The U.S has maintained its supremacy over air and sea for decades. It has mainly won wars with the help of its air dominance which was unmatched by any rival nations both during the cold war era and the post era of cold war. All that domination of the skies and seas may be changing if reports that are coming out of China are to be believed. Dong Feng 21D is the name of the missile which has been developed by China. What makes this missile so powerful is said to be the capability of Dong Feng 21D of hitting and destroying moving aircraft carries with precise accuracy. The missile is reportedly said to have a range of at least 900 miles and some estimates up to 1000 miles.
The news is causing grave concern to US planners especially with presence in the South China Sea, Yellow Sea, and the East Sea. While certain experts believe that it is going to take time to perfect the missile capabilities and they estimate that could be several months before this happens.Nevertheless it is seen as a game changer as it would disrupt free movement of U.S carrier and carrier ships in the Pacific. This fact was certainly acknowledged by the U.S defence secretary last week. First it was hacking into U.S computers and then it is the escalation in the Pacific and China seems all set to challenge U.S. supremacy. Reports also indicate that China is continuing development of a medium-range anti-ship ballistic missile capable of hitting a moving aircraft carrier from 1,200 to 1,800 miles away. After all looks like it is a return to cold war era the players are just different this time.
Author: Suman Varanasi