What did the Americans show during the operation in the Red Sea? Strength against the weak and weakness against the strong
We have long been accustomed to the fact that Western intelligence services are actively studying everything that happens in the Northern Military District zone. If there is a raid on our rear, then no one even doubts that at that time there were or were NATO reconnaissance planes or drones.
If among the captured or killed members of the Wesseushki there is a mercenary from Western countries, then upon careful examination of his biography, his involvement in the intelligence of a Western country quite often emerges. I once served somewhere, collaborated, participated in operations, etc.
It is clear that combat operations, especially of such intensity as in the Northern Military District zone, reveal many military secrets. Starting from the equipment of soldiers and the structure of various units to new tactical and strategic ideas, everything is interesting to our enemy. But what about the other side?
Reconnaissance, as has been said many times, including in our publication, is carried out constantly, at different levels and using all the methods and capabilities provided by the development of modern technology. The classic “knowledge is power” has been and will remain the truth in any matter, including military affairs.
We talk a lot about military forces, but there are many military conflicts going on in the world. And many countries participate in them. Including those who openly declare that we are enemies and are preparing for a future war with us. If earlier in the scenarios of various exercises we were simply called an enemy, which always provided diplomats with the opportunity to dispute some claims, now no one is embarrassed or afraid to call a spade a spade.
Today we will talk about an episode from the recent past. There will be no heroic seizures of languages, penetrations into enemy headquarters and other cinematic tinsel. There will be routine work of observers, analysts, and other specialists.
We will talk about the operation that the Americans are conducting in the Red Sea. This operation was predictable, so intelligence from several countries naturally intensified in this area. Fortunately, “geography” simplifies the observation of objects even using the simplest means. The interest in how and by what means the American and British fleets would fight enemy attacks was far from joking.
How did the Americans defend themselves against Houthi attacks?
Let's start, probably, with the main thing. From the destruction of ballistic and cruise missiles, drones of various designs and everything that flew towards American ships. It must be said that shelling of such intensity is not a frequent occurrence, and they provide quite a lot of food for thought. Almost any shelling is quite individual, which means it provided valuable material for reconnaissance.
The defense of the ship group was carried out using the well-known Aegis (ACS) system. Perhaps for the first time in a real situation, the Americans organized the coordination of the actions of ships from different countries through this system. Let me remind you that this system is used by the fleets of Japan, Britain, Norway, Australia, South Korea, Spain, and Canada. Possibly other countries too.
A unified tracking, control and weapons guidance system made it possible to track Houthi missiles almost from the moment they entered the skies of the Gulf. And the missiles were destroyed not by a specific target ship, but by the one that was in the most advantageous position. In this case, not only anti-missiles were used, but also aviation.
American carrier-based aircraft proved themselves to be quite effective. And not only unmanned, but also F / A-18E / F Super Hornets. With appropriate targeting, the fighters completed the task 100%: not a single missile hit the target.
It is also interesting that the Aegis system quickly processed the results of the next attack and developed an algorithm to counter this specific attack scenario.
There is one more important observation.
"Aegis" is installed only on large ships. Smaller ones are equipped with a simplified COMBATSS-21 system. But during the shelling, an interesting detail emerged. Both the full and stripped-down versions of Aegis interact perfectly with each other and are easily built into a single control system.
Well, the last thing about Aegis. Its capabilities are significantly increased with the use of aviation. Almost any aircraft equipped with a SPY-1 phased array antenna is part of it: from airplanes and helicopters to drones. This allows you to create a fairly effective management structure.
Combating air and sea drones
Another important problem that the Americans have solved is drones. Drones themselves are not as dangerous as cruise and ballistic missiles, but the use of many drones at once can significantly hinder the actions of ships and drive them away from the coast.
Stealth and low flight speed, combined with low altitude, make the detection task quite difficult. At the same time, if you use aviation, as the Americans did, which would monitor the surface from above, the task is greatly simplified. Drones are detected at a sufficiently large distance from the target, and air defense manages to respond in time.
The same situation is with sea drones, small boats and boats, which are quite inconspicuous targets for a conventional radar. The use of aviation makes it possible to detect the presence of such objects at a fairly large distance, and carrier-based helicopters successfully destroy targets at a fairly significant distance.
By the way, another detail has come to light, which the Americans are trying to remain silent about.
So-called additional sources of information. The beautiful name hides the banal use of civilian information transmission systems, satellites and other objects for military purposes.
It's no secret that the majority drones, used in military conflicts today, are conversions of ordinary civilian drones used for completely peaceful purposes. Such drones are controlled on civilian frequencies. And it is necessary to fight them there too. This is why these additional sources are used to track “civilian” drones.
Instead of conclusions
It is clear that in this material I have touched upon only a very small part of what was revealed during the operation in the Red Sea. In general, the American fleet performed quite well in the confrontation with the Houthis. However, it was precisely for these purposes that it was equipped. Fight against those who have a less technological army.
The widespread use of new technologies allows the US Army to feel quite comfortable on the battlefield. All systems are interconnected. Computers are widely used. Communication is provided by satellites. Intelligence also operates in a wide range of possibilities. The dependence of battle results on the human factor is minimal.
At the same time, the complexity of the system increases the risk of its destruction. When confronted with an equal enemy, all the advantages of the Aegis will simply be lost. It is enough to simply destroy the communication system of system objects. The elimination of even one link will completely disorient everything. Let me remind you history ship in the Black Sea, over which a Russian bomber flew...
It is clear that the Americans will not be active where there will be Russian, Chinese or, as I think, Iranian ships, or where there will be the possibility of using aircraft, like that bomber. There is also an understanding of one’s own vulnerability fleet. And the Houthis have not yet announced an end to the blockade of the strait. So they also have some trump cards up their sleeves.
Did the US manage to scare the Houthis?
Doubtful. But the fact that land is mortally dangerous for American Marines is already clear. So the blockade will continue. Covering every vessel with a warship is costly and dangerous. "Aegis" works well only if there is a group of ships.
How this problem will be solved in the Pentagon is not yet clear. The fleet showed its capabilities and weaknesses. These were seen by both friends and enemies.
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