China’s YKJ-1000 hypersonic missile, capable of Mach 7 speeds and priced at just US$99,000, is reshaping global defence strategy and Indo-Pacific power dynamics. Explore how Lingkong Tianxing’s breakthrough disrupts missile-defence economics and accelerates hypersonic proliferation.
Yeah, Iran proved you don’t need the most advanced missiles, just enough to overwhelm the enemy’s interceptors. And defense is always more expensive than offense, usually by orders of magnitude.
I’m sure having a mix of both in your arsenal is the most optimal play, especially if you can hold back the more advanced stuff while your enemy is already tapping out after being hit with your cheaper stockpile.
I highly doubt that China wants to use Iranian missile strikes as a model. Iranian missiles displayed poor accuracy, which made counterforce targeting via conventional warheads infeasible. Iranian missile strikes had practically no impact on Israeli military operations. Israeli airbases still functioned, the Israeli chain of command was unaffected. Yemeni missile strikes using Iranian designed missiles aimed at US aircraft carriers complicated operations, even resulted in aircraft going overboard due to evasive maneuvers, but at the end of the day did not land a hit. China does not want to enter into a war with the US with that. China wants to destroy air bases and sink aircraft carriers. China, as a state actor which is a global superpower, wants their weapons to have high end strategic and tactical effects. China has little care for trying to use up interceptor stocks, they want to sink Nimitz class aircraft carriers and destroy Guam and US airbases in Japan within the first few hours of a conflict, or at least have a credible capability to do so, to establish deterrence.
Yeah, Iran proved you don’t need the most advanced missiles, just enough to overwhelm the enemy’s interceptors. And defense is always more expensive than offense, usually by orders of magnitude.
I’m sure having a mix of both in your arsenal is the most optimal play, especially if you can hold back the more advanced stuff while your enemy is already tapping out after being hit with your cheaper stockpile.
I highly doubt that China wants to use Iranian missile strikes as a model. Iranian missiles displayed poor accuracy, which made counterforce targeting via conventional warheads infeasible. Iranian missile strikes had practically no impact on Israeli military operations. Israeli airbases still functioned, the Israeli chain of command was unaffected. Yemeni missile strikes using Iranian designed missiles aimed at US aircraft carriers complicated operations, even resulted in aircraft going overboard due to evasive maneuvers, but at the end of the day did not land a hit. China does not want to enter into a war with the US with that. China wants to destroy air bases and sink aircraft carriers. China, as a state actor which is a global superpower, wants their weapons to have high end strategic and tactical effects. China has little care for trying to use up interceptor stocks, they want to sink Nimitz class aircraft carriers and destroy Guam and US airbases in Japan within the first few hours of a conflict, or at least have a credible capability to do so, to establish deterrence.
Exactly, once they run through the interceptors, then you start to hit stuff with your good missiles.