PLA releases electronic warfare ‘kill list’ for US carrier groups

A Chinese report has revealed a catalogue of US naval targets including radars and sensors to be attacked in any future conflict

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A Chinese report has revealed a list of US Navy targets that are likely to be hit in a potential electronic warfare scenario. Photo: AFP/US Navy

Published: 12:00pm, 16 Dec 2024

The People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) electronic warfare unit has produced a list of targets for a coordinated attack against US aircraft carrier strike groups.

In a potential conflict, these precisely labelled US military radars, sensors and communication systems are likely to take concentrated fire from China’s electronic warfare weapons, according to a researcher involved in the project.

This unprecedented revelation was made in the latest issue of Defence Industry Conversion in China, a magazine supervised by the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence. The publication aims to encourage civilian institutions and companies to participate in research on military technologies and weapon production.

“This information can provide references for the development of electronic countermeasures technology and related equipment in China’s future naval battlefields,” Mo Jiaqian, an electronic countermeasures expert with the PLA’s 92728 Unit, wrote in the report.

Her report delved into the workings and advantages of the US Navy’s Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) system, which is a vital component of the aircraft carrier fleet’s air defence and early warning network.

The system enables the entire fleet to share air defence resources, allowing ships to launch ship-to-air missiles for interception even if their own sensors do not detect an incoming target.