“Ribbon.<url>” publishes excerpts from the report “Marine lasers, railguns and hypersonic missiles: status and challenges”, published by the Research service of the U.S. Congress on may 25, 2016. The material covers the main purpose of creating weapons based on new physical principles for the Navy and problems along the way.
An introductory review “Tape.<url>”
As the main purpose of the developed technologies, the document sets out the struggle the ship’s air defense in the middle of the turn with the massive air attack, which used anti-ship cruise and ballistic missiles. A subsidiary objective is the destruction of the drones and small speed boats (there are apparent traces of the analysis of the terrorist attack against the USS Cole at anchor Aden 12 October 2000).
As a potential enemy in this scenario is named China — for two reasons. First, it is the only country having both types of such weapons. Secondly, the growing contradictions between the US and China in the Asia-Pacific region has led to the fact that in recent years the main strategic planning documents of the U.S. military are built around the idea of containment of China.
This has repeatedly indicated that a hypothetical scenario of a clash of fleets, the US and China (the most probable reason for which can be an aggravation around Taiwan) will lead to serious problems in the organization of air defense ship connections.
However, it is important to note that a massive air attack using anti-ship cruise missiles — the calling card of the Soviet and then Russian Navy, which is a pioneer in this field of combat use. Despite this well known fact, this material, and other official documents of the U.S. Navy on weapons based on new physical principles, the question of containment of Russia practically does not concern.
