🛡️ NATO Upgrades Required
🔹 🛰️ Aegis Combat System Overhaul → 💰 $4.2B
- China’s Type 346B “Dragon Eye” radar rivals or exceeds legacy SPY-1—forcing NATO to accelerate SPY-6 deployment.
- New electronic warfare (EW) countermeasures required to defend against HHQ-9B surface-to-air missiles (200+ km reach).
🔹 🚢 More Carrier Strike Group Patrols → 💰 $300M/month (~$3.6B/year)
- U.S., UK, French navies must surge patrols in the Mediterranean, Arctic, and North Atlantic to deter Russian Type 055-led groups.
- Estimated 100+ additional operational days per carrier, raising costs in fuel, maintenance, and personnel.
🌍 Secondary Financial Domino Effects
🔹 🛩️ Air Force Readiness Spike → 💰 $2.1B/year
- Increased F-35 and P-8 patrols to counter YJ-21 hypersonic missile threats from upgraded Russian vessels.
- Requires more AWACS and tanker support for persistent surveillance.
🔹 🛠️ Port & Infrastructure Hardening → 💰 $1.5B
- Fortify Baltic, Black Sea, and Arctic ports against long-range cruise missile attacks.
- Install new Arctic radar arrays (Norway, Greenland, Canadian Arctic).
🔹 💻 Cyber/Electronic Warfare Arms Race → 💰 $800M/year
- Defend against Sino-Russian integrated sensor networks.
- Invest in anti-drone, GPS jamming, and AI-enhanced threat detection for NATO surface fleets.
