American carriers have never been more vulnerable. And the U.S. defense technological base is struggling to keep up with—and even counter—the stunning developments that China’s defense sector has enjoyed over the last decade.
We’ve long heard about China’s Dongfeng-series (DF) missiles that are reputed to be capable of destroying United States Navy aircraft carriers that dare to get within the range of these potent Chinese weapons.
But it isn’t only missiles that China is developing to sink America’s primary naval power projection platform. Chinese-affiliated social media accounts have been posting videos about China’s newest form of carrier-killing weapons: drone swarms.
But these drone swarms are not your typical drone swarms, launched from a ground position at targets near or above them. Instead, the video depicts these drones being launched from Chinese submarines.
Chinese Drones Are Transmedium Now
Specifically, China’s Northwestern Polytechnical University, with assistance from scientists at the China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center (CARDC), has declared that it has successfully developed underwater drone swarms specifically meant to destroy U.S. carriers.
Once deployed from Chinese submarines, these underwater drones would form a swarm in the air and launch surprise attacks on American warships, overwhelming their defensive systems and sending them to the bottom of the drink.
China has already conducted test flights of these drones—and that these drones are reportedly more sophisticated than the systems that the U.S. Navy has been building for its fleet.
China’s proposed sub-launched drone can “loop repeatedly between the sea and the sky, and eventually find its way back to the sub [that launched the drone],” according to Stephen Chen of the South China Morning Post (SCMP). This is important because of how these transmedium drones can enhance the concealment and survival of the attacking drones as they hunt their targets.
When compared to the Chinese Feiyi drone, the U.S. Navy’s proposed sea-launched drone appears to have decisive disadvantages. It has no underwater maneuvering capabilities. It must be transported to the surface of the ocean in a tube-like structure, once it is launched from the torpedo tube of a U.S. Navy submarine. And, apparently unlike the Chinese Feiyi drone, the American system lacks transmedium maneuvering once it takes flight.
In other words, once the American drone is deployed from the ocean, it can never again reenter the waters as can China’s Feiyi. Thus, the American drones would be easier to shoot down than the Chinese ones.
Of course, neither drone has been tested under combat conditions—and these claims are only claims. Still, the Chinese institutions behind the creation of Feiyi have proven themselves in the domain of advanced hypersonic weapons in the past.
Uncle Sam Lags Behind the Dragon
Whereas the Americans are still struggling to produce their own hypersonic weapons, the Chinese, along with the Russians, are farther ahead of the Americans in this key area. China, too, is the world’s leader in drone technological development. And the few places where they are behind other nations, China has mass production capabilities that allow for them to stay competitive with the Americans.
American carriers have never been more vulnerable. And the U.S. defense technological base is struggling to keep up with—and even counter—the stunning developments that China’s defense sector has enjoyed over the last decade.
It is time for the United States to fundamentally rethink the way it conducts aircraft carrier operations. What’s more, the country today requires entirely new ways of thinking about naval warfare that emphasize unmanned systems and submersibles over costly and easy-to-target aircraft carriers.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a contributor at Popular Mechanics, who consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Shutterstock / Aerial-motion.
