic deterrence. It is also quite large.
It is also very important that the warheads of these two anti-ship missiles are at the end of the flight, because the way they strike is different from the traditional way of using anti-ship missiles, Dongfeng-21D and Dongfeng-26 are hitting The enemy ship is like a meteorite falling ground. It is a kind of attack from the sky down to the enemy surface ship in a way that is almost free to fall.
In this process, in addition to its high speed given to the warhead due to the gravity of the Earth itself, the warhead itself will give itself a downward thrust, which causes its speed of decline to be very terrifying, with the speed of the end of the East-21D. For example, the end flight speed can reach about 10 Mach, which is impossible to intercept for any anti-missile interception system today.
Therefore, it is not difficult to imagine what happens to the US military aircraft carrier formation when it encounters the firepower combination of the People's Liberation Army Dongfeng-26+Dongfeng-21D. Moreover, during the war, the Rockets launched Dongfeng-26 or Dongfeng-21D, which were launched on a battalion basis. The effect of the launch was like a maiden scatter. Once the US aircraft carrier formation entered its range, they theoretically It is impossible to escape.
From this we can see that it is not difficult for us to understand why the US military is now developing an aerial unmanned refueling machine to specifically refuel its fighters. The US military wants to fly its carrier aircraft farther by means of aerial refueling. In this way, the US aircraft carrier formation will be farther away from the PLA's anti-ship system. Therefore, the probability that the US aircraft carrier will be hit by the People's Liberation Army "East Wind Fast" will also decrease.
The aircraft carrier deck is the weakest place for aircraft carrier protection. Once it is hit, the aircraft carrier can immediately lose its combat power. Of course, the US military’s 100,000-ton aircraft carrier is no exception.
In addition, during the war, although the US carrier carrier can implement the "partner refueling" method to achieve mutual oil supply between the carrier and the carrier, this will cause its fighter launch rate to be affected. If the air firepower of the People's Liberation Army's defense line is suppressed, there will be insufficient dilemma. Moreover, if the US military aircraft carrier formation is to be attacked in China during the war, the PLA Air Force will also pose a certain threat to the US aircraft carrier formation. I can't afford it at all.
Therefore, in order to effectively suppress the PLA, it is an optimal choice for the US military to serve the unmanned refueling machine. Of course, this is not a perfect solution. It only reduces the probability of the US aircraft carrier formation being sunk by the People's Liberation Army. The possibility of the US military still does not fundamentally solve this problem. Of course, unless the US military develops a protective cover similar to that found in science fiction movies in the future, or with the existing scientific and technological strength, the US military cannot solve the threat of the rocket carrier anti-ship system to the US aircraft carrier formation from the source.
It can be seen that the US military has also upheld the tactical thinking that I can't afford. Therefore, it is not difficult to see how the US military aircraft carrier formation is facing the PLA Dongfeng missile. If it does not attach great importance to it and feels a great threat, the US military does not need to develop a refueling drone to improve its Although the US military did not express its attitude toward the PLA's coastal defense system from any public occasion, the US military has already expressed its true thoughts through practical actions.