US military to integrate long-range anti-ship missile to fighter jets to counter Chinese war ships: Report

Beijing: The US military is set to integrate long-range ship attack missiles into its fleet of modern fighter jets to strengthen its ability to launch air assaults in a potential conflict with the Chinese military in the Indo-Pacific, according to a media report.

Citing a contract notice posted online by the US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), US defence news website The War Zone reported Tuesday that the US Navy was set to help integrate a variant of the AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) onto the F-16 Viper fighter.

In the notice posted on Monday, NAVAIR said it intended “to enter into sole source negotiations and subsequently award a cost-plus fixed fee delivery order to Lockheed Martin Corporation-Missiles Fire Control”, the South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday.

“The anticipated [delivery order] is for required integration and test support of the AGM-158C-1 missile on the F-16 aircraft platform,” the notice said.

The AGM-158C-1 is part of the AGM-158 Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile developed by Lockheed Martin and is the main version of the LRASM in production.

The stealth weapon has a range of 322km and features several advanced features, including autonomous route-planning supported by a suite of onboard electronic support measures that allows the missile to automatically alter its course in response to sudden threats, as well as better track its target via its radio-frequency emissions.

The integration of the LRASMs onto F-16s would likely boost the US Air Force’s anti-ship ability, the Post report said.

The notice comes as the US military has been expanding the number of the LRASM launch platforms in an effort to ramp up preparedness for a potential conflict in the Pacific, especially with China, which has the world’s largest navy fleet.

According to a Pentagon report on China’s military and security development published in December, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy has a battle force of more than 370 ships and submarines, including more than 140 major combat vessels.

The US is concerned about China’s Dongfeng-21D missile, the anti-ship ballistic missile described as the "carrier killer” as American defence officials say it can blow up aircraft carriers from a distance of about 1,500 km to 1,700 kms.

The US military has been expanding its air-launched anti-ship capabilities and its capacity to prepare for a potential conflict with China in the Pacific, as concerns have grown about US munition stockpiles and naval ship building abilities amid a widening production gap with China.

Anti-ship capabilities could see an outsize role in a potential war in the Asia-Pacific over speculation that Beijing could launch an attack across the Taiwan Strait, the Post report said.

One scenario would see the PLA Navy sail past the first island chain towards the Philippine Sea and the strategically important eastern side of Taiwan.

Denying the Chinese military access to the Pacific Ocean through this route would be a significant factor in determining the outcome of such a conflict, it said.

China asserts Taiwan is part of its mainland and vows to reunite the estranged island by force, if necessary.

While not recognising Taiwan as an independent state, the US has been asserting that it is opposed to any attempt to take it by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons for defence.