During the recent India-Pakistan war, Islamabad demonstrated the efficiency of the Chinese “kill web.” Now, even the US defense officials have raised ‘alarm’ over the potency of the Chinese ‘kill web’ and its use in a potential invasion of Taiwan.
The ‘kill web’ is a military concept that involves integrating ground, air, sea, cyber, and space-based sensors, platforms, weapons, and decision-makers into a unified command and control structure to deliver rapid and precise kinetic (and non-kinetic) effects.
During a recent Senate subcommittee hearing, the US Air Force (USAF) and the Space Force warned against China’s growing competence in developing a multi-domain ‘kill web’ and the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities, adding that the US Department of Defense’s (DoD) budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China.
US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman addressed lawmakers, highlighting China’s expanding military capabilities in surveillance, missile force, and in the nuclear domain. They attended the US Senate subcommittee hearing to discuss next year’s defense budget.
According to the Taipei Times, Saltzman said that China’s development of a “kill web” is most concerning, as it enables the PLA to track US joint forces and operations from a long distance.
Notably, Saltzman has also warned against China’s “kill web” in March last year.
According to Saltzman, China has already launched more than 470 intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance satellites, “which are feeding information into a powerful sensor-to-shooter kill web.”
This type of ‘kill web’ integrates sensor and shooter in a unified chain, enabling rapid decision-making, data sharing, and automation.
“This capability is not just a sensor network,” Saltzman stated. “It’s a system that compresses the decision-action cycle to seconds, creating a dangerous edge in any conflict scenario.”
Notably, the world has already seen the efficiency of such a ‘kill web’ in the recent India-Pakistan war in May this year.
China’s Kill Chain In The India-Pakistan War
During the recent India-Pakistan war, Islamabad has claimed to have shot down as many as six Indian fighter jets on the night of May 6/7, including three Rafale jets.
While India has acknowledged combat losses on the night of May 6/7, New Delhi has not provided any details on the number or type of aircraft lost.
However, irrespective of the number, India has accepted that it lost some aircraft that night.
In the aftermath of the air battle, military analysts from all over the world were debating how the Pakistan Air Force, largely dependent on Chinese fighter jets, was able to shoot down Indian fighter jets, which included advanced aircraft such as Rafales, Su-30 MKIs, and Mirage-2000s.
Many experts pointed to Pakistan’s superior ‘kill chain,’ built with the help of Chinese platforms and space assets.
Speaking on a podcast, Michael Dahm, a senior fellow at AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and expert on Chinese military affairs, said that the effectiveness of the ‘kill chain’ may have been more important than the capabilities of the specific fighters.
“I don’t think this really tells us anything about how good the J-10 is compared to the Rafale, or how good the Chinese technology is compared to the Western tech,” Dahm said.
He pointed out an article in the China Space News, a Chinese defense industry magazine. The article said the “Pakistan Air Force deployed – ‘Locked by A, Launched by B, and Guided by C’ combat system.”
So, Pakistan integrated ground radars, fighter jets, and Airborne Early Warning aircraft.
The ‘kill chain,’ Dahm said, may have started with a ground radar, which illuminated the Indian target. Then, the J-10 launched its missile, probably at a range, and finally, an Airborne Early Warning aircraft used a midcourse datalink to update and guide the missile to the Indian fighter.
Separately, writing for The Telegraph, Islamabad-based foreign correspondent Memphis Barker suggested that the Rafale was downed by Chinese air warfare doctrine.
On May 6, the Indian fighter jets were met with “Chinese J-10C fighters… PL-15 missiles, and Erieye radars, linking every shooter into a single deadly nervous system. What India saw was not just Pakistani pilots—it was China’s entire air warfare doctrine.”
“The Pakistani Air Force, aided by Chinese targeting satellites and AWACS, executed a sensor-fusion kill. The Rafales never got a lock, never even saw their adversary. When the missiles hit, it was already over.”
Barker suggested that the Chinese satellites, Saab Erieye AWACS patrolling silently, J-10C fighters flying in passive mode, PL-15 missiles, and sensors linking them all, created a “lethal kill chain.” “The Rafale didn’t even know it was targeted until the missile was 50 km away.”
According to these theories, if Pakistani claims are correct and a Rafale was indeed shot down, then it was not due to some weakness in the Rafale or a lack of training or pilot skills on the Indian side, but rather because Pakistan has created a much better ‘system of systems,’ a more efficient networked force where all platforms are integrated and communicate with each other, and a more effective ‘kill chain.’
Now, it seems that even US military officials are taking note of this ‘Kill chain.’
US Investing In Nuclear Forces, F-47, B-21 Raider For China Challenge
Air Force Secretary Troy E. Meink stated that to defend the homeland, the department is modernizing its nuclear forces and nuclear command, control, and communications systems.
“Nuclear forces are being upgraded with the development of the LG-35A Sentinel, an intercontinental ballistic missile system, which will replace the LGM-30G Minuteman III ICBMs. The other leg of the triad being developed is the B-21 Raider stealth bomber, which is capable of delivering conventional and nuclear munitions,” Meink said.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin said that in addition to the importance of the nuclear triad modernization, other efforts include the development of the F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance fighter jet — designed to replace the F-22 Raptor — revitalizing the B-52 Stratofortress bomber fleet and upgrading the F-35 Lightning II and F-15 Eagle fighter aircraft.
“These systems will anchor our strategic deterrent for decades,” he said.
Further, Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, told the Senate committee that the space domain is critical to U.S. economic prosperity and national security.
“In the past three years, the Space Force has been asked to take on critical new missions like ground and air moving target indications, adding new space control capabilities, advanced training requirements, and a threefold increase in launch tempo at our national spaceports,” Saltzman said.
The newest mission set is the space-based technology development associated with the “Golden Dome” program.
“These are not modernization efforts or shifts from legacy missions. They represent new requirements for missions that have never been accomplished by military space organizations,” Saltzman said.
- Sumit Ahlawat has over a decade of experience in news media. He has worked with Press Trust of India, Times Now, Zee News, Economic Times, and Microsoft News. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Media and Modern History from the University of Sheffield, UK.
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