force-multiplier

Cruise Missile Employment Doctrine and Training
image, or use an electro-optical sensor. As researchers at Tianjin’s Jinhang Institute of
Technical Physics point out, for LACMs, “the background is the ground, which is very
complex. In most cases, the targets do not have artificial heat sources. They coexist with
the background in a natural environment, and the object contrast is relatively low.” 91 The
challenge for adapting a LACM to hit a moving object is timing. ASCMs are not preprogrammed
in the same way as LACMs. Surveillance and tracking systems tell precisely
where the ship is, but by the time the data are passed to the LACM user who has to program
the missile (which can take considerable time), the ship has moved. 92
Perhaps building on successes in its R&D on extended range cruise missiles, China’s
defense R&D community also appears to be investing in conceptual design work on hypersonic
cruise vehicles (HCV). 93 As an example, the U.S. hypersonic cruise vehicle program
is a USAF/Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) effort to develop an
air-breathing platform that could deliver a 5,000 kg payload 17,000 km in 2 hours at speeds
of up to Mach 6 and near-space altitudes. One study in particular outlined the results of
modeling and simulation of a scramjet-powered vehicle with a range of between 1,000 and
2,000 km, flying toward its target at an altitude of between 25 and 30 km and speed of Mach
6. 94 Another focused on a hypersonic cruise vehicle adopting a skipping trajectory with an
upper altitude of 60 km and a lower altitude of 30 km. 95 In addition to addressing specific
guidance, navigation, and control issues, aerospace engineers have also been carrying out
basic research in an air-turbo rocket (ATR) propulsion system, an airbreathing system
that combines elements from both turbojets and rocket engines. Simulations validated one
design that operates at speeds up to Mach 4 and altitudes of up to 11 km. 96
Finally, there is the age-old issue of offense vs. defense, which Chinese analysts follow
closely and which appears to inform the PLA’s development and prioritization of weapons
systems. There is a constant arms race between the ever-advancing defense systems of
surface vessels and the cruise missiles that seek to defeat them. A senior captain from the
PLAN Armaments Department emphasizes that ASCMs must constantly be adjusted to
address changes in the numbers and characteristics of targets, their mission, and the battle
environment. 97 Researchers at Northwestern Polytechnic University’s School of Electronic
Information seek to optimize cruise missile penetration altitude for maximum “combat
efficiency,” 98 as do engineers at CASIC’s Third Academy. 99 Researchers from Wuhan Naval
Engineering University and Northwestern Polytechnic University believe that future
cruise missiles will need to have greater range, higher speed, enhanced maneuverability,
“multiple types of trajectory control,” and “intelligent control guidance.” Moreover, these
missiles will combine subsonic and supersonic flight stages: “subsonic missiles can meet
the need for long ranges, and supersonic missiles can greatly improve the probability of
defense penetration.” 100 In pursuing such capabilities, the PLA may be able to minimize
its vulnerabilities while maximizing its offensive potential.
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