Recently, the high-profile "War Zone" column revealed the interesting news that China is suspected to be intensively collecting valuable data on the fierce battles between the US Navy and the Houthis. The U.S. Navy destroyer and the F A-18E F Super Hornet fighter jets joined forces to successfully shoot down numerous cruise missiles and ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis, and dozens of drones broke their wings in the battle.
For the U.S. Navy, this battle is not only a severe test, but also a rare accumulation of actual combat data. Every moment of engagement, every interception, provides valuable nutrients for the continuous evolution of the Aegis combat system. These data, like the codes of war, will be carefully studied and analyzed in depth in order to exert greater power on the battlefields of the future.
Imagine what kind of sparks will be sparked when these precious combat data collide and blend with data from simulation exercises, war games, daily training, and exercises? Undoubtedly, this will provide strong support for the Navy's software optimization, sensor upgrades, and sailor training. Especially at present, with the rapid expansion of the Navy's electronic warfare capabilities, the performance evaluation of various electronic warfare "soft kill" systems on these ships will become more and more important.
However, this battle far to the East does not seem to have escaped China's eyes. The U.S. military base in Djibouti is like a shining pearl embedded in the southern passage of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, just a stone's throw from the coast of Yemen. China's sea boats, on the other hand, are like ghosts cruising in the region, always paying attention to the changes in the war situation. Manned aircraft, drones, and space-based systems form a three-dimensional network for China to gather critical intelligence.
For China, being able to get a close-up look at the actual combat practices of the U.S. Navy and its allies is undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But the question is: Is this offensive and defensive war between the Houthis and the US really worthy of China's attention?
The anti-ship ballistic missiles used by the Houthis, although based on the anti-ship version of Iran's Conqueror 313 missile, have a maximum range of 450 kilometers and a flight speed of Mach 4, but they have a relatively short range, slower flight speed, and limited number of equipment. In a thrilling encounter passing through the 150-kilometer sea area around Yemen, the US container ship "Gibraltar Eagle" successfully repelled a Houthi missile attack, but the cargo hold was still damaged. Such a low-end anti-ship ballistic missile offensive and defensive war does not seem to pose much of a threat to China.
Similarly, the anti-ship cruise missiles used by the Houthis are subsonic cruise missiles with relatively backward technology. Although the Mandad-2 missile with a range of 300 kilometers was later supplied by Iran, its number was still limited and roughly equivalent to the Soviet-era Styx missile or China's Upstream 1 anti-ship missile. Therefore, such low-tech anti-ship cruise missiles did not put too much pressure on China.
As for the drones possessed by the Houthis, both in quantity and quality, they look rather shabby. Among them, UAVs such as the Sahed-136 are quite limited in the number of launches, penetration capabilities and anti-jamming capabilities. For China, dealing with this low-end drone threat does not seem to be a difficult problem.
Therefore, although the Battle of Tongling shows the confrontation between Iran and the United States, it does not predict the future form of war between major powers. The Chinese side may collect data on the engagement between the US military and the Houthis, but this does not mean that these data are highly valuable. After all, we need to prepare for a high-end war, not a low-cost war of attrition in the style of the Houthis. In the chess game of this war, China needs to maintain a clear head and firm strategic determination to cope with more complex and volatile challenges in the future.