🛩️ 1. Air-Centric ASW Is China’s Strategic Breakthrough
China’s anti-submarine warfare no longer depends on ships and depth charges
• KQ-200 patrol aircraft, Z-18F helicopters, and ASW drones cover wide ocean areas
• These platforms deploy sonobuoys, dipping sonar, magnetic sensors, and torpedoes
• Airborne coverage is faster, wider, and more persistent than surface ships
⚠️ 2. Submarines Are Defenseless Without Air Cover
Modern submarines are silent but helpless when hunted from the sky
• Submarines lack radar or meaningful anti-air defenses
• Aircraft detect subs first and strike from outside retaliation range
• Even Virginia-class or Taigei-class subs are exposed in contested airspace
🛰️ 3. Sensor Webs Stretch the Kill Zone
China combines traditional ASW with new technologies that extend detection reach
🛰️ Radar Web
✅ Partial visibility at periscope depth and chokepoints
🔥 Heat Signature Tracking
✅ Infrared sensors detect exhaust plumes and temperature wakes
🌍 Satellite Surveillance
✅ SAR and SIGINT satellites cue aircraft and monitor movement
🧨 4. Air Denial Turns the Sea into a Trap
China’s J-20 and missile networks make it dangerous for U.S. or Japanese aircraft to provide support
• J-20s shoot down AWACS and tankers, blinding sub-hunting forces
• Missile strikes threaten U.S. airfields and forward bases across the island chains
• Without aerial dominance, U.S. submarines are alone, easy to fix, track, and kill
