China’s ‘carrier-killer’ aimed at Trump’s armada
‘If Iran has supersonic capability to attack ships in the area,’ this is ‘a game-changer’
A game-changing arms deal between Iran and China risks sinking the United States’ Middle East policy. Reports have surfaced that Tehran is on the brink of buying state-of-the-art supersonic CM-302 cruise missiles or “carrier killers.”
The news broke ahead of US President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the largest armada of sea and air power in the region since the second Gulf War. It is a move designed to curtail Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
“If Iran has supersonic capability to attack ships in the area … [this is] a complete game-changer,” Danny Citrinowicz, a senior Iran researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies think tank, warned.
“These missiles are very difficult to intercept,” the former Israeli intelligence officer said, as reported by the Reuters news agency.
China does not want a pro-Western regime in Iran.
Danny Citrinowicz, Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies
Cruising for a bruising?
- The CM-302 can hit Mach 4 speeds, skimming over waves with a range of 180 miles or nearly 290 kilometers, even though it has yet to be tested in combat.
- Built by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, it can evade anti-missile defenses by zigzagging during its final approach to a target.
Delve deeper: “China does not want to see a pro-Western regime in Iran. That would be a threat to their interests. They are hoping that this regime will stay,” Citrinowicz told Reuters.
Between the lines: Trump has sent two carrier groups, headed by the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald R. Ford to the region. They are stacked with 150 strike aircraft, with a defensive cover of escorts, including cruise missile destroyers.
Big picture: “Still, US forces maintain layered defenses against Iranian threats, including Patriot missile batteries, Navy destroyers equipped with Standard Missile interceptors and F-35 stealth fighters,” Fox News Digital reported this week.
China Factor comment: Apart from Iran’s nuclear threat, up to 30,000 protesters could have been killed in demonstrations last month against the hard-line Islamic regime of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Propping up this despot has become a priority for China.