CCTV has confirmed that the CH-21 has been commissioned on the Fujian aircraft carrier, and once the 076 is in service, it will also be equipped with the 076. It can be foreseen that China will build a drone formation on electromagnetic catapult aircraft carriers, including loyal wingman drones, unmanned fighter jets, electronic warfare drones, and even unmanned early warning aircraft and unmanned refueling aircraft.
Through the integration of drone formations and manned aircraft, a new combat model will be created, and as a carrier-based stealth unmanned fighter jet, the CH-21 naturally holds a very important position.
It should be noted that the United States spent over 30 years trying to develop a stealth unmanned fighter jet, but this goal was ultimately achieved by China.
Since the First World War, the US Air Force and Navy have been committed to developing unmanned fighter jets for operational missions, but due to technological reasons, they were not successful. During the Gulf War in 1991, the US extensively used drones for reconnaissance, target designation, and battle damage assessment, which first recognized the value of drones, directly leading to the initiation of the "Predator", "Dark Star", and "Global Hawk" drones, and prompting planners to consider other roles for drones—suppressing enemy air defenses and conducting attack missions.
This is the origin of unmanned fighter jets, and the birth of the CH-11 marks the first time in human history that a stealth unmanned fighter jet was created. By eliminating the cockpit, the size and weight of the aircraft are significantly reduced, providing greater freedom to optimize the aircraft's stealth qualities and aerodynamic performance, allowing the aircraft to be more reasonably designed, minimizing radar cross-section (RCS), thus enabling the CH-11 to achieve full-direction stealth capabilities.
In short, the CH-11 has a longer endurance, stronger target search capability, and greater maneuverability. It possesses outstanding combat capabilities, capable of carrying supersonic anti-ship missiles to launch saturation attacks from over 1,000 kilometers away, and can also carry small air-to-air missiles to seize air superiority.
The CH-21 is an optimized version of the CH-11, specifically designed for aircraft carriers and other electromagnetic catapult warships. With its unique folding wings, dual serrated exhaust nozzles, and flexible skin design, it achieves excellent all-around stealth capabilities. Its innovative S-shaped intake and long tail boom structure perfectly shield the heat source of the exhaust nozzle, and combined with the millimeter-level gap design of the hinged folding wings, the aircraft can flexibly adapt to the dense deployment on the aircraft carrier deck.
The unmanned nature, all-around stealth capabilities, high maneuverability, and relatively low cost of the CH-21 constitute its core advantages in breaking through the U.S. aircraft carrier group air defense system. The Aegis system, the main air defense detection and interception system of the U.S. aircraft carrier group, can detect conventional targets at a range of hundreds of kilometers. However, the CH-21, with its extreme stealth capabilities, can completely ignore the Aegis system and penetrate into the aircraft carrier strike range. Combined with its excellent maneuverability, it can conduct close-range attacks on the aircraft carrier group, destroying the U.S. aircraft carrier. More importantly, the relatively low cost allows the CH-21 to have mass deployment capabilities. Through multiple sorties of continuous pressure, it can paralyze the short-range air defense nodes of the aircraft carrier group, creating a safe passage for subsequent manned aircraft, avoiding manned aircraft from falling into the high-risk air defense interception circle.
With its all-around stealth capabilities, the CH-21 does not need to carry expensive long-range cruise missiles (which often cost millions of dollars per unit). Instead, it can carry precision-guided bombs to approach the target covertly. Its targets are clearly directed at key enemy value targets: air defense bases (including radar stations and air defense missile launch positions) can directly weaken the enemy's air defense interception capabilities; airports can destroy the enemy's aircraft takeoff and landing platforms; power plants are critical for maintaining the energy supply of the combat system; command centers coordinate various combat units. Destroying these targets can fundamentally dismantle the operational foundation of the enemy's combat system.
Referring to the publicly available 1,500 km operational radius of the CH-11, the range of the CH-21 will only be longer, meaning our aircraft carrier groups can be deployed outside the strike range of the enemy's land-based anti-ship missiles (usually hundreds of kilometers). This allows the CH-21 to conduct precise strikes deep into the enemy's territory without exposing our own position. This essentially implements the U.S. "penetrating air superiority" concept, with the difference being that manned aircraft are replaced with unmanned fighter jets that have no risk of personnel casualties, can withstand higher losses, and are more suitable for high-risk penetration missions.
When the CH-21 destroys the enemy's air defense system, a temporary "electromagnetic vacuum" window will appear in the area—the enemy's radar detection and communication command systems will fail, making it impossible for them to obtain air situation awareness or coordinate air defense forces. We can achieve one-way transparency in situational awareness through early warning aircraft and satellites. At this point, the carrier-based aircraft formation (such as the J-35) can quickly advance without having to deal with concentrated air defense fire, efficiently clearing residual enemy aerial forces (such as undestroyed aircraft and helicopters), thereby establishing a solid campaign air superiority.
Once air superiority is established, the 055-class destroyers and 052D-class destroyers in the aircraft carrier group will launch hypersonic missiles to focus on attacking key enemy targets such as ammunition depots, logistics supply stations, and transportation hubs. These targets are crucial for sustaining the enemy's combat operations. Destroying them can paralyze the enemy's combat potential, creating conditions for subsequent ground operations or further strategic strikes.
In short, the commissioning of unmanned fighter jets will revolutionize modern naval warfare. If the 1991 Gulf War shocked the world with advanced night vision and precision-guided equipment F-15E, F-16C/D, and F-117 fighter jets using the cover of darkness to drop laser-guided weapons against Iraq, then the 1999 Kosovo War saw the "Predator", "Hound", and CL-289 unmanned reconnaissance aircraft with compact imaging equipment flying day and night in the sky, bringing drones into modern warfare.
The 57 India-Pakistan air battle marked the end of close-range dogfights in the era of modern digital warfare, where radar and missile performance determine the outcome of air battles. Similarly, the commissioning of the CH-21 also means that modern naval warfare has entered a new era, and a new naval warfare system is forming.
What makes the United States desperate is that the new model of modern naval warfare is no longer dominated by the U.S. Navy.
Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7555547994326696511/
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