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<JournalTitle>ELECTRONIC JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES</JournalTitle>
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<Volume-Issue>Volume 7 Special Issue 1</Volume-Issue>
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<IssueTopic>Multidisciplinary</IssueTopic>
<IssueLanguage>English</IssueLanguage>
<Season>July 2026</Season>
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<IssueOA>Y</IssueOA>
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<Year>2026</Year>
<Month>07</Month>
<Day>31</Day>
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<ArticleType>Strategic Studies</ArticleType>
<ArticleTitle>India__ampersandsignrsquo;s Long-Range Anti-Ship Hypersonic Missile (LR-AShM) and Naval Warfare: Sea Denial Strategy against PLAN__ampersandsignrsquo;s Carrier Operations in the IOR</ArticleTitle>
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<ArticleLanguage>English</ArticleLanguage>
<ArticleOA>Y</ArticleOA>
<FirstPage>36</FirstPage>
<LastPage>60</LastPage>
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<Author>
<FirstName>Bill Christopher</FirstName>
<LastName>Arputharaj</LastName>
<AuthorLanguage>English</AuthorLanguage>
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<CorrespondingAuthor>N</CorrespondingAuthor>
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<DOI>10.47362/EJSSS.2026.SP7102 </DOI>
<Abstract>China__ampersandsignrsquo;s deployment and modernisation of carrier operations, which include the Liaoning, Shandong, and Fujian carriers, pose a direct threat to India__ampersandsignrsquo;s maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). India__ampersandsignrsquo;s Long Range Anti-Ship Hypersonic Missile (LR-AShM), with a reported speed of Mach 10, has the potential to strengthen India__ampersandsignrsquo;s sea-denial capability through its boost-glide manoeuvrability for low-altitude terminal homing. No existing literature examines the strategic implications of LR-AShM for the operations of People__ampersandsignrsquo;s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) carriers in the IOR after serial production in October 2025 and public unveiling on Republic Day 2026. The study examines how the LR-AShM can affect the PLAN carrier operations and the sea denial strategies of India in the IOR.
This study explores the impact of India__ampersandsignrsquo;s LR-AShM capabilities against Chinese carrier operations in the IOR by utilising a qualitative research design. The primary government reports and secondary sources were obtained on LR-AShM and the carrier operations in China. Thematic content analysis through data triangulation measures the IOR dynamics on sea denial.
Findings indicate that the LR-AShM Mach 10 speed, boost-glide trajectory, 1500 km range, and skip-glide manoeuvres constrain PLAN carrier operations in IOR theatres and force projection in response to Liaoning/Shandong-class vulnerabilities. The study recommends the integration of LR-AShM into the Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) networks of the Indian Navy, the expansion of Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR) exchange with the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) partners, the conduct of maritime exercises, and maritime CBMs with China to control escalation risk in IOR.</Abstract>
<AbstractLanguage>English</AbstractLanguage>
<Keywords>LR-AShM, Hypersonic Missiles, Sea Denial, PLAN carriers, Indian Ocean Region (IOR), Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD), boost-glide trajectory, strategic deterrence.</Keywords>
<URLs>
<Abstract>https://ejsss.net.in/ubijournal-v1copy/journals/abstract.php?article_id=16308&title=India__ampersandsignrsquo;s Long-Range Anti-Ship Hypersonic Missile (LR-AShM) and Naval Warfare: Sea Denial Strategy against PLAN__ampersandsignrsquo;s Carrier Operations in the IOR</Abstract>
</URLs>
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