Chapter 1320: Strategic opportunity

From a certain point of view, the expansion of the conflict between China and Annan is actually something that the Americans are happy to see, and the location of this naval battle is also very delicate-the Nansha Islands are not only the way to East Asia after the ship left the Strait of Malacca. The only way to go, and it is directly opposite to the local coastline of Annan, in other words, it is directly opposite to Cam Ranh Bay!
Cam Ranh Bay, as we all know, is the most important military base of the Soviet Russian "Red Navy" in the Western Pacific!
The Cam Ranh Bay, which guards the South China Sea and the Gulf of Siam, is approaching the strait of Malacca, the throat channel of the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean. The Soviet Russian military presence here has pushed its military presence in the Western Pacific southward from Vladivostok for more than 2,000 nautical miles!
The South China Sea islands and reefs, which are only 500 kilometers away from Cam Ranh Bay, are the best forward base for monitoring the Russian navy in Cam Ranh Bay. If fighters are deployed on a certain island, Cam Ranh Bay can be included in the air force in one fell swoop. Within the scope of the attack, it poses a substantial threat to the Soviet Russian fleet in Cam Ranh Bay, and makes it feel like thorns are on the back all the time. This is really a good thing in line with the strategic significance of the United States!
Although, this thorn in Huaxia's hands does not seem to be so reassuring.
But at least it is much better than being mastered by the iron "Soviet Party" of Annan, a member of the "Economic Mutual Association", right?
After all, you can't expect a weak chicken like Philippine, right? In such a country, at best, it can only be regarded as a "poop stick" in the hands of the Americans. It is okay to take it out and slap it, but it is really hopeless to expect it to do something big.
In such a slightly contradictory mood, the White House has taken a cold treatment of China's actions in the South China Sea. It neither approves nor opposes it. It can be regarded as a wait and see.
Misu is sitting on the sidelines. Is this a good time for China?
Definitely, absolutely!
But the problem is that when the opportunity comes, you have to be able to grasp it.
In all fairness, the China Navy in 1988 still had considerable advantages when compared to those Southeast Asian countries around the South China Sea. The 051 "Lvda" class destroyers and 053 "Jianghu" class frigates in active service were not as powerful as the fleets of many naval forces. However, against the navies of countries such as Annan, Philippine, and Malay, which are only equipped with some old ships, they can still form a double crush in quantity and quality. The results of the 3.14 naval battle also proved this.
However, the shortcomings are also very obvious-air defense, air defense!
The failure of the "Haihongqi 61" ship-to-air missile to serve on schedule is a major shortcoming. This has caused the China Navy to lose an important barrier in the open sea where there is no shore-based aviation protection. Only some of the fleet can be used to protect the sky above. Artillery with anti-aircraft capabilities.
However, the role of anti-aircraft guns in modern air defense warfare is actually becoming less and less optimistic. Not to mention the limited shooting height and range, the accuracy is still poor, and it is not good to say that it belongs to "basic hits are based on Mongolia. ", (For specific battle examples, please refer to the so-called "Ten Thousand Cannons" anti-aircraft artillery tactics used by Ikra in the Gulf War. As for the results, hehe, everyone knows it?) Use such weapons to deal with the air defense of the entire fleet, It’s really scary-and this problem can only be improved even if the "Haihongqi 61" is in service on time. The maximum range of the "Haihongqi 61" missile is only 10 kilometers, and it does not have the ability to intercept small targets at high speeds. (That is, it cannot intercept the missiles fired by the enemy), which is more powerful than anti-aircraft guns.
But now, even this kind of limited weapons is not available on the Nansha fleet. The launchers are equipped with "trainer bombs", which can be launched and cannot be exploded, literally "paper tigers". .
Can you sing for one day or two days, how many months can you sing? Obviously it's impossible, it must be revealed, and you must not treat others as fools tactically.
However, the "Su-22" attack aircraft equipped by the Annan people can launch "KH28/29" missiles to attack our fleet "in line of sight, outside the defense circle" beyond the range of all China's air defense weapons!
You must know that the maximum range of the KH28 anti-radiation missile and KH29 anti-ship missile has reached 30 kilometers!
As the saying goes, "air defense, ten defenses and nine defenses", let alone an air defense that is passively beaten and cannot fight back!
The reason why China dared to use its sword and regained the entire Paracel Islands in one fell swoop was that the strategic environment at that time was favorable, and the second was that it had a certain degree of certainty in the air defense of the Paracel Islands—the Paracel Islands were so close, at least a large part of the islands and reefs were in Qiong. Within the combat radius of an island-based fighter, barely enough can be considered adequately protected.
But what about the Nansha Islands?
That's a distance of more than 1,000 kilometers. Regardless of whether it is a J-6, J-7, or a strong five, they are all short legs, and they can't fly with the auxiliary fuel tank. Don't even mention that you have to return to patrol the sea!
It is only 500 kilometers away from Annan, just within the combat radius of its "MiG 21" and "Su 22"!
"Hangliu" is enough-but you can't let "Hangliu" go patrol there alone, right? Without fighter escort, isn't the bomber flying over to deliver food?
In fact, this is one of the reasons why countries around the South China Sea dared to engage in large-scale invasion and occupation of islands and reefs there, and they bullied China's maritime long-distance air power projection ability.
At this time, if only an aircraft carrier passed by...
It is a pity that the Navy’s aircraft carrier dream has been in existence for many years, and so far, it is still in the dream stage.
China Capital.
The atmosphere in the naval combat command room has calmed down from the excitement of just learning about the great victory, and has become quite solemn. After everyone has assessed the possible actions of the Annan people and the strategies that the Nansha fleet can respond to, All find it extremely tricky.
It is one thing to see that the period of strategic opportunity is one thing, and whether it can be grasped is another thing. The strength lies here. If you continue to fight, the Annan people will be anxious. A dog jumps the wall, the fish die and the net is broken, and the air force is launched at any cost. Attacking the Nansha fleet on duty, then, not only is it possible to severely damage the fleet that has just won a big victory, but it is also more likely to lose the results it has already obtained. This is not just a matter of not worth the loss. It is not easy to lose it if you accidentally lose it. The several actual control strongholds established in the Nansha Islands mean that the cost of competing in the Nansha waters in the future has been lost. Is it to rely solely on the Tiantianzui gun of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs "since ancient times"?
What's the difference between that and the "Map Kaijiang" that the other side likes most?
After weighing it over and over again, Commander Liu could only sigh in his heart, nothing more, a bird in his hand is better than a flock of birds in the forest. It is better to keep the fruits of victory first.
He made a secret decision in his heart. He raised his head and looked at the pair of eyes full of desire to fight on the opposite side. He wanted to speak, but found that for a while, there was a bit of a word.
He is also a soldier!
But standing in his position is not just a soldier, he must stand in the strategic interests of the whole country to consider, and there are more gains and losses that need to be weighed!
A slightly hesitant voice suddenly sounded: "...Actually, we have fighters that can perform patrol missions over the Nansha Islands."
Commander Liu swallowed the words that had already reached his lips. He looked up and saw that it was HNA Deputy Commander Wang Xugong who was speaking. He was taken aback for a while, and then his heart suddenly moved.