In highly complex system with many moving parts like the PLA AntiShip Ballistic Missile kill chain, the coordination between the satellite detection and missile firing solution is critical for their success rate and has to be extensively engineered and automated.
There are 3 types of Satellites that could be able to provide targeting data for AntiShip ballistic missiles
- High Resolution Imaging Satellite in LEO Lower Earth Orbit
- High Resolution SAR Synthetic Apeature Radar satellite in LEO Lower Earth Orbit
- Extreme High Resolution Imaging satellite in GEO Geo Sychronous Orbit
GEO Geo Sychronous Orbit imaging satellites like the GAOFEN4 of China can provide persistant monitoring over the same earth region that allowing tracking of large moving vessile like the Aircraft Carrier.
However, the GaoFen4 is positioning at 34,000 km away from earth so its resolution with a large telescope is only at 30 meter per pixel. So US Carrier with length of 300 meter only appears as a 10 pixel mark from space.
GEO satellites like GaoFen4 also can not take picture of the Ocean surface under the highly cloudy condition. The Aircraft Carrier will stay undetected from GaoFen4 or other GEO Imaging Satellite when there is cloud cover.
LEO satellites travel at only 300-500 km altitude over earth surface can take much higher resolution picture with typical LEO Google Earth image can achive 30cm resolution with clear view of even what types of Aircrafts parking on the Aircraft Carrier.
While LEO satellites can take much higher resolution, its can only stare over the same earth area for few minutes before the LEO satellites with its high speed relative to earth rotation will travel out of view.
So 1 single LEO satellite only can provide Detection data and Tracking for few minutes.
After the few minutes passing over the Aircraft Carrier, the LEO satellite can no longer provide realtime tracking data of the exact position of Air Carrier moving at 30 knots.
LEO Imaging Satellites like other recon platform flying over earth atmosphere will also not able to provide targeting data under highly cloudy condition.
One will need a constellation of 300 SAR Synthetic Apature Radar satellites to provide real-time all weather Radar Imaging tracking of Aircraft Carrier for few hours a day.
Currently there are two pionnering SAR satellite systems, ICEYE from Finland and the YaoGan from China, each has 30-40 satellites in their constellation. With these satellite counts of only 40s, ICEYE and YAOGAN will be able to detect Aircraft Carrier and even identify Aircraft on deck Day or Night during any weather condition.
However before ICEYE or YAOGAN can deploy 300s SAR satellite in orbit, only AntiShip Ballistic missiles with Radar Homing during Terminal phase can target and potentially hit a moving Aircraft Carrier. Radar Homing AntiShip Ballistic missiles could be jammed by Electronic Warfare suites on Destroyers or Aircrafts that results in misses or intercepted by AntiRadiation interceptors.
A combination of Imaging and Radar is needed to overcome Jammer. The missiles will also need to travel fast enough to overcome interceptors but slow enough so it does not create a Plasma Shield at the tip of the missile that makes its Homing Radar becoming inaccurate. Mach3-Mach5 is a the sweat spot that right above Interception threshold and right below Plasma Shield threshold.
When there are 300 plus SAR satellites in orbit, LEO SAR imaging satellite constellation can have real time tracking and even predictive travel path. A GPS/INS only Hypersonic Missile can just pin in the Predictive GPS coordinate from the SAR Satellite computer and hit the target accurately without emiting Radar signal that is vulnerable to Jammers and Anti Radition interceptors.
300 plus SAR satellites will provide Multi-Hours long targeting window with Real-time All-Weather tracking allowing AntiShip Hypersonic Ballistic missile batteries to hit Moving Aircraft Carrier 1000s of KM away. Combing targeting data from SAR satellite constellation and Submarine launched Hypersonic Cruise missiles like the Brahmos could also potentially break through the Carrier protective layers.