force-multiplier

Cruise Missile Employment Doctrine and Training
missile attacks as well as electronic jamming to reduce AWACS detection range and then
employing aircraft and missiles to attack. 81 The author adds that China began research
on high-power microwave weapons in the early 1990s. While a gap of “four or five magnitudes”
remains “between available devices and what is needed to get results,” China
is proceeding gradually with the development of ground-to-air, high-power jammers.
“China will first consider the requirement to jam high-power radars on AWACS” leaving
“jamming satellite equipment” as “the second step for making strides into ‘high-power
microwave weapons development.’” 82 Experts at the Naval Aeronautical Engineering
Academy and Dalian Naval Academy have studied how to assess the operational effectiveness
of ASCM defense systems in atmospheric ducting conditions. 83 It must be emphasized
that this work tends to be either theoretical research about potential practicality
or investigations dependent on major technological breakthroughs; nevertheless, the
research offers indications of China’s cruise missile development trajectory.
Possible Future Directions
What are likely future trends in PRC cruise missile development? In addition to incremental
improvements, gains from adapting existing missile systems to new platforms
(for example, creating an air-launched variant of the DH-10) and to new targets (for example,
creating an antiship variant of the DH-10) are likely. Researchers at Nanjing Army
Command College project that “the trend in anti-ship missile development will be toward
stealth, high velocity, and high maneuverability. Ship-to-ship missiles will have long-range
over-the-horizon attack and coastal and inland target attack capability.” 84 Mastery of real
time targeting could help the PLA to achieve significant operational breakthroughs. ONI
summarizes the larger trends in Chinese ASCM development:
China continues to focus on developing ASCM capabilities with the emphasis on faster,
longer range and more flexible missiles with improved electronic systems and terminal
evasion maneuvers. Future ASCMs are expected to continue to advance seeker capabilities
including the expanded use of millimeter wave seekers [85] and the possible use of
coherent radar seekers that allow enhanced countermeasure discrimination. The continuing
development of ASCMs with improved design features such as supersonic speed,
evasive maneuvers, and advanced terminal seekers will present ongoing challenges to
navies throughout the region. 86
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