P-8 Poseidon

The U.S Navy is going to be configuring its fleet of P-8 Poseidon to counter the growing threat of Chinese warships. The plan is to arm the P-8s with Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM). This is a big move because the premier submarine-hunting platform is going to be utilized more actively for Anti Surface Warfare. As per some reports, the mixing of P-8s with LRASM & operational deployment is estimated to be completed by the top of 2026.

Let's analyze why U.S Navy arming P-8 Poseidon with Long-RangeAnti-Ship Missile will be major deterrence against the Chinese Navy? Let’s get into the details.

P-8 Poseidon

BACKGROUND
China has seen a very significant economic progress in the past two decades. This has enabled it to pour a huge amount of resources into its military and is developing very capable warships. For example, China is deploying Type 055 class of guided-missile destroyer. The spec sheet of Type 055 is impressive and can certainly provides a big boost to Chinese naval capabilities. Most analysts consider the Type 055 to be a worthy competitor to any surface combatant operating in the world including the Arleigh Burke-class warship. China plans to create 8 of those and therefore the first one named ‘Nanchang is currently in active service. Chinese fleet of ever-expanding surface combatants is a genuine threat in the Pacific theater.U.S Navy’s surface fleet is armed with relatively less potent Anti Ship missiles which makes the scenario even more alarming. The main missile for the anti-ship role aboard Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Ticonderoga class cruisers are the Harpoon ER (Extended Range). The missile can hit targets at a maximum distance of only 80 miles or 130 KM. It is also a pretty old weapon and has a speed of only Mach 0.7 which makes it susceptible to intercepts. U.S does have SM1, SM 2 SM6 supersonic missiles which have a primary role of defense with a secondary Anti Ship role, but their small warheads aren't capable of crippling a large warship. The only credible anti-ship weapon is that the NSM which features a range of 100 miles or 185km.NSM is capable of high subsonic speeds. It has sea skim mode by which it travels very on the brink of the surface, making it hard to detect and intercept. It is also designed to maneuver to avoid enemy defenses. But even NSM is constrained by its range and has limited operational deployment.

P-8 POSEIDON
The P-8 Poseidon is developed by Boeing & it is modified from the 737-800ERX. It is capable of anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASUW), and shipping interdiction. It also has early warning self-protection (EWSP) ability. Powered by 2 × CFM56-7B27A turbofans that are capable of generating 121 kN of thrust, it is able to reach a maximum speed of 490 knots or 907 km/h. It has a combat radius of 1,200 nmi or 2,222 km that permits it to hide large swaths of ocean. The P-8 is equipped with radar, optical and sonar sensors to detect submarines surface ships. The P-8 features the Raytheon APY-10 multi-mission surface search radar. AN/APY-10 mechanically scanned radar may be a development of Raytheon's AN/APS-149 radar. Compared to the predecessors, it is smaller in size, lighter, and uses less power. The radar is optimized for maritime, littoral and overland surveillance. The AN/APY-10 is able to provide high-resolution radar images enabling P8 to identify warships from longdistances.P-8 is also able to drop and monitor sonobuoys which are basically expendable sonar systems .P-8A is that the American variant and therefore the U.S has received delivery of quite 90 of those with approximately additional 30 on order. P-8 has 5 internal and 6 external stations for weapons and can currently deploy AGM-84H/KSLAM-ER, AGM-84 Harpoon, Mark 54 torpedo, missiles, mines and smart as well as free-fall bombs. So, just like the U.S Navy's surface fleet, it is currently equipped with aging Harpoonmissile for the Anti Ship role.

LRSM ROLE

The AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile may be a stealthy and highly precise surface-skimming aircraft with a variety of 230 miles or 620 for the Extended Range AGM-158B. Readers may note that a shorter range variant was used in combat on April 4, 2018, when two-1B bombers launched nineteen of the stealth missiles at a Syrian research center in Barzeh. Lockheed-Martin worked on the missile further and AGM-158C is developed which is an antiship variant and is known as LRSM by the U.S Navy. The missile is subsonic and but since it's LO (Low Observable), the enemy warship won't see it coming till it's very close. This strategy is a stark contrast to Russian and Chinese missiles which depend on speed to defeat the ship’s defense. It is powered by an F107 turbojet and features a 1,000 lb (450 kg) blast-fragmentation penetrator. The warhead is potent enough to cripple an outsized warship. LRASM will cost around $3 million apiece which makes it twice as costly as Harpoon missiles. US Navy plans to accumulate 467 LRASMs with an initial order of 23.

AGM-158

LRSM FEATURES

LRASM deploys multiple sensors techniques to range in on the targets. The details are here:


1. it's an inertial and jam-resistant GPS navigation system. This is mainly used for navigating the initial phase of the journey.


2. A two-way link is present, which allows the launching warship to send course corrections data. It will be used for mid-course guidance during which missile flies at medium altitude.


3. it's a guidance algorithm which will acquire target enemy ships when external guidance is disrupted. It is mainly utilized in the mid to final phase. The algorithm is sensible enough to differentiate civilian ships and low priority enemy warships from the particular target.


4. it's a Radio-frequency sensor which is activated within the terminal phase. The system homes in on an adversary’s radar signals—the very radar which is employed by the enemy warships to trace the missile.


5. In the terminal phase, the Infra-Red sensor is also engaged. It is wont to make the last-ditch adjustment in order that the missile can hit specific points of an enemy warship to maximise damage. In this phase, the missile skims on the brink of the surface which makes it hard to focus on.


It is important to notice that LRASMs are often deployed in swarm mode which can enable it to saturate enemy defenses. LRASM also deploys ECCM (ECCM) to beat the enemy’s countermeasures.

ANALYSIS

 It is important to note that China’s rise, as predicted by many experts is not peaceful. In recent times, China has been very aggressive in its posturing. China’s corrosive behaviors in the South China Sea and neighboring areas are indicative of things to come in the future. P-8 Poseidon's capability in dealing with submarines is well known and is very important as China is fielding more and more subs. But leveraging the P-8 for Anti Surface Warfare is force multiplier as the move will give the U.S Navy a lot of tactical flexibility. Stealthy LRASM fired in swarm mode from different directions will be hard to intercept and will put the Chinese Navy’s warship at risk from long ranges.