US military says ‘unmanned hellscape' strategy in Taiwan Strait is on track
Published: 6:00pm, 30 Jan 2025 The first iteration of drones , set to form part of America's 'unmanned hellscape' strategy to be used against China in a potential war in the Taiwan Strait, is on track to meet its August 2025 deadline, according to a US Navy official. Speaking on Tuesday at the West 2025 conference hosted by the US Naval Institute and AFCEA, Alex Campbell, maritime portfolio director of the US military's Defence Innovation Unit (DIU), said the Replicator initiative would meet the goal set by former deputy defence secretary Kathleen Hicks.
'It's not another [science and technology] project. It is meant to get to production, meant to field systems, in this case, in support of [US Indo-Pacific Command],' Campbell said, according to the US Naval Institute's news portal USNI News.
'It's a lot of taking … a pretty wide and diverse set of systems and a wide and diverse set of software, and smashing them all together at a pace that is really more akin to commercial software tempos.'
First unveiled by Hicks in August 2023, Replicator is an initiative overseen by the DIU that focuses on fielding thousands of what the Pentagon calls 'all-domain attritable autonomous' (ADA2) systems to create swarms of small, low-cost drone systems – including unmanned surface vehicles, unmanned aerial systems and counter-unmanned aerial systems. Former US deputy secretary of defence Kathleen Hicks set the August 2025 goal for the first part of the Replicator initiative. Photo: AP The first part of the initiative is intended to link surface, subsurface drones and loitering munitions to create a 'hellscape' aimed at preventing possible military aggression by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) across the Taiwan Strait . The second part, announced last year, will be focused on countering hostile drones.
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Asia Times
05-05-2025
- Asia Times
US fires hot shot in hypersonic sea race with China
The US Navy fired a major shot in the race for sea-based hypersonic dominance, aiming to turn a long-troubled stealth destroyer into tomorrow's fastest naval strike platform. This month, the US Navy successfully conducted an end-to-end flight test of a conventional hypersonic missile, marking a pivotal step toward its first sea-based hypersonic capability. The test, conducted at Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, validated the US Navy's cold-gas launch system, designed to eject missiles before ignition safely. It advances the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) program, developed in partnership with the US Army's Rapid Capabilities Office, which had completed two prior flight tests in 2024. Vice Admiral Johnny R Wolfe Jr, head of Strategic Systems Programs, said the milestone brings the US Navy closer to deploying CPS aboard the USS Zumwalt. The hypersonic system, offering high speed, range and survivability, enhances US deterrence and strike capabilities amid growing strategic competition. Insights from the test will inform the refinement of the common All Up Round (AUR) missile, reinforcing the ability to counter high-end adversary threats. The War Zone (TWZ) reported in January 2025 that the Zumwalt-class can carry up to 12 missiles triple-packed into Advanced Payload Module (APM) canisters. TWZ says that the Intermediate-Range Conventional Prompt Strike (IRCPS) missiles to be installed aboard the ships will have an unpowered boost-glide vehicle payload capable of maneuvering unpredictably toward their targets. Delving into the tactical advantages of sea-based hypersonic weapons, Francis Mahon and Punch Moulton mention in a January 2025 article for Real Clear Defense that such weapons can be effective against time-sensitive targets, often fleeting, high-value, and high-payoff. Mahon and Punch note that such targets are often beyond the reach or responsiveness of current strike capabilities, but hypersonic weapons can change that. Illustrating that capability difference, the Atlantic Council mentions in a March 2025 report that traditional subsonic cruise missiles, such as the Tomahawk or Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), would take an hour to hit a target 800 kilometers away, while a hypersonic cruise missile could hit the mark in less than ten minutes. The report also says that a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) can cover the distance between Guam and the Taiwan Strait in less than 30 minutes. To underscore the scale of hitting time-sensitive targets, Thomas MacDonald mentions in a January 2025 article in the peer-reviewed Journal of Strategic Studies that the operators of ground-based mobile missiles could deploy multiple transporter-erector-launchers (TEL) across different locations simultaneously, ensuring a survivable capability. MacDonald says that TEL operators could choose to move their missiles if gaps exist in an adversary's remote sensing coverage. He notes that TEL operators could keep their missiles hidden if an adversary loses track of the projectiles, forcing them to keep track of them continuously and nullifying the advantages of sensor technologies that rely on stealth or have limited endurance. In addition, MacDonald states that TEL operators would likely deploy countermeasures against an adversary's tracking capabilities, which range from satellite-blinding lasers to decoys. To further illustrate the threat, the US Department of Defense's (DOD) 2024 China Military Power Report (CMPR) mentions that China's People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) has approximately 1,500 TEL units, presenting a formidable targeting challenge. The PLARF, as noted by the report, plays a critical role in China's counter-intervention strategy against Taiwan and strategic nuclear deterrence. Discussing the advantages of deploying hypersonic weapons at sea, former US Navy Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Gilday mentions in an April 2021 USNI News article that such deployment could enable multi-vector attacks. In addition, Gilday points out that deploying hypersonic weapons at sea gives a mobility advantage, which can substantially increase survivability, given that adversaries may have access to ubiquitous satellite imagery of the Pacific. Contextualizing the possible deployment of hypersonic-armed Zumwalt-class destroyers at the operational level, such ships may play a critical role as part of a two-level force described by Thomas Mahnken in a February 2022 Proceedings article. Of that dual force, Mahnken mentions that an 'inside force' composed of mobile, dispersed ground and expeditionary forces would transform the First Island Chain spanning Okinawa, Taiwan and the Philippines into defensive bastions armed with missiles, sensors and electronic warfare systems to prevent China from projecting power beyond that region. That force, Mahnken says, would be supported by an 'outside force' primarily consisting of air and naval forces employing standoff or penetrating capabilities that could exploit gaps in China's anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) systems created by inside forces to support defensive operations with mass and conduct offensive operations, including strikes on the Chinese mainland. As a hypersonic weapon launcher, the Zumwalt class could be a critical asset in an envisioned outside force. However, rising costs and delays could once again derail the platform's relevance, echoing the cost-death spiral of its previously equipped Advanced Gun System (AGS) intended initially for naval gunfire support (NGFS). A US Congressional Research Service (CRS) report from April 2025 says that due to high costs, the US may only have a small number of hypersonic weapons. It also mentions that the US may need large numbers of such weapons to defeat high-end targets. A January 2023 US Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report illustrates these likely prohibitive costs, mentioning that intermediate-range hypersonic boost-glide missiles of the type to be installed in the Zumwalt class could cost up to US$41 million per unit. The effectiveness of the Zumwalt class is also in question. A US CRS report from December 2024 mentions insufficient data to determine the class's effectiveness in anti-air warfare (AAW), torpedo defense and undersea warfare. The report states that the Zumwalt-class surface strike capabilities have yet to be evaluated following the completion of live missile events in 2027. It also says that existing data is insufficient to assess the type's survivability against threat weapons. Meanwhile, as the US continues retrofitting a previously sidelined destroyer platform to accommodate hypersonic weapons, China may already have the upper hand in ship-based hypersonic firepower. In April 2022, Naval News reported that China test-fired the YJ-21 hypersonic anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) from one of its Type 055 cruisers. According to Naval News, launch footage may imply that the YJ-21 might be a cold-launched, two-stage missile equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV)—similar to the type of weapon the US plans to install on its Zumwalt-class destroyers. The report also points out that China has eight Type 055 cruisers in service and additional units planned, in contrast to the three-ship Zumwalt-class, with its DDG(X) successor still in development. Whether the rearmed Zumwalt class signals the dawn of a new strike era or represents a last-ditch revival of the platform, the hypersonic race at sea is accelerating and the US cannot afford complacency.
South China Morning Post
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- South China Morning Post
China launches ‘Blue Whale' – world's first high-speed typhoon-proof uncrewed submersible
China has launched the world's first high-speed uncrewed submersible, a vessel that can operate underwater for 30 days, withstand extreme weather, and launch research rockets, marking a major advance in the country's maritime technology Advertisement The 'Blue Whale', which measures 11 metres (36 feet) long and weighs 12 tonnes, and combines the functions of both a high-speed surface craft and an underwater vessel, was launched in Zhuhai on Monday. It can reach surface speeds of up to 36 knots – similar to a destroyer or a US Navy torpedo – and can sail hundreds of kilometres before rapidly diving up to 60 metres underwater to avoid storms, according to state news agency Xinhua. While submerged, it can remain static for more than a month, like the stealth capabilities of a nuclear submarine. Chen Dake, the project's lead scientist from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the launch was a milestone in China's independent marine technological innovation, providing a vital strategic tool for marine exploration, Xinhua reported on Monday. Currently designated for civilian use, the Blue Whale is expected to make significant contributions to typhoon research. Advertisement Wu Guosong, chief engineer of the submersible uncrewed vessel project at the Zhuhai-based tech firm Yunzhou, told Xinhua that the vessel's AI decision-making system uses deep learning algorithms, tripling operational efficiency in complex ocean environments when compared to manual controls.
Asia Times
22-04-2025
- Asia Times
Japan's railgun ready to zap Chinese hypersonic missiles
Japan's ship-mounted railgun offers a cost-effective and rapid response to potential missile saturation threats by utilizing electromagnetic energy to launch projectiles at hypersonic velocities. This month, Naval News reported that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) disclosed the deployment of its advanced railgun aboard the test ship JS Asuka, marking a significant milestone in electromagnetic weaponry. Developed by Japan's Ground Systems Research Center (GSRC) under the Ministry of Defense's Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA), railgun research began in 2016 and achieved its first shipboard firing test in October 2023. The weapon system demonstrates enhanced muzzle velocity, reaching 2,000 meters per second, and stability for firing up to 120 rounds, overcoming challenges of rail erosion and projectile flight stability. Current research aims to transition to a complete 'gun system,' integrating continuous firing, flight stability improvements and a tailored fire control system. Japan's railgun could bolster naval missile defenses, provide new options for land-based artillery such as counter-battery fire and coastal strikes, and theoretically contribute to intercepting specific high-speed missile threats. However, a miniaturized power supply remains pivotal for practical deployment. Japan also collaborates with France and Germany's Research Institute of Saint-Louis to advance railgun technologies, reflecting international scientific cooperation. This breakthrough positions Japan's railgun as a cornerstone for future defense systems, promising technological and operational maturity through FY 2026. Unlike the US Navy, which halted its railgun project in July 2021 because of significant power, overheating and rail wear challenges, Japan continues to pursue the technology to address the possible shortcomings of missile-based defense and strike capabilities. Missiles offer powerful long-range strike options but are extremely expensive and limited by shipboard magazine capacity. US Navy destroyers and cruisers carry only 96–122 missiles in their Vertical Launch System (VLS) cells. During operations against Houthi rebel forces from 2023 to 2025, the US expended hundreds of difficult-to-replace, multi-million-dollar missiles to down relatively cheap drones and ballistic missiles, highlighting an unsustainable cost curve and dangerously shallow magazines. Japan faces a similar problem. In December 2022, Kyodo News reported that Japan had only 60% of the interceptor missile stockpiles deemed necessary for national defense. Underscoring the missile threat, Newsweek reported in March 2025 that China has significantly increased the number of its missiles capable of hitting Japan. According to the report, new bases in China's Jilin and Shandong provinces house three types of missiles—the DF-17 medium-range ballistic missile and the CJ-10 and CJ-100 ground-launched cruise missiles (GLCM), which can penetrate Japan's existing missile defenses. Beyond limited magazine depth, the inability to reload VLS cells at sea presents another major constraint. In a March 2024 article for the Georgetown Studies Review, Tyler Koteskey mentions that despite their effectiveness, US Mk41 VLS must be reloaded in port. Koteskey notes that early attempts to install foldable cranes on US vessels failed, given the challenges of loading heavy canisters of munitions in rough seas. He adds that, depending on the availability of such facilities, returning to a port capable of reloading VLS can take weeks. He stresses that large-scale missile salvo attacks could rapidly deplete US VLS magazines in a high-end combat scenario. Japan is already building large Aegis System Equipped Vessels (ASEVs) to compensate for magazine limitations. However, concentrating so much capability on a few high-value ships makes them prime targets for North Korea and China attacks. Railguns may offer a critical solution to these missile defense bottlenecks. In a December 2011 Proceedings article, Maxwell Cooper notes that railguns can deliver many rounds at distances comparable to most missiles with the same lethality and accuracy, while at lower costs and greater quantities. Cooper explains that railguns fire projectiles at hypersonic speeds, with the round itself using its massive kinetic energy for destructive effects—no explosive filling is required. He also suggests that rounds could be equipped with GPS units for greater accuracy and that the absence of explosive propellant frees up some magazine space. However, while railgun rounds are smaller and cheaper than missiles, they still require substantial onboard power and projectile storage. Further, Cooper mentions that the lack of a capable multi-mission gun has forced US Navy commanders to use expensive, limited, high-end missiles for all types of targets, creating a gap in the ability to economically engage lower-end threats such as patrol boats, undefended coastal targets and basic ballistic missiles, which would otherwise be engaged with low-cost gun rounds. Railguns could also provide an economical means to counter saturation missile attacks. An April 2022 US Congressional Research Service (CRS) report mentions that it takes 300 seconds to detect a missile launch signature, track the projectile, and calculate a vector for defensive projectiles. The report states that an 11-kilogram railgun projectile can disperse more than 500 three-gram tungsten impactors capable of destroying incoming missiles through sheer kinetic energy. While railguns offer promise, Japan still faces critical questions: Can Japan integrate and scale the technology fast enough to counter China's growing missile arsenal? And, can it avoid concentrating too much capability on a few vulnerable ships?
