PLA抓全球鷹？

PLA的翔龍

【Comment】

當無人會犧牲UAVs like the Global Hawk are rather expensive, they are also regarded as more expendable because they are unmanned是美方的資產時，但failing to defend these UAVs runs the risk of China viewing them as ‘fair game’ to shoot down whenever they please.

解放軍已經推出自己的無人偵察機時，美軍的全球之鷹到底被搞下來幾架？

美國無人機巡南海 中國電子干擾反擊○自由 (2015.05.24)

〔編譯周虹汶／綜合報導〕南海主權爭議因為美軍二十日大張旗鼓派遣P-8A「海神式」反潛巡邏機偵查南沙群島永暑礁、遭到中國八次以無線電喊話驅離而成為國際焦點，據《華盛頓自由燈塔》網站二十二日爆料，美軍「RQ-4全球之鷹（Global Hawk）」無人偵察機，也曾在南沙群島遭中國至少一次的電子干擾，企圖使無人偵察機任務失敗。

由於《華盛頓自由燈塔》的報導牽涉到無人機運作與電子偵搜的國防機密，美軍太平洋司令部（USPACOM）發言人希姆斯拒絕評論，不願證實中國是否對偵察南海的美國無人機進行電子戰，只強調美軍的確有好幾次碰到中國解放軍的詢問，但沒有一次因此改變任務；在爭議南海水域上空，美軍無人機也沒有任何一次遭到中國空中攔截。

「全球之鷹」為美國空軍最先進的長程高空無人機，駐紮在關島的安德森空軍基地，一次可出勤二十八小時，飛行距離達八千七百英里（一萬四千公里）、高度可抵六萬英尺（一萬八千公尺），單日偵察範圍則有四萬平方英里（約十萬平方公里）。

中國軍事出版品近年屢屢探討電子干擾無人機偵察策略，中國國務院直接管理的中國航天科工集團公司旗下期刊《航天電子對抗》一三年初更驚現〈「全球之鷹」及其對抗策略思考〉一文點出全球之鷹七大弱點，直言此類可躲避雷達探測的無人偵察機依賴人造衛星與相距遙遠的地面通訊站溝通，建議發動網路戰打擊、進而奪得控制權，透過干擾衛星通訊即可讓全球之鷹無法執行任務、只得打道回府。該文明確指出，全球之鷹易受電子干擾，故可藉此大大削弱其效能。

美國智庫「國際評估和戰略中心」專家費學禮（Rick Fisher）認為，為了制止美方軍機偵察飛行，中國可能攻擊無人機，讓它墜毀於淺海或駕機捉拿，以向美國施壓；全球之鷹等無人機雖造價昂貴，但此類事件不會導致人命損失，因此將被美國視為「可負擔」風險。但費學禮警告，美國應積極展現防衛態度與能力，以免美方無人機屆時遭中國恣意擊落。

拜登再批中國 製造南海緊張

美國副總統拜登二十二日在美國海軍軍官學校畢業典禮致詞時，特別指明中國在南海的行徑造成區域緊張對峙，為當今全球挑戰之一。他強調南海航行與飛越自由，建議各國應循和平解決方案解決爭議；他說美國無意偏袒任何一方，但中國正測試眾人底線。拜登重申美國當前亞太地區的「再平衡」外交政策，並重申美國海軍將在二○二○年前把六十％軍力部署於該區。

Chinese Military Using Jamming Against U.S. Drones○WFB (2015.05.22)

Global Hawk targeted over disputed South China Sea islands

China tried to electronically jam U.S. drone flights over the South China Sea in a bid to thwart spying on disputed island military construction, U.S. officials said.

Global Hawk long-range surveillance drones were targeted by the jamming in at least one incident near the disputed Spratly Islands, where China is building military facilities on Fiery Cross Reef.

Disclosure of the jamming came as a U.S. Navy P-8 surveillance flight on Wednesday was challenged eight times by the Chinese military to leave the same area.

“This is the Chinese navy … This is the Chinese navy … Please go away … to avoid misunderstanding,” a radio call in English from an installation on Firey Cross said. The warnings were reported by CNN, which had a reporter on the aircraft.

Later Thursday, the Navy released video revealing that the China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy sent several radio warning messages to the crew of the P-8 ordering the jet to leave the area, and to deviate from its flight path near Fiery Cross Reef.

A Navy officer aboard the militarized Boeing 737 aircraft is quoted on the video saying an airstrip under construction on Fiery Cross Reef is “hundreds of meters” long and was built on the reef in the past several months.

It was the first time operations by the P-8, a new surveillance aircraft that is armed with torpedoes, were disclosed by the Navy.

At the Pentagon, spokesman Col. Steve Warren said the United States does not recognize China’s sovereignty claims over the new islands and said P-8 aircraft and Navy ships have not gone within 12 miles of the islands. “That would be the next step,” Warren told reporters.  Asked about plans for transiting the close-in areas, Warren said: “We don’t have any announcement to make on next steps.  We are going to continue our routine flights.”

Details of the drone interference are classified.  A spokesman for the Hawaii-based Pacific Command and Pacific Air Force declined to comment on the jamming.

On the Chinese challenge of the P-8 flight, Pacific Command spokesman Capt. Chris Sims sought to play down the incident.
“There have been a number of times when these PACOM forces have been queried by [People’s Liberation Army] PLA forces, but we have continued on without altering our planned activities,” Sims said.

Regarding South China Sea drone flights, Sims said there were no Chinese aerial intercepts against U.S. unmanned aerial vehicles over the disputed waters that China is claiming as its maritime domain.  Sims said he cannot confirm jamming or electronic warfare reports, and would not elaborate in an email.

Pacific Air Forces spokeswoman Rebekah Clark declined to comment on Global Hawk surveillance flights near the Spratlys because of “operational security.”

The high-altitude drones are based at Anderson Air Force Base in Guam on a rotational basis.  “From Guam, the Global Hawk supports U.S. intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance priorities, operational plans, and contingency operations through the Pacific Theater,” Clark said.

The RQ-4 Global Hawk is the Air Force’s premier high-altitude, long-range surveillance drone that can fly remotely piloted missions, and missions that are programmed in advance, and can survey 40,000 square miles in a day.

The 47-foot long jet-powered drone has a range of 8,700 miles and can fly up to 60,000 feet in altitude. Its flying time is up to 28 hours.

Last week, David Shear, the assistant defense secretary for Asian and Pacific security affairs, said Global Hawks are deployed in Asia as one element of a buildup of forces near the South China Sea.

“We’re engaged in a long-term effort to bolster our capabilities in the region,” Shear told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.  “Just a few examples of the increases in our capabilities in the region include the deployment of Global Hawks and F-35s.  Soon we will be adding to the stock of V-22s in Japan as well.”

Shear said the Pentagon estimates that China will complete construction of an airfield on Fiery Cross Reef by 2017 or 2018.

A Navy littoral combat ship, the USS Fort Worth, earlier this month sailed near the Spratlys on what was dubbed a freedom of navigation mission.

A Navy press release about ship’s operations stated that the Fort Worth dispatched an unmanned Fire Scout helicopter drone and a manned helicopter during the cruise.  However, Sims, the Pacific Command spokesman, later said the Navy press release was incorrect and that the drone was not launched.  He provided no explanation for the error.

Chinese military writings have discussed using electronic means to disrupt drone surveillance.

A February 2013 technical article in the journal Aerospace Electronic Warfare revealed in detail how China’s military planned to detect and to counter Global Hawk surveillance flights, as well as RQ-170 drone operations. Both are radar-evading stealth surveillance drones.

“The American military has an advanced theater control network but it also has its vulnerabilities,” the article states.

“We can use network warfare to attack and even control America’s network,” the report says. “UAVs and ground stations are normally quite far apart and usually have to depend upon satellite communications.  As long as we can disrupt its satellite communications, drones will be unable to carry out missions and will have to return its base.”

The report said Global Hawk drones have seven vulnerabilities, including being open to electronic interference. Jamming “will greatly reduce the effectiveness of Global Hawk,” the article states.

Rick Fisher, a China military affairs analyst, said China could increase pressure on the United States to halt surveillance flights in Asia by first attacking one of the unmanned aircraft flights.

“Though UAVs like the Global Hawk are rather expensive, they are also regarded as more expendable because they are unmanned,” said Fisher, a senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center.

“But failing to defend these UAVs runs the risk of China viewing them as ‘fair game’ to shoot down whenever they please.”

Beijing also might attempt to capture a Global Hawk by causing one to crash in shallow water, or by attempting to snatch one in flight using a manned aircraft.

The United States should balance its unmanned high-altitude surveillance systems with high-altitude piloted aircraft that are better able to conduct evasive maneuvers and use defensive systems, Fisher said.

China has been building up new islands in the area, using special dredging ships that pump sand from underwater. According to U.S. officials, over the past several years, some 2,000 acres of islands have been reclaimed in the South China Sea.

Now China is building military facilities on the reclaimed land that will be used to exercise military control over what China is calling the Nine-Dash Line covering most of the South China Sea that Beijing claims as its maritime domain.

Those claims are disputed by Vietnam, the Philippines, and other states in the region.

“Last year was the time to start freedom of passage challenges as China was just starting to build its new military bases atop the global strategic economic arteries of the South China Sea,” Fisher said.

“Waiting until this year means that China will sooner have the tactical advantage of being able to put military forces on its new bases to challenge U.S. sorties into this region,” he added. “It is likely that by this fall, the People’s Liberation Army will be able to start placing weapons on these islands—radar plus anti-air and anti-ship missiles first, then PLA Navy J-11B air superiority fighters.”

Once the bases are set up, Fisher said the Chinese will use them to keep U.S. forces out of the region.

“China’s island building is a clear attempt to gain a dominant military position in this region,” Fisher said.

“In response the U.S. should be cooperating with … the Philippines, offering Philippines multiple squadrons of multirole fighters and offering them hundreds of ATACMS short range ballistic missiles able to blast China’s islands if China should attack Philippine assets.”

Fisher said only when U.S. and Philippines forces have the capability to destroy China’s new island bases will there be any chance that Beijing will consider reasonable behavior.