A very specialized part of the world\u2019s largest naval drills off the northern Hawaiian island of Kauai is gaining attention on both sides of the Pacific. <\/p>\n
Earlier this month, the US and allies practiced taking out a large surface ship with long-range weapons, including, for the first time, a US Air Force B-2 bomber. <\/p>\n
In one test that analysts called \u201cvery significant\u201d in what it could mean for the calculus of any future, hypothetical conflict between the US and China, a B-2 stealth bomber hit a decommissioned amphibious assault ship with an inexpensive guided bomb. <\/p>\n
The test of the weapon, dubbed QUICKSINK by the US Air Force, occurred on July 19, when a B-2 participated in the sinking of the ex-USS Tarawa, a retired 820-foot-long, 39,000-ton amphibious assault ship, a vessel the size of a small aircraft carrier. <\/p>\n
It showed the US military can use one of its most survivable weapons platforms, the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, to sink a major surface ship with a low-cost guided bomb. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis capability is an answer to an urgent need to quickly neutralize maritime threats over massive expanses of ocean around the world at minimal costs,\u201d said a press release from the US Navy\u2019s 3rd Fleet, which led Rim of the Pacific 2024 (RIMPAC), the exercise that included the sinking of the ex-Tarawa. <\/p>\n
The B-2 bomber is the US military\u2019s most sophisticated aircraft. The Air Force says its stealthy characteristics allow it to penetrate heavily defended areas and also fly with a small chance of being detected by radar at high altitudes. That gives the B-2\u2019s sensors the ability to get a view of the battlefield not possible in lower-flying planes. <\/p>\n
Mating it up with relatively cheap and demonstrably effective precision-guided bombs with warheads of up to 2,000 pounds could give the Air Force bombers the \u201canti-ship lethality\u201d of a submarine-launched torpedo without the liabilities of a submarine, according to a US Air Force website. <\/p>\n
\u201cA Navy submarine has the ability to launch and destroy a ship with a single torpedo at any time, but by launching that weapon, it gives away its location and becomes a target,\u201d the Air Force Research Lab says. <\/p>\n
QUICKSINK could provide \u201ca low-cost method of achieving torpedo-like seaworthy kills from the air at a much higher pace and over a much larger area than covered by a lumbering submarine,\u201d it says. <\/p>\n
The Air Force first tested QUICKSINK in 2022, when an F-15 fighter jet released a GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) that destroyed a full-scale surface target in the Gulf of Mexico, according to an Air Force statement. <\/p>\n
Analysts say QUICKSINK launched from a B-2 would give China\u2019s People\u2019s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) much to consider in the event of any possible conflict in the western Pacific, including around hotspots like Taiwan, the Philippines and the southern islands of Japan. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt is very significant,\u201d said Carl Schuster, former head of the US Pacific Command Joint Intelligence Center. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe B-2\u2019s demonstrated anti-maritime capability will constrain if not deter PLAN operations east of Taiwan or off the Philippines. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou cannot ignore a weapon that can sink a 25,000-plus-ton ship with one hit,\u201d Schuster added. <\/p>\n
In any conflict close to its home shores, China, on paper, holds distinct advantages. <\/p>\n
It has thousands of missiles on the Chinese mainland, the world\u2019s largest navy to dominate nearby seas and the ability to provide air cover to those ships from land-based aircraft. <\/p>\n
But the B-2, and other systems tested at RIMPAC, could negate some of China\u2019s advantages with long-range fire, analysts said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt extends the range at which potential enemies can be held at risk through advanced weapons whilst retaining a considerable degree of stealth. It basically says, you are not safe no matter where you are in this vast theater,\u201d said Alessio Patalano, professor of war and strategy at King\u2019s College in London. <\/p>\n
Long-range missiles were also fired from aircraft and ships during RIMPAC. <\/p>\n
A US Navy F\/A-18 also hit the ex-Tarawa with a Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRSAM), \u201ca precise, stealthy, and survivable cruise missile,\u201d the Navy\u2019s 3rd Fleet press release said. <\/p>\n
This missile can hit targets up to 230 miles (370 kilometers) away with a 1,000-pound warhead while navigating semi-autonomously to its target. <\/p>\n
And the Royal Australian Navy destroyer HMAS Sydney struck the ex-Tarawa with a Naval Strike Missile (NSM), an achievement Vice Adm. Mark Hammond, Australia\u2019s chief of navy, said \u201crepresents a significant increase in the lethality of our surface fleet.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cMulti-domain strike capabilities including Naval Strike Missile are foundational to deterring any potential adversary\u2019s attempts to project power against Australia,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
The Naval Strike Missile, developed by Norwegian defense company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, can challenge an adversary\u2019s defenses by flying at sea-skimming altitudes and making evasive maneuvers in flight at a range of 115 miles (185 kilometers). <\/p>\n
A US Navy destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, also tested a Naval Strike Missile during RIMPAC, and the weapon has previously been fired from a US littoral combat ship and land-based versions have been successfully tested by the US Marine Corps. <\/p>\n
The ex-Tarawa was one of two surface vessels sunk during RIMPAC. On July 11, the ex-USS Dubuque, a 17,000-ton amphibious transport dock was sent to the bottom of the Pacific, also off Kauai. <\/p>\n
Besides the US and Australian units, forces from South Korea, Malaysia and the Netherlands participated in ship-sinking exercises. <\/p>\n
\u201cSinking exercises give us a chance to sharpen our skills, learn from one another, and get real-world experience,\u201d US Navy Vice Adm. John Wade, RIMPAC 2024 Combined Task Force commander, said in a statement. <\/p>\n
\u201cUsing advanced weapons and seeing the professionalism of our teams during these drills shows our commitment to keeping the Indo-Pacific region safe and open.\u201d <\/p>\n