China has conducted another mock attack on a United States military asset with missiles, and this time it is a Ticonderoga-Class Battle Cruiser currently on patrol in the Red Sea.
Knewz.com has learned that the purported computer simulation and ensuing paper, found it would take at least six of the Asian superpower's Fire Dragon projectiles to sink a warship like the USS Philippine Sea.
The model involved firing 12 projectiles and using low-precision satellite photos to identify the general locations of the mockup U.S. naval assets. As the projectiles neared their targets, they recalibrated their courses to match the vessels' exact positions.
According to the Eurasian Times, the exercise factored in said vessels’ defensive capabilities including the radar-guided Phalanx cannon with its 4,500 per minute rate of fire—and despite this potent feature, one of the US vessels sank.
A report on the simulation indicated that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China’s experiment also used versions of the Fire Dragon missile fitted with six drones apiece, which in a real combat scenario, would be used to confuse a ship’s radar and divert firepower while the real explosive honed in.
The results of this simulation were purported as an even greater success because none of the simulated ships survived.
According to the Business Standard, the projectile is no state secret and is produced exclusively for export by the country’s North Industries Group Corporation (NORINCO).
It weighs 880 lbs according to the South China Morning Post, and has a high degree of accuracy.
Additionally, its impact velocity exceeds 1,640 feet per second.
According to Li Jiangjiang, senior author of the paper, it would take two of the warheads to destroy a 10,000-tonne (the weight of the Ticonderoga-Class Cruiser) warship.
Thus far, only one known sale (worth $245 million) has been made, and it was to the United Arab Emirates.
The Ticonderoga-Class vessels, on the other hand, were first commissioned in 1981 as destroyers but due to their enhanced firepower were designated cruisers.
The last vessel was built in 1994 and of the 27 existing units, 13 remain in service.
Despite the alleged results of the Chinese experiment, Ticonderoga-Class cruisers make formidable adversaries.
They comprise a variety of mechanisms (offensive and defensive) including the PY-1A-powered AEGIS weapon system that automatically tracks threats and targets entities beyond 200 miles.
In addition to the latter, per National Interest, the ships carry up to 80 surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), 16 anti-submarine rockets, and 26 Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Making this ordinance even more lethal are two Mk-41 Vertical Launching Systems (VLS), which allow the vessel to store all its missiles in standby mode.
As noted by the Chinese paper, the Ticonderoga-Class vessels also carry two Phalanx cannons, two machine guns, and two torpedo tubes, and can accommodate two Seahawk helicopters.
The U.S. is yet to comment on the test—but notably, it is not the first time China’s training for attacks on American assets has become public.
In January 2024, Knewz.com reported on satellite images of structures closely resembling the supercarrier Gerald Fordin the country’s Taklamakan Desert.
More recently, satellites captured another dessert-bound mockup. This time, of the Taiwanese parliamentary buildings.
This sighting led to speculation among experts that a Chinese attack on the breakaway island democracy would be very different from what many expect—and it could all be over 30 minutes.
