China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

All threads that are locked or marked for deletion will be moved to this forum. The topics will be cleared from this archive on the 1st and 16th of each month.
Locked
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by Singha »

I have posted on the C919 in the economic forum. its not a military plane unless you add a bomb bay or external pylons.

no doubt in future it could be a mil plane.
Philip
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21538
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: India

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by Philip »

Ck the link for pics of weaponry.

://news.usni.org/2015/10/27/chinas-military-built-with-cloned-weapons?utm_source=USNI+News&utm_campaign=008c5739a0-USNI_NEWS_DAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0dd4a1450b-008c5739a0-230405477&mc_cid=008c5739a0&mc_eid=234c8f82d4
China’s Military Built with Cloned Weapons

By: US Naval Institute Staff
October 27, 2015

Historically, China has been a great innovator contributing inventions such as gunpowder, paper and the compass to human advancement. However, China has earned an international reputation in recent decades as being the home of a prolific copycat culture.

The Chinese have become proficient at cloning products ranging from designer handbags and the latest smartphones to movies and alcoholic beverages. Fake Apple stores, counterfeit KFC restaurants and imitation IKEA big-box outlets dot the Chinese landscape. They have even built entire replica European towns.

Some Western observers believe this cultural attitude towards imitation is rooted in Confucianism where followers traditionally learned by replicating masterworks and then tried to improve upon them.

20b Nike fake credit meckleychina flickr
Chinese reinterpretation of Nike sandals, Logo

The fact that the Chinese commonly refer to today’s imitation products as “Shanzhai” indicates that they recognize the dubious nature of the current practice. The term “Shanzhai” translates to “mountain stronghold” and was originally applied to pirate factories producing counterfeit goods in remote areas beyond the reach of regulatory control.

The copycat business is no longer restricted to outlying lawless regions. It has entered the mainstream and been embraced by government officials who seem content to allow other nations to develop products and technology which they can then acquire legitimately through licensing or illegitimately through counterfeiting and espionage. This approach allows China to stay competitive on the world stage while saving them the time and money it would cost to develop their own products.

An industry in which Chinese cloning has excelled to a disconcerting degree is the manufacture of weapon systems. China’s expanding military and growing assertiveness has been bolstered by weapons cloned from the arsenals of other countries. Bleeding edge U.S. aircraft including the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and Northrop Grumman X-47B unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) have Chinese counterparts that are remarkably similar. Some of the technology used in these designs was almost certainly acquired through a vigorous Chinese cyber spying campaign.

U.S. Defense officials have stated that Chinese military hackers undertaking “technical reconnaissance” have succeeded in pilfering highly classified technical documents on a number of occasions. The sensitive technical data that is known to have been compromised is now evident in the latest versions of several Chinese weapons.

Officials also suspect that China has managed to obtain valuable technical advances by making backroom deals with U.S. allies that bought American weapons. It is for this reason that the U.S. decided not to export the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor stealth fighter.

It is not only American weapon designs and technology that have been stolen and replicated by the Chinese. Russia has at times served as China’s unwitting research and development department. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia was in need of money and held a fire sale of its state of the art Sukhoi Su-27 fighter. China bought two dozen of the fighters but later negotiated for a license to assemble additional planes domestically using key components imported from Russia. Within a few years China claimed that the fighter no longer met their needs and canceled the contract. To the fury of the Russians, the Chinese soon debuted the indigenously built and equipped Shenyang J-11B fighter that looks identical to the Su-27.

Russia continued to use Chinese money from arms sales to develop new technology, which China then stole. After several deals in which the Chinese quickly reversed engineered Russian weapons to produce their own versions, Russia finally wised up and began to reject Chinese requests to purchase single examples of their most advanced systems on a “trial” basis.

To add salt to Russia’s wounds, China is now exporting knockoff weapons to the international market and undercutting Russia’s own arms trade in the process. But like a counterfeit Louis Vuitton handbag with a faulty zipper, Chinese clone weapons may be more style over performance.

“I think the big issue with all Chinese weapons – including copies of Western equipment – is that they remain untested in combat,” Eric Wertheim author of U.S. Naval Institute’s Combat Fleets of the World and a naval analyst said.
“We just don’t know how they will perform, so while they may be far less expensive than their western counterparts, many countries are understandably reluctant to take the risk of acquiring products that haven’t passed the ultimate test of combat. I expect that some of these systems are likely to perform as advertised while others may significantly underperform compared to their western counterparts.”

Although Chinese clone weapons may not yet posses the quality and capabilities of the originals, several U.S. military and industry officials have expressed concern that the ongoing sophisticated cyber espionage campaign will allow China to rapidly improve their arsenal and even soon produce aircraft that will match all aspects of US fifth generation fighters like the F-22 and F-35.

These examples illustrate the extent to which the Chinese military has relied upon weapons developed by other nations:
ramana
Forum Moderator
Posts: 59773
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by ramana »

Singha wrote:I have posted on the C919 in the economic forum. its not a military plane unless you add a bomb bay or external pylons.

no doubt in future it could be a mil plane.

I does have military infrastructure implications: aero, industrial capability etc.
Austin
BRF Oldie
Posts: 23387
Joined: 23 Jul 2000 11:31

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by Austin »

China's search for jet engine know-how continues in Ukraine
Reuben F Johnson, Kiev - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
03 November 2015

http://www.janes.com/article/55757/chin ... in-ukraine
Several events over the past month indicated that China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) is continuing to aggressively look abroad for sources of propulsion technology, most obviously in Ukraine.

Ukraine's Ivchenko-Progress design bureau and Motor Sich production plant, based in Zaparozhye, have had active aero-engine programmes with the PLA, supplying the AI-222-25 engine for the Hongdu L-15 jet trainer and the VK-2500 variant of the Klimov TV3-117 that powers the Mil Mi-17 helicopter. The success of this partnership has prompted Chinese planners to solicit the Ukrainian companies' assistance in setting up an engine production line in China. This arrangement was reported to be in discussion in September and was being negotiated between the Ukrainians and Beijing Skyrizon Aviation Industry Investment Company.
Philip
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21538
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: India

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by Philip »

"Beg,borrow or steal",is the Chinese motto.The world should wake upto this incredible unchecked campaign of brigandry by China and inflict upon it severe eco sanctions.India too must "customise" heavy duties on all Chinese goods,ban fireworks,etc.The old slogan,"be Indian buy Indian" should be brought back.As far as poss. Indian goods first,Chinese goods never!

What China's brigandry has done though is to have leapfrogged 2+ decades of expensive R&D. The tragedy with us is that even when we've been given TOT,some of our DPSUs cannot absorb the etch completely,why the MKI prod. dates are behind schedule and why Dassault had reservations about HAL. Indian pvt. industry must be given a free hand and large orders so that pvt. industry can make up for the shortfalls of the DPSUs.
member_28756
BRFite
Posts: 240
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by member_28756 »

Austin wrote:China's search for jet engine know-how continues in Ukraine
Reuben F Johnson, Kiev - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
03 November 2015

http://www.janes.com/article/55757/chin ... in-ukraine
Several events over the past month indicated that China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) is continuing to aggressively look abroad for sources of propulsion technology, most obviously in Ukraine.

Ukraine's Ivchenko-Progress design bureau and Motor Sich production plant, based in Zaparozhye, have had active aero-engine programmes with the PLA, supplying the AI-222-25 engine for the Hongdu L-15 jet trainer and the VK-2500 variant of the Klimov TV3-117 that powers the Mil Mi-17 helicopter. The success of this partnership has prompted Chinese planners to solicit the Ukrainian companies' assistance in setting up an engine production line in China. This arrangement was reported to be in discussion in September and was being negotiated between the Ukrainians and Beijing Skyrizon Aviation Industry Investment Company.
The Ukrainians are already supplying the AI-222-25 engines to Hongdu perhaps the war has effected the production over there. Why else would they transfer production to China.
Khalsa
BRFite
Posts: 1769
Joined: 12 Nov 2000 12:31
Location: NZL

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by Khalsa »

Phillip tell your Ukaranian cousies not to transfer tech :D
NRao
BRF Oldie
Posts: 19226
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: Illini Nation

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by NRao »

The Ukrainians are already supplying the AI-222-25 engines to Hongdu perhaps the war has effected the production over there. Why else would they transfer production to China.
These are small engines.

There is a report, in the past few days, from a chinese outlet claiming that Russia and China are on track to make the 117S (do not know what "make" means). Also the S-400 is on the table for purchase, so they claim. 2 Lada subs too.
DavidD
BRFite
Posts: 1048
Joined: 23 Jun 2010 04:08

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by DavidD »

Singha wrote:I have posted on the C919 in the economic forum. its not a military plane unless you add a bomb bay or external pylons.

no doubt in future it could be a mil plane.
Not necessarily, could be used for military transport or AWACS for example.
shiv
BRF Oldie
Posts: 34982
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: Pindliyon ka Gooda

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by shiv »

Another J-10 crashes - China tries to hide
Chinese Defence community is reporting crash of another J-10A fighter aircraft belonging to PLAAF. According to available news, PLAAF J-10A crashed on Nov. 19 in Anji County of Zhejiang Province in China. the pilot, Lu Yaogui, ejected but later died from injuries.this is the second J-10A crash this year.

Jet is said to be the 19th aircraft from the 6th production batch. last year a new Advanced Prototype variant dubbed as J-10B crashed in Pi County (Pi Xian) near Chengdu city in Sichuan province.

Since its first flight in 1998, J-10 has seen a rise in aircraft crashes which are not widely reported. the development phase of J-10 has proven to be torturous which also saw the crash of Second 02 Prototype at very beginning in its developmental stage.

Since 2010, there have been 5 to 6 accounted crashes of J10 and Two have been reported this year alone. Many Western Defence Analysts have said in past that pitfalls of reverse engineering without paying royalty and truly understanding the technology are leading to higher accident rates for a fighter aircraft which is relatively new and has lesser flying hours, lack of media freedom in China also means many of the crashes are not reported and the ones which are reported only when there is civilian casualties or damage to infrastructures which are leaked on local Social media .
Image
member_28756
BRFite
Posts: 240
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by member_28756 »

J 11 in Thailand vs Grippen

Image


Image
Last edited by member_28756 on 25 Nov 2015 02:58, edited 3 times in total.
member_28756
BRFite
Posts: 240
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by member_28756 »

double post
Last edited by member_28756 on 25 Nov 2015 02:53, edited 1 time in total.
member_28756
BRFite
Posts: 240
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by member_28756 »

Long March 5 rolled out

Image

Image
member_28756
BRFite
Posts: 240
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by member_28756 »

http://freebeacon.com/national-security ... c-missile/

BY: Bill Gertz
November 25, 2015 5:00 am

China carried out a sixth flight test of its new high-speed nuclear attack vehicle on Monday designed to defeat U.S. missile defenses or carry out global strikes.

The ultra-fast maneuvering strike weapon known as the DF-ZF hypersonic glide vehicle was launched atop a ballistic missile fired from the Wuzhai missile test center in central China’s Shanxi Province, according defense officials.

The vehicle separated from its launcher near the edge of the atmosphere and then glided to an impact range several thousand miles away in western China, said officials familiar with details of the test.

The DF-ZF flight was tracked by U.S. intelligence agencies and flew at speeds beyond Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound.

Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Bill Urban declined to comment. “We do not comment on specific PRC weapons tests, but we do monitor Chinese military modernization carefully,” Urban told the Washington Free Beacon.

It was the sixth time the hypersonic glider has been flight tested since last year.

The website China Spaceflight reported Sunday that the test would take place, based on the Chinese government announcement of airspace closures along what would ultimately become the zone used by the glide vehicle during the flight test. The website reported that the airspace restrictions were similar to closures announced prior to an August DF-ZF flight test.
Flight path of the test / China Space Flight

Flight path of the test / China Space Flight

The airspace was closed to commercial and military air traffic between 12:53 a.m. and 1:40 a.m. Beijing time on Nov. 23—the likely timeframe of the test.

China’s most recent DF-ZF test took place Aug. 19, also from Wuzhai, and like Monday’s flight test was judged a success.

U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed the DF-ZF to be a nuclear delivery vehicle for Chinese missiles, with maneuverability and high speeds that would allow it to defeat U.S. missile defenses, currently designed to counter non-maneuvering warheads with more easily-tracked ballistic trajectories.

China also could use the DF-ZF for conventional-armed rapid global strike capability, according to military specialists.

The vehicle is believed to reach speeds of between Mach 5 and Mach 10, or 3,836 miles per hour and 7,680 miles per hour.

The high rate of testing for the glide vehicle is an indication China has placed a high priority on the weapon program and that it is making rapid progress.

The Chinese conducted earlier flight tests on June 7, and on Jan. 9, 2014, Aug. 7, 2014, and Dec. 2, 2014. All the tests were first reported by the Free Beacon.

The commander of the U.S. Strategic Command told reporters last summer that hypersonic glide vehicles are new strategic warfare technology and an emerging threat.

“As I look at that [hypersonic] threat, clearly the mobility, the flight profile, those kinds of things are things we have to keep in mind and be able to address across that full kill chain,” Cecil Haney said in an interview in July, using the military term for the process used to target and attack enemy missiles.

Air Force Lt. Gen. James Kowalski, then-deputy commander of Strategic Command, said at the same time that hypersonic missiles offer a number of advantages as strategic weapons.

“It offers a number of different ways to overcome defenses, whether those are conventional, or if someone would decide to use a nuclear warhead, I think gives it an even more complicated dimension,” Kowalski said.

Currently, no nation has deployed hypersonic weapons but “it remains something that concerns us,” Kowalski added.

The annual report of the congressional U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, made public Nov. 18, stated that China’s hypersonic weapons are in the developmental stages and are “progressing rapidly.” The glide vehicle could be deployed by 2020, and a separate high-technology ramjet-propelled cruise missile could be deployed by 2025, the report said.

The Mach 5 to Mach 10 speeds allow the arms to “strike any target on earth in under an hour,” it stated.

“The very high speeds of these weapons, combined with their maneuverability and ability to travel at lower, radar-evading altitudes, would make them far less vulnerable than existing missiles to current missile defenses,” the report said.

The report said China’s hypersonic weapons, as well as the use of multiple-warhead missiles, are part of China’s efforts to assure its missiles can penetrate U.S. missile defenses.

Nuclear-armed hypersonic vehicles would be part of China’s retaliatory strike capabilities, while conventionally-tipped hypersonics could indicate long-range conventional strikes.

“Alternatively, China may intend its hypersonic program for both nuclear and conventional purposes, or may simply be following the United States in pushing the technological frontier and is not yet certain which it will pursue,” the report said.

China is among three nations that are developing hypersonic arms, along with Russia and the United States.

Rick Fisher, a senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center, said the sixth test indicates Beijing may be seeking a conventional rapid global attack capability similar to the developmental U.S. program called Prompt Global Strike.

Fisher said analysis of Chinese solid fueled space launchers indicates the new Kuaizhou-2 launcher could be used with China’s anti-satellite missiles and also could boost the DF-ZF to intercontinental ranges.

“It is possible that Kuaizhou-2 could become the basis for China’s first intercontinental non-nuclear armed Prompt Global Strike delivery vehicle,” he said, adding the booster “could likely carry multiple DF-ZF derived hypersonic maneuvering precision strike warheads.”

China also is building and deploying sophisticated surveillance satellites that could be used for the precision global strike weapons.

With some 138 satellites in space by 2030, “this means that an intercontinental [Prompt Global Strike] launched from China against U.S. targets could benefit from multiple target location updates,” he said.

Since China has refused to negotiate limits on its strategic weapons and remains highly secretive about all its arms programs, “the safe course for Washington would be to avoid any further delay in developing its own Prompt Global Strike capability to deploy if China does the same.”
ashish raval
BRFite
Posts: 1390
Joined: 10 Aug 2006 00:49
Location: London
Contact:

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by ashish raval »

^^darpa currently has pushed hypersonic tests to Mach 25. Mach 5-10 don't even get research funding since 2010. By 2020 they aim to push tests to Mach 40(rumours). These could shoot any Mach 5-10 missiles that China has three times over. The fact that they can easily track them every time proves a point about US Military. Stability and control are huge problem areas at these speed (apart from others).
JTull
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3118
Joined: 18 Jul 2001 11:31

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by JTull »

US spooks scour China’s 5-year plan for hacking clues
US security services and cyber security firms are scouring China’s latest five-year economic plan for clues to which American companies may become the next targets of Chinese hacking attacks.

China’s last five-year plan highlighted energy, healthcare, steel and other sectors as focuses of its major initiatives from 2011 to 2015.

Over the same period, US companies such as health insurer Anthem, US Steel, Westinghouse Electric and medical device company Medtronic all suffered what are believed by US officials to be state-sponsored hacks by China, along with a host of other US companies in areas that have been considered to be critical by Beijing.

“To China, gaining knowledge about seed technology or medical devices are matters of national security,” an FBI official said. “So it’s not seen as stealing the way we see it. That’s why everything is fair game to them and why companies active in sectors mentioned in the five-year plans have to be extra vigilant.”

The latest plan covering 2016 to 2020 — the 13th under the Communist regime — focuses on modernising the military and improving green technology, including defence stealth technology and renewable energy. Innovation also plays a central role in the programme, with Beijing calling for more advances in everything from aircraft engines to “quantum teleportation”.

“There’s a direct connection between the sectors highlighted in China’s five-year plans and the businesses that suffer breaches in the US,” said Peter LaMontagne, chief executive of big data analytics firm Novetta and a US diplomat in Beijing during the 1990s. “And if it’s a priority for China, it should be a priority for companies in the US to protect themselves.”

China still relies on adapting technology and best practices from overseas for development. At the same time, Beijing’s five-year plan will launch during one of the slowest periods of growth in decades, which could encourage more cyber economic espionage, cyber security experts say.

Tom Kellermann, chief cyber security officer for software firm TrendMicro, said the sectors that have been targeted by China have been severely hurt because companies benefiting from the breaches have been able to copy or improve products based on stolen data and then undercut US firms in pricing.

“The US needs to develop its own five-year plan to combat cyber threats,” Mr Kellermann said. “Information superiority is the name of the game and the countries that will be successful will deal with these threats in a more systematic way, whether it’s nation states or non-state actors that are improving their capabilities in a dramatic way.”

Under the threat of sanctions against Chinese companies, Chinese president Xi Jinping pledged during a September visit to the White House that Beijing would not engage in the theft of intellectual property and trade secrets through hacks.

But US intelligence officials say they have not noticed any decrease in cyber economic espionage activities since that agreement was announced. Previously, the FBI said there has been a 53 per cent increase in breaches to steal trade secrets, which the agency blamed on China.

Novetta and several other cyber security firms issued a report last year saying the 12th five-year plan was one of the reasons for the existence of the cyber threat group dubbed “Axiom”, which struck at numerous Fortune 500 companies in telecommunications, energy, pharmaceuticals and elsewhere.

The report also noted that the semiconductor and network device manufacturing businesses were highlighted in the 12th five-year plan, with evidence showing those industries were hit by hacks.
“The 12th five-year plan displays China’s new direction of pursuing advanced technology and advanced R&D efforts,” the report said. “As China begins its shift away from dependence on foreign technology (specifically the US), more and more corporations and organisations may be targeted by Axiom.”
Austin
BRF Oldie
Posts: 23387
Joined: 23 Jul 2000 11:31

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by Austin »

MANNY K wrote:Long March 5 rolled out

Image

Image
Looks like GSLV Copy
VinodTK
BRF Oldie
Posts: 2982
Joined: 18 Jun 2000 11:31

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by VinodTK »

China regroups seven military commands into four strategic zones
In a major restructuring of its military initiated by China, seven military area commands (MAC) have been regrouped into four strategic zones. Of the four, the West Zone shall now face India. It will be headquartered at Chengdu in Sichuan province.

Till now, the Lanzhou MAC and the Chengdu MAC face India. Lanzhou MAC is meant for Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal and Uttarakhand, while Chengdu is for Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

The commands have two group armies comprising 75,000 to 1 lakh troops each, tanks, mobile missile launchers, artillery and helicopters. In total more than 3.50 lakh troops are dedicated for India, including fighter squadrons and divisions dedicated for rapid deployment.

The restructuring was formally announced at a plenary session of the leading group for national defence and military reform under the Central Military Commission at Beijing, Hong Kong-based newspaper ‘South China Morning Post’ has reported.

The session was attended by President Xi Jinping and top leaders from the PLA’s four headquarters, seven key military commands, navy, air force, missile corps and armed police, the newspaper said.

The overhaul is aimed at phasing out the Chinese Soviet-style command structures in favour of a more US-style model — an integrated command. On September 3, President Xi had announced to prune 3 lakh troops.

In India the assessment is that it will not give an edge to India. Beijing’s focus will be to prune ‘non-essential’ force, including office staff, while ramping up its air force, navy and strategic missiles.

This is not the first troop cut by China. Beijing has done this periodically as it grows in terms of technology, officials say. The cuts are part of military reforms scheduled to be completed by 2017-end. It will be China’s 11th military reduction since 1949 and the fourth since the 1980s.

In 1985, China cut the armed forces by more than 10 lakh, the largest cut ever. Troop numbers were reduced by 5 lakh in 1997 and by 2 lakh in 2003.

The cut announced by Xi indicate that the PLA is paying more attention to its operational capability. It is most likely to focus on helicopter and mechanised operations in the Tibetan plateau and Xinjiang—both bordering India. China’s military budget—$142 billion—could be invested in upgrading weapons and increasing attack prowess of combat units. India has a budget of $38.5 billion and that too at dollar exchange rates of last year.
srai
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5250
Joined: 23 Oct 2001 11:31

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by srai »

Austin wrote:
MANNY K wrote:Long March 5 rolled out

Image

Image
Looks like GSLV Copy
Was ISRO hacked too ;)
member_28756
BRFite
Posts: 240
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by member_28756 »

srai wrote:
Austin wrote:


Image
Looks like GSLV Copy

Was ISRO hacked too ;)
:)

Hmmm... cant trust those commies. :wink: Similarities uncanny.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geosynchr ... cle_Mk_III

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_March_5
SSridhar
Forum Moderator
Posts: 25087
Joined: 05 May 2001 11:31
Location: Chennai

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by SSridhar »

China overhauls military as India drags feet - Rajat Pandit, ToI
While India continues to drag its feet in setting up joint structures to give its armed forces a better punch from limited budgetary resources, the red dragon across the border is further sharpening its offensive claws.

China on Thursday announced a major overhaul of its military -- which at 2.3 million troops is double the size of the Indian armed forces -- to make it more agile and combat-ready, and capable of taking the battle to its adversaries far beyond its borders and shores.

The re-structuring will see all armed forces come under a joint operational military command to build, as President Xi Jinping put it, "an elite combat force" by 2020. It will also involve regrouping China's existing seven military regions into four strategic zones
.

China obviously wants to transform its rapidly-modernising People's Liberation Army from its existing Soviet Union-style of functioning to a modern, unified military on the lines of the US forces capable of projecting power all around

Simultaneously, China also officially admitted it was in talks with Djibouti for an overseas logistics facility for its ongoing anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden, which many fear may convert into the country's first military base in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) in the years ahead.

India till now was faced by the Chinese Chengdu Military Region in the east and the Lanzhou Military Region towards the north along the unresolved 4,057-km Line of Actual Control (LAC). "Now, the entire Indian front from Ladakh to Arunachal will be handled by one entity, the new West Zone," said a senior officer.

"Yes, the Chinese forces will now have better command and control all along the LAC, even as they add more teeth and reduce the tail in their combat capabilities. But the new West Zone may also prove to be too unwieldy, including as it will Tibet and Xinjiang," he added.


India, however, has really not gone in for major military reforms till now to inject the much-required synergy among the Army, Navy and IAF, reduce their poor teeth-to-tail combat ratio and better utilise scarce resources to systematically build military capabilities in a cost-effective holistic manner.

The 1999 Kargil conflict did lead to the L K Advani-led group of ministers' report on reforming the national security system in 2001. But while several recommendations were implemented, the pivotal reform of creating a chief of defence staff (CDS) post over the three Service chiefs was pushed into cold storage.

As was earlier reported by TOI, a watered-down version of the CDS post is now in the offing to basically handle integrated planning and inter-Service prioritization of procurements, leaving the three chiefs operationally free to handle their own forces.

India still has only two tri-Service commands, the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) established in October 2001, and the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) set up in January 2003 to handle the nuclear arsenal.

The ANC, which could have counter-balanced China's naval forays into the IOR, has largely failed to live up to its initial promise of a robust theatre command due to turf wars among the three Services. Moreover, instead of the required full-fledged commands, the government is now looking at creating tri-Service agencies to handle the critical domains of space, cyber and special operations as an interim measure.
SSridhar
Forum Moderator
Posts: 25087
Joined: 05 May 2001 11:31
Location: Chennai

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by SSridhar »

Beijing’s plan on Arabian Sea may up Delhi worries - Saibal Dasgupta, ToI
China on Thursday confirmed it was in talks with Djibouti to establish a logistics center in the Arabian Sea's Gulf of Aden.

"The logistics facility will help Chinese vessels better carry out UN operations like escort missions and humanitarian assistance,'' Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.


Hong underlined the proposed facility would be a "logistics centre" rather than a full-fledged military base.

"Besides, the purpose was to carry out anti-piracy operations,'' he said.

He said since 2008, China has dispatched over 60 vessels in 21 missions to the Gulf of Aden and waters off the Somalia coast to carry out escort missions.

"During these operations, we find they meet difficulties in getting rest and replenishment and supplies, therefore we need to provide better service in this regard.''

He said the facility would be "conducive to the Chinese Navy fulfilling its international obligations and promoting peace and stability of the region".

The confirmation comes after the US Africa command revealed China is building the center to widen its reach in Africa.

Djibouti has emerged as an international anti-piracy center with the US taking advantage of the easy access it can provide to the Gulf of Aden.

Experts say India has reasons to be worried because the new facility would give the Chinese navy a presence on Africa's eastern coast and access to the Indian Ocean.

This will be in addition to Chinese efforts of building and operating ports in the Indian Ocean -- from Gwadar in Pakistan to Hambantota in Sri Lanka.


China has maintained these ventures were purely commercial and emphasized to Indian officials that it has a policy of not operating from foreign bases.

Several Chinese military experts have urged the government to revise its policy of not establishing foreign military bases.

It is not clear if Chinese troops would be permanently stationed in Djibouti.

But observers said China was doing away with the policy and might even consider creating a similar base in Pakistan.
member_28756
BRFite
Posts: 240
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by member_28756 »

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015- ... 858791.htm
BEIJING, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- China confirmed a deal to buy Su-35 fighter jets from Russia on Thursday.

"The Su-35 fighter jet project is one of the areas in which China and Russia are willing to cooperate," said Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian in response to a question about the 2-billion-dollar deal.

The two countries will continue to enhance cooperation in military technology based on equality and mutual benefit, Wu said at a monthly press briefing.

While commenting on another question about Russia's plan to provide the first round of S-400 modern anti-aircraft missile systems to China within the next 12 to 18 months, Wu said cooperation is under way according to plans.

Air defense is an important part of China-Russia military technology cooperation, the spokesman added.
member_29267
BRFite -Trainee
Posts: 61
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by member_29267 »

MANNY K wrote:
srai wrote: Looks like GSLV Copy

Was ISRO hacked too ;)
:)

Hmmm... cant trust those commies. :wink: Similarities uncanny.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geosynchr ... cle_Mk_III

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_March_5
No similarities except maybe the overall look (even that appearance is very common and cannot point to anything). That thing there is a heavy weight which will for the first time allow the Chinese to have launch capability similar to the US, Europeans and the Russians. We will take atleast another 8-10 years to have a launch vehicle with similar capability.
Philip
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21538
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: India

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by Philip »

With Gwadar in its pocket,still trying to leverage SL reg. Colombo's Port City project,operating out of Burma,China is upping the ante by firmly planting its flag on the African continent,at Djibouti,from where Red Sea shipping and vessels transiting the Gulf and N & S Arabian Sea can be monitored.
China's Power Play in Djibouti: First Step to Great Naval Power Status?
© AFP 2015/ POOL / Guang Niu
Military & Intelligence
China's plans to open a military facility in Djibouti have been giving US pundits the chills, with commentators suggesting that Beijing may be attempting to "edge out Western influence" in Africa and the Middle East. Russian experts suggest that the base is, more than anything, a sign that China is ready to emerge as a great naval power.

China in Talks to Open Patrol Boat Service Base in Djibouti
Last week, US media suggested, citing US officials, that China's diplomatic efforts to set up a naval logistics center for patrol boats in the northeast African nation of Djibouti demonstrate that "Beijing is in Africa for the long haul," and that it could eventually make a play to "edge out Western influence in the region and secure access to the continent's vast mineral resources for itself."

With the Chinese Foreign Ministry noting that a final agreement has not yet been reached, officials have emphasized that the creation of the piece of maritime military infrastructure in Africa will assist the Chinese Navy in fulfilling its international obligations, first and foremost, its peacekeeping missions under the auspices of the UN.

Djibouti, located on the Horn of Africa between Eritrea to the north and the chaos-hit Somalia to the south, has long been considered a key strategic location for Western militaries, with ships based in Djibouti City's port facilities capable of controlling the entrance to and exit from the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Aden. A long-term partner for Washington and NATO, the country is presently home to Italian, French, Japanese and Pakistani military facilities.

Russian experts commenting on the prospects for the new base emphasize that its construction carries with it several important implications – political, economic, and military.

China's First Military Base Abroad

Asked for comment on the prospective base by the Svobodnaya Pressa newspaper, Vasili Kashin, an expert on the Chinese military at the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Strategies & Technologies, suggested that the negotiations are "important, first and foremost, from a political point of view."

According to Kashin, "as far as we can understand, this is a very modest object in terms of its scale, not unlike the logistics centers used in their own time by the Soviet Navy. However, the political significance of the event trumps its military importance. After all, this will be the first real Chinese military base abroad, even if it is truncated in form."

Chinese People's Liberation Army cadets shout as they take part in a bayonet drills at the PLA's Armoured Forces Engineering Academy Base, on the outskirt of Beijing, China Tuesday, July 22, 2014
© AP Photo/ Andy Wong
Out of Africa: Will China's Military Displace the US on the Continent?
"Before this," the expert recalled, "the Chinese had something of a principled approach, saying that it was not their policy to establish a permanent military presence in other countries. In the past, there have been rumors of Chinese military intelligence facilities in other countries, for example, aimed at intercepting radio communications. But in this case we are dealing with a piece of infrastructure which will see the presence of actual troops."

"At the same time," Kashin suggests, "the existence of this facility will be explained as an indication that the Chinese are set on increasing the size of their military forces in the Middle East and Africa. Since 2009, the PLA Navy has taken part in anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden, and they were able to do it without a base in the region, capable of adequately supplying their admittedly limited forces."

First Step to Great Power Status

Kashin believes that ultimately, the plans for the Djibouti base are really "a strong indication that China is becoming a full-fledged naval great power, on par with France and Britain, if not to speak of Russia or the United States. It is an indication that Beijing seeks to secure its interests abroad, including via the use of its armed forces. And its interests are very considerable."

A comprehensive 1,176-page Military Manual covering the Law of War was published on Friday, the US Department of Defense announced in a statement
© AP Photo/ Marco Di Lauro
Democracy They Bring? China’s Media Slams US Interventions in Middle East, Africa
This, Kashin notes, owes to the fact that "China has been Africa's largest trading partner since the beginning of the 2010s, investing very heavily in the continent, to the tune of tens of billions of dollars. Accordingly, the Chinese are also beginning to play a more active role in the Middle East. And while their base in Djibouti will not see a substantial deployment of forces, it will allow them to concentrate significant naval forces in the region. This of course, significantly alters the overall balance of power."

The analyst suggests that over the last several years, he has observed the Chinese Navy's "huge leap" forward in becoming a real ocean-going navy. "If we are speaking about the surface fleet, and especially in the field of amphibious assault ships, the Chinese are ahead not only of contemporary Russia; in terms of a number of capacities they surpass even the Soviet Union of the mid-1980s."

"The reality," Kashin notes, is that "China has already built one of the most powerful navies in the world, capable not only of demonstrating its presence, but serving as a major force capable of striking targets inland, large ambitious landing operations, etc. And this is just the beginning. I am confident that after Djibouti, the PLA Navy will build other foreign bases, not only in Africa, but in the Middle East, and after that, perhaps in Latin America as well."

The Chinese Navy, the expert recalled, has shown signs of growing activity in recent years, their surface and submarine fleets increasingly making their presence felt all across the world's oceans, from Latin America and Africa to the Black and Baltic seas. "For the Chinese, long-haul trips lasting from a few months to half-a-year have become commonplace. They are creating a completely new generation of sailors, who are now really spending their lives at sea, and who are subjected to some very expensive training."

According to Kashin, China, "which not so long ago had a coastal fleet, devoted to the provision of coastal defense, and to fighting for islands along its coast, has factually outgrown these limits, [its fleet] gradually transforming into a real ocean-going fleet."

US Response Inevitable

Alexei Fenenko, Associate Professor of International Politics at Moscow State University, complemented Kashin's analysis, suggesting that the rise of the Chinese Navy, including their imminent arrival in Djibouti, will inevitably lead to a deterioration of relations with the United States, previously the world's sole naval superpower.

The analyst believes that "it is clear, that the Chinese base in Djibouti will have an impact on Sino-US relations. The United States has long been worried about China's intentions to build an ocean-going fleet. Therefore, in my view, Washington will be working to strengthen the concept of containment vis-à-vis Beijing."

Chinese army soldiers during the rehearsal of the opening ceremony for the International Army Games 2015 at Alabino base outside Moscow
© Sputnik/ Ramil Sitdikov
Not Welcome Anymore? Chinese Military Giving US Troops the Boot in Djibouti
The measures the US is likely to use, according to Fenenko, include strengthening its base at Sembawang, in Singapore, creating the possibility of dangerous bottlenecks in the Malacca Strait, and "thus depreciating the value of China's possible foreign bases." Other efforts will include strengthening "their long-standing strategy of pitting Vietnam against China. Finally, the US will work to strengthen Japan and Taiwan. In particular," the expert believes, "the Taiwan Strait will play a special role, as it connects the South China and East China seas."

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/military/2015113 ... z3t9iA9Hl9
member_22539
BRF Oldie
Posts: 2022
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by member_22539 »

^Particularly good in a shooting war since Djibouti is so outside our strike range and because angering the Djiboutian overlords will surely be the destruction of us.

Yep, will sit there safely while war goes on in the rest of the Indian ocean.
member_28756
BRFite
Posts: 240
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by member_28756 »

http://rbth.com/international/2015/12/0 ... ums_548379
Russia, China align strategic interests at multilateral forums

December 8, 2015 AJAY KAMALAKARAN, RBTH

In 2015, Russia and China used forums such as BRICS, G20, and the SCO to further their common agenda of a multipolar world.

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping met four times over the course of 2015, a year in which both countries marked the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War with grand parades. Although the year was marked by a fall in bilateral trade between Russia and China, the countries managed to align their geo-political and strategic interests in multilateral forums, such as BRICS, G20, APEC and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

A major success for the countries in 2015 was the launching of two multilateral banks that will eventually compete with the Bretton Woods institutions: The New Development Bank (NDB) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

The NDB was started by the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) to finance infrastructure and development projects in member countries and emerging economies. It is headquartered in Shanghai and aims at reducing the dependence of members on the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The AIIB, a Chinese initiative where the biggest stakeholders are China, India and Russia, is seen as a regional alternative to the Bretton Woods institutions, which are still dominated by the West. “We expect that the bank will become an effective tool for strengthening transcontinental links and will contribute to Eurasian integration,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement ahead of the launch of the bank earlier this year.

“When 58 member nations bucked Washington’s warnings and joined the bank this year, including allies of the United States and G7 stalwarts such as France, Germany, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, China realized that it had a potential vanguard for an alternative economic world order,” strategic analyst Rebecca Liao wrote in Foreign Affairs.

Cooperation within G20

Russia and China agreed to boost cooperation within the G20 to help reform the economic world order.

China took over the G20 presidency from Turkey and will host the 2016 summit.

“We are willing to strengthen communication and cooperation with Russia in the course of hosting the G20 summit,” Xi told Putin at a meeting on the sidelines of the 2015 G20 summit in Turkey in November 2015.

Xi added that China aimed to build an “innovative, invigorated, interconnected and inclusive” world economy along with all the other members of G20.

During the meeting in Turkey, Putin and Xi also spoke of aligning China’s Silk Road Economic Belt with the Eurasian Economic Union.

“Beijing’s presidency of G20 is a great opportunity for China and Russia to push the agenda of giving more decision-making power to developing nations within the IMF and World Bank, even as they develop alternate institutions,” says Doris Tung, a strategic analyst based in Hong Kong.

A grand Eurasian alliance
In July 2015, Russia hosted the BRICS and the SCO summits in Ufa. One of the major geo-political developments at the SCO summit was the initiation of measures for the formal acceptance of India and Pakistan into the grouping as full members.

“The addition of India and Pakistan into the SCO was a huge achievement for Sino-Russian multilateral foreign policy,” says Tung. “It is the first step towards a greater Eurasian alliance that will be an effective counterweight to the U.S. and its allies,” she adds.

Indian diplomats and strategic analysts are more cautious about the role of the SCO. “The idea of a grand SCO Eurasian security alliance will only work when some mechanism for permanent peace can be established between India and Pakistan,” a senior Indian diplomat told RBTH on the condition of anonymity.

Although several challenges lie ahead, analysts largely agree that Sino-Russian multilateral financial and security initiatives will help bring about a multipolar world in the long run.
Lilo
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4080
Joined: 23 Jun 2007 09:08

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by Lilo »

China continues to depend on Ukrainian aero engines
2015-Dec-10
Image
The AVIC/GTE Minshan engine on display at the 2012 Air Show China exposition in Zhuhai. Note the oversized FADEC control unit.
Recent discussions with Ukrainian technicians indicate that China's aero-engine industry continues to depend on Ukrainian technology almost as much as it does on Russian propulsion systems.
Impressions of the state of China's aero-engine programmes among staff of the Ivchenko-Progress design bureau in Zaporozhye, southeastern Ukraine, are that Chinese efforts remain stymied by technological bottlenecks, despite public announcements and displays of "indigenous" engine designs.

In November 2012 the Gas Turbine Establishment (GTE) of China's state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) displayed its Minshan engine design at the Zhuhai-based Air Show China. AVIC and China Aerotechnology Import-Export Corporation (CATIC) officials held a press briefing in which they declared that this engine would be used in later models of the Hongdu Aviation L-15 jet trainer. Currently the aircraft is powered by a non-afterburning version of the AI-222-25 jet engine designed at the Ivchenko bureau and produced at the Motor Sich plant in Zaporozhye.

The combined enterprises of the Ivchenko-Progress design bureau represent one of the largest surviving aero-engine enterprises from the Soviet period. Ivchenko officials have told IHS Jane's that due to several factors, including the advantages of being co-located, "these two companies represent what might be the only Soviet-era enterprise capable of designing and building a jet engine from scratch in a more or less standalone capacity".

The officials point out that comparable Russian enterprises, such as the Salyut plant in Moscow, are today only able to contemplate development of a next-generation engine in co-operation with other aero-engine enterprises. In the case of the Russian plan for the development of a fifth-generation fighter engine, Salyut has entered into a co-operative alliance with its main adversary: the Saturn-Lyulka production association. The new engine would replace the Saturn bureau's 117S engine that is currently installed in both the Sukhoi Su-35 and the T-50 Perspective Frontline Fighter (PFI) demonstrator aircraft.

ANALYSIS
After years of protracted negotiations China recently signed a contract for the purchase of 24 Sukhoi Su-35 fighters. Numerous analysts familiar with the history of the arms trade between Russia and China have stated that one of the prime motivations for acquiring the aircraft was gaining access to the 117S engine's technology and design.

However, China's aero industry has an equal need for an engine in the "thrust class of 2.5 to 3 metric tonnes", say Ukrainian industry officials, "as well as another engine that would produce at least 10% more thrust than is generated by the [Klimov/Sarkisov] RD-93" installed in the JF-17 jointly produced by China and Pakistan.

There are two indicators that the Minshan programme is not making much progress, say the Ukrainian industry representatives. One is that the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) customer maintains an interest in acquiring an afterburning variant of the AI-222-25 engine, designated the AI-222-25F. The PLAAF has also been weighing up the use of uprated versions of the engine that would operate at 2.8- and 3.0-tonne thrust levels.

The other is that the Chinese have had very little to say about their own programme for more than three years now.

"The Chinese gave a big presentation on the Minshan engine at the Zhuhai air show in 2012 and made a point of inviting us to the event and declaring that this engine would soon replace the model we are selling to them," said an Ivchenko official, "but since that time almost any mention of this engine has disappeared. There was no display of the Minshan at the 2014 show and when we ask the Chinese about this programme they just look at the floor and do not respond - as if they are embarrassed by the question."

Other areas of propulsion system design besides the actual combustion engineering and the hot-section technology have also eluded Chinese designers, say Ukrainian industry sources. They point out that another notable area in which the GTE has shortcomings is in the design of digital control systems, demonstrated by the oversized control unit assembly mounted on the Minshan at the 2012 expo in Zhuhai.

Other than enhanced versions of the AI-222-25 design, Ivchenko has further capacities of interest to Chinese industry, such its ability to design afterburner modules. "There was no one who would give us an afterburner design or instruct us how to build one - because it would mean helping us become better competitors to them - so the afterburner you see on our engine was entirely developed by us from scratch," said an Ivchenko official.

Another capability the Chinese covet is Ivchenko's design for a next-generation jet engine that approaches the 10-tonne thrust level: a design study designated the AI-9500F. Designers with the bureau insist this is not just a 'paper engine', but that some initial developmental work has already been completed. Additionally, they state that the design's thrust level of 9,500 kg is not its limit and could be "grown" to exceed even 10 tonnes in performance.
member_28756
BRFite
Posts: 240
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by member_28756 »

http://freebeacon.com/national-security ... lroad-car/
China Tests New ICBM from Railroad Car

Rail-mobile launcher used in DF-41 ejection test

BY: Bill Gertz Follow @BillGertz
December 21, 2015 5:01 am

U.S. intelligence agencies recently monitored a Chinese test of a new rail car-based long-range missile capable of hitting targets throughout the United States.

The canister ejection test of a DF-41 missile from a rail-mobile launcher was detected on Dec. 5 in western China, said defense officials familiar with reports of the test.

Few details were available on the DF-41 launcher ejection test.

However, Chinese rail-based missile development has been carried out in the past at the Wuzhai missile test center, also known as the Taiyuan satellite launch center since 1982, according to declassified CIA documents. The launch site is located in China’s central Shanxi Province.

The test this month marks a significant milestone for Chinese strategic weapons developers and demonstrates that Beijing is moving ahead with building and deploying the DF-41 on difficult-to-locate rail cars, in addition to previously-known road-mobile launchers, the officials said.

Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Bill Urban declined to comment. “We do not comment on PRC weapons tests, but we do monitor Chinese military modernization carefully,” he said.

DF41-railcar Asian Arms Control ProjectDF41-railcar / Asian Arms Control Project
Previous disclosures from China on the DF-41, including Internet photographs, all showed the heavy missile deployed on a wheeled transporter erector launcher that is moved on roads.

The DF-41, with a range of more than 7,500 miles, is China’s most potent ICBM and was flight tested a day before the rail car ejection test with two multiple-independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), officials said.

Military analysts say the mobile basing of missiles is designed to complicate preemptive attacks on nuclear forces, such as those envisioned under the Pentagon’s Prompt Global Strike program, which will use precision-guided conventional weapons capable of striking targets at any location on earth within minutes of their discovery.

U.S. intelligence agencies estimate the DF-41 when deployed will carry up to 10 MIRVs—vastly increasing Beijing’s current warhead stockpile, which is based on single-warhead missiles, and currently estimated to include around 300 warheads.


Details of the Chinese rail-based missile system were first reported by the Washington Free Beacon in 2013.

China is believed to have obtained rail-mobile missile technology from Ukraine, which during the Soviet period built the SS-24 rail-based ICBM, according to a report by Georgetown University’s Asian Arms Control Project.

China state television in 2006 released the first details of the train basing for missiles in video footage showing missile launch cars, command cars, and other missile system railcars—all disguised as passenger train cars.

The Georgetown report said the Chinese rail-mobile ICBM system is modeled on the Ukrainian-designed SS-24, and is known as a “land nuclear submarine”—an indication the rail launcher uses an ejection tube to boost the missile from the train car shortly before ignition of its engine.

China also is developing an extensive rail and tunnel system devoted to the missile train in central China, according to the report.

Phillip A. Karber, a defense expert who heads the Potomac Foundation, said his organization recently identified a DF-41 at a special launch site at Taiyuan. The missile was revealed in commercial satellite photos.


“If that missile train hosts the DF-41 ICBM it means it will also have a MIRV potential,” Karber said. “The combination of high-speed mobility, launch cars disguised as civilian passenger trains, tunnel protection and secure reloading of missiles, coupled with multiple warheads, makes the system extremely hard to regulate or verify the number of systems.”

Karber, who also is affiliated with the Georgetown arms control project, said the project first identified the rail-based ICBM system four years ago. However, the arms control community dismissed reports about the basing mode, he said.

“Since then there have been reports that China’s 2nd Artillery Corps, the force that operates the missiles, had built 2,000 kilometers [1,243 miles] of heavy gauge rail for this system,” Karber said.

The dedicated missile rail and tunnel system will significantly expand China’s ability to target ICBMs in the United States by avoiding missile overflight of Alaska, where U.S. anti-missile interceptors are based.

“We have also seen imagery of huge tunnel complexes capable of hosting three missile trains side by side,” Karber said.

China’s first public disclosure of the DF-41 occurred in August 2014 when details about the missile program were published on a regional Chinese government web site.

After the disclosure, Chinese military spokesman Geng Yansheng told state media that “research and development [of missiles] is normal for the military without any specific enemy in mind.”

“Because of the missile’s mobility, it is extremely difficult to be tracked by satellite,” Geng said.

China’s military doctrine in a 2013 study stated that U.S. prompt global strike weapons posed a threat to China’s nuclear forces.

A congressional China commission stated in its annual report published earlier this year that China is deploying multiple-warhead missiles to increase China’s “ability to penetrate adversary missile defenses and enhancing the credibility of its nuclear forces as a deterrent.”

The Pentagon is also studying a road- and rail-mobile ICBM system for future nuclear forces, according to Air Force contracting documents.

Rick Fisher, an expert on Chinese military programs, said China has been interested in rail basing for missiles for some time.

“The Soviet SS-24 used a rail car launcher, could carry up to 10 warheads and had a range of 10,000 kilometers,” Fisher said. “This is close to the capabilities of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation DF-41 ICBM.”

China also has decades of experience in perfecting rail cars for transport of easily damaged large missiles and payloads.

“Like the versions developed for the Soviets, the Chinese system likely uses a cold-launch tube fitted to a covered rail car,” Fisher said.

The recent rail ejection test likely is for “verifying the ability of the tube to eject the heavy DF-41 ICBM,” he added.

After ejection from the tube, the DF-41 engine ignites microseconds after the missile clears the end of the canister.

Cold launch tubes are preferred for missile systems because the materials cost less and require less strength than missiles launched “hot” from within a tube.

“This vastly increases the challenge of tracking China’s ICBM force, as China today has 74,565 miles of rail lines, including 9,942 miles of high speed rail,” Fisher said, adding that by 2050 China could have up to 170,000 miles of rail lines.

High-speed rail lines would allow the DF-41 to reach deployment location rapidly and would complicate efforts to monitor, track, and counter the missiles.

Road-mobile and rail-mobile DF-41s will double China’s warheads in China’s arsenal and give China the capability of targeting the United States with nuclear strikes from most locations in China, Fisher said.

The Chinese nuclear buildup should prompt the United States to re-evaluate its arms control constraints on its nuclear forces, Fisher said.

“Given the growing degree of military technical cooperation and military-political coordination between Beijing and Moscow, we have to consider that eventually Russia and China could combine their nuclear weapons in a ‘tilt’ to coerce the United States, lets say in a military crisis over the future of democratic Taiwan,” he said.

Meanwhile, Russia also disclosed recently that it is developing a new rail basing system for ICBMs.

Col. Gen. Sergei Karakayev, commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces, Russian’s nuclear missile and bomber forces, said a report on the rail basing would be presented to the Kremlin in 2017.

“Now the initial design is ready and we are preparing working design documentation for aggregates and systems within the weapon,” Karakayev said, according to state-run Interfax on Dec. 17.

The new system will be based on the SS-24 that was dismantled after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Russia is seeking rail basing for missiles in response to the U.S. Prompt Global Strike system, according to Russian press reports.
Kartik
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5722
Joined: 04 Feb 2004 12:31

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by Kartik »

Image

Possible J-16 EW variant makes its first flight
A possible new electronic warfare (EW) variant of the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) J-16 twin-seat strike fighter made its first flight on 18 December, according to Chinese sources, potentially adding a significant offensive capability to the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).

Images of the new variant have emerged on several Chinese military web pages, including a 21 December 2015 video report on the popular Ifeng web page. The most salient modifications are two new wingtip pods similar to the Northrop Grumman AN/ALQ-218 Tactical Jamming Receiver, leading to comparisons with the E/A-18G Growler electronic attack variant of Boeing's Super Hornet.

This possible J-16 EW prototype appears to lack the usual fuselage-mounted gun and the infrared search and tracking system (IRST) also appears to be missing, but the J-16, which resembles the Russian Sukhoi Su-30, would have up to 10 wing and fuselage hardpoints for ordnance and active jamming pods.

The PLA is known to have developed three tactical electronic warfare pods. The first, similar in size to the EDO Corporation AN/ALQ-99, may come in receiver and transmitter versions and was first seen on Xian Aircraft Corporation JH-7 strike fighters in 2007. A smaller KG600 pod also equips JH-7s, while the KG300 appears to be an export variant.

An EW version of the J-16 equipped similarly to the E/A-18G would give PLAAF strike packages a far greater chance of reaching their targets and avoiding increasingly capable air defences.

Development of a J-16 EW variant could also lead to a similar carrier warfare version of the twin-seat J-15S.

Chinese commentators note that, just as the Growler enables US air forces, an active jamming version of the J-16 would allow the PLAAF to decrease its dependence on large and vulnerable electronic support aircraft based on the Shaanxi Y-8 airframe.

While in early 2014 an Asian government source estimated that 100 J-16s would be in PLA service by 2020, the emergence of an EW version could increase that number.
member_28756
BRFite
Posts: 240
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by member_28756 »

http://www.ecns.cn/business/2015/12-17/192813.shtml

China, Russia sign missile-defense deal
0 2015-12-17 09:59China Daily Editor: Wang Fan
China and Russia have signed an agreement on the sale of Russia's S-400 surface-to-air missile system, a senior manager of Russia's leading technology corporation said on Wednesday.

In addition, Russia is planning to use China's spacecraft equipment, Dmitriy Shugaev, deputy CEO in charge of international affairs at Rostec, a State-owned company in charge of Russia's arms exports, told China Daily.

He said that the S-400 deal "is important to both Russia and China" and China will be the first foreign user of the missile system, but he declined to reveal the deal's details, saying they "are too sensitive to be revealed".

According to Russian media reports, the S-400 is a new-generation air defense system capable of engaging any aerial target, including airplanes, helicopters, drones and cruise and tactical ballistic missiles. The system's 40N6 missile can destroy airborne targets up to 400 km away.

China clinched the deal in September last year, at a cost of more than $3 billion for the delivery of an unknown number of S-400s, Moscow Times reported.

Currently, China relies on its domestically developed HQ-9 and the Russian-made S-300 missile systems for mid- and long-range air defense.

Wu Peixin, a military observer in Beijing, said that as one of the world's best anti-aircraft weapons systems, the S-400 will give the People's Liberation Army a big boost to its long-range, high-altitude air defense network.

"The system has several types of missiles that are capable of intercepting cruise missiles and tactical ballistic missiles, which means it is suitable to be deployed around important governmental or military sites to safeguard those vital places," he said.

Vasily Kashin, a senior analyst at the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, told Russia's Sputnik news agency that the long range of the S-400 will allow the PLA to engage targets over the East China Sea. "These missiles are capable of shooting down targets in the Diaoyu Islands airspace from the Chinese mainland."

Shugaev, the Rostec deputy CEO, said Russia is in negotiations with China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp and China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp on the procurement of China-developed spacecraft instruments such as electronic and satellite communications devices.

Spokesmen for the two Chinese companies could not be reached for comment
DavidD
BRFite
Posts: 1048
Joined: 23 Jun 2010 04:08

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by DavidD »

J-20 begins LRIP, first production model, serial 2101 pictured here:

Image
Liu
BRFite
Posts: 824
Joined: 12 Feb 2009 10:23

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by Liu »

DavidD wrote:J-20 begins LRIP, first production model, serial 2101 pictured here:

Image
Well,it is much earlier than expected.
Most people thought that j20 would not enter into service until 2017-2018.
Liu
BRFite
Posts: 824
Joined: 12 Feb 2009 10:23

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by Liu »

Btw,it is reported thst y20 entered into service yesterday too.
Philip
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21538
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: India

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by Philip »

Watch the considerable carrier experience that China is rapidly acquiring with the Liainong CV,ex-Varyag.
One should compare it with the Vik-A clips. The advantage of a wider,larger flight deck is obvious .No wonder the CNS wants our nest 2 CVs to be at least 65K t.

http://news.usni.org/2015/12/29/video-c ... 234c8f82d4
Video: Chinese Aircraft Carrier Operations at Sea
December 29, 2015 7:30 AM

The following is a video published on Dec. 25, 2015 of a visit of People’s Liberation Army Navy head Adm. Wu Shengli visiting Chinese Aircraft carrier Liaoning.
Aditya G
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3565
Joined: 19 Feb 2002 12:31
Contact:

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by Aditya G »

Pictures don't tell whole story. Unlike the land cousins, MiG-29K is a better carrier aircraft than the Su-33 or its Chinese copies. In the 80s/90s it was politics that led to Su-33 selection, but this time around the RuN has rightly chosen Migs for Kuznetsov.
NRao
BRF Oldie
Posts: 19226
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: Illini Nation

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by NRao »

Philip wrote:Watch the considerable carrier experience that China is rapidly acquiring with the Liainong CV,ex-Varyag.
One should compare it with the Vik-A clips. The advantage of a wider,larger flight deck is obvious .No wonder the CNS wants our nest 2 CVs to be at least 65K t.
Which 2 CVs?
The following is a video published on Dec. 25, 2015 of a visit of People’s Liberation Army Navy head Adm. Wu Shengli visiting Chinese Aircraft carrier Liaoning.

http://news.usni.org/2015/12/29/video-c ... 234c8f82d4
Video: Chinese Aircraft Carrier Operations at Sea
December 29, 2015 7:30 AM
What is impressive is the two short runs to launch.

Looks like they could launch and recover at the same time.
Philip
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21538
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: India

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by Philip »

CNS."Larger carriers".65Kt being conceptualised.Concept for the first yet to be determined. Will probably be done by the time the IAC-1 is commissioned in 2018.If the PLAN plan 4+ then one is sure that we will build 2 more of at least 65K t.
Yagnasri
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10390
Joined: 29 May 2007 18:03

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by Yagnasri »

http://in.reuters.com/article/china-def ... GQ20151231

It seems they already started for the second one.
Philip
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21538
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: India

Re: China Military Watch - August 9, 2014

Post by Philip »

More details: Most probably a clone of the Varyag,for ease of trg.,eqpt.,ops,etc.
http://sputniknews.com/military/2015123 ... rrier.html
Naval Power: China Building Second Aircraft Carrier
14:27 31.12.2015
The Chinese Defense Ministry officially announced that work on the construction of a second aircraft carrier has begun in the port of Dalian.

Chinese Navy replenishment ship 'Qiandaohu' (R) and multi-role frigate 'Yiyang' (L) enter the port of Gdynia in Gdynia, Poland, on October 7, 2015, marking the first-ever such visit in the NATO and EU member

Dragon Ascendant: A Look at the Growing Firepower of China's Navy
Earlier, media continuously reported that China was building a second aircraft carrier, but without official confirmation from authorities.

“Everyone knows that the first aircraft carrier, which is at the disposal of the Chinese Navy, is the (aircraft carrier) Liaoning. Relevant departments have considered the subject from all angles and then embarked on the development work of the second carrier. At the moment further design and construction of the aircraft carrier is underway,”

Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said in an official statement.

According to him, China adheres to an independent foreign policy of peace and a defensive military strategy.

“We have a long coastline and vast water area located in our jurisdiction. The guarantee of their safety, the protection of sovereignty, territorial waters and the legitimate interests of the country's seas and oceans is the sacred duty of the armed forces of the China,” he added.

The design draws on experiences from the country's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, which was bought from Ukraine in 1998. It was an unfinished Soviet cruiser Varyag and it was refitted in China.

The ship was named after the province of Liaoning where the docks of the Dalian port were located.

The first sea trials of the Liaoning took place in August 2011, in November 2012 it was announced that a J-15 fighter successfully landed on the deck of the ship.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/military/2015123 ... z3vtvzySQS
Locked