US should fear littoral capability of PLA subs: retired officer

The United States should fear a potential submarine war with China, Wang Hongguang, retired deputy commander of the Nanjing Military Region, wrote in a commentary for the state-run Global Times on Aug. 11.
 

While admitting that the nuclear-powered attack submarines and ballistic missile submarines of the United States Navy have a longer range and faster speed than their Chinese counterparts, Wang said the PLA's submarines are better suited to fighting in littoral waters. He said US submarines have several major weaknesses that Chinese subs do not have. First, they are simply too large to conduct operations within the narrow First Island Chain of the Pacific, he said.

 

 

Compared to American submarines with displacement between 8,000 and 10,000 tons, Wang said it is much easier for 2,000-ton conventional PLA submarines to hide and evade the enemy. Wang said further that Chinese submarines employ the world's best air-independent propulsion system and can stay submerged for between 15 and 20 days. This is enough for them to travel 3,000 kilometers without being detected, he said.
 

Noting that a Chinese Type 039 Song-class submarine surfaced quietly nine miles away from the USS Kitty Hawk carrier in 2007, Wang said it is possible for the PLA Navy to do this again even in the central Pacific. If older boats like the Song-class submarine could do it, Wang said more advanced sumbarines such as the Type 094 Jin-class ballistic missile submarine can do it as well.

China conducts test flights for nine aircraft: Kanwa

To strengthen the fighting and power projection capabilities of its air force, China is currently testing nine different new types of aircraft, according to the Canada-based Kanwa Defense Review.
 

One of those aircraft is China's first fifth-generation stealth fighter, the J-20. Photos released on a Chinese military website indicate that the J-20 is a multirole fighter designed for both aerial combat and ground attack because of its longer and larger build than Russian fighters such as the Su-33 and Su-37. China is testing the avionic system of J-20 through attaching its radar to a Russian-built Tu-204 passenger plane.
 

Another four — the J-10B, J-11B, J-16 and J-15 — are fourth-generation fighters for China's air force and navy. Tactical bombers such as the JH-7A and JH-7B are being examined as well. The J-16 has already gone through test flights for three years. To shorten the process, Shenyang Aircraft Corporation has decided to modify the aircraft's weapon systems. After the J-20 and J-31 begin service, their the J-16's primary mission will be to provide close air support for ground forces.
 

The Y-20 medium transport and KJ-500 early warning aircraft are the last two military aircraft currently being tested in China. The KJ-500 is being tested by Xi'an Aircraft Industry Corporation at the Yanliang airport. Unlike its prodecessor, the KJ-200, the KJ-500 is designed based on the Y-9 cargo plane. The official name of this new early warning aircraft has not yet been confirmed in China

China - PLA Navy set to build 10 aircraft carriers

To create its first blue-water navy, China plans to construct a total of 10 domestic aircraft carriers according to the Kanwa Defense Review, a Chinese-language military magazine operated by Andrei Chang also known as Pinkov, a military analyst from Canada.

 

 

After Admiral Jonathan Greenert, the US chief of naval operations, visited China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, a refitted Soviet-era carrier purchased from Ukraine, the blueprint of the nation's first domestic carrier is nearly complete, according to Kanwa. Greenert said China is speeding up the construction of its second aircraft carrier and even predicted the vessel will enter service in the near future.
 

Richard Fisher, a military expert from US thinktank the International Assessment and Strategy Center, said China may have between four and five aircraft carriers in active service by 2030. This number may eventually increase to 10 in the next few decades. Greenert said, however, that the gap between US and Chinese aircraft carriers is still large. While a US carrier is capable of launching and retrieving 100 aircraft simultaneously, a Chinese aircraft carrier can only operate 10.

Before the PLA Navy is able to put its aircraft carriers into action, a great deal of work has to be done, Greenert said, adding however that China has achieved much in a very short period of time. Kanwa reported that China has acquired blueprints for a Soviet-era nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, also from Ukraine.

 

 

Quoting from the Singapore-based Straits Times, the article said that China's first domestically built aircraft carrier will be able to carry 50 J-15B carrier-based fighters and other aircraft such as the K-8 or the Z-8 early warning helicopters. In the future, between 25 and 27 stealth fighters such as the J-20 or the J-31 may serve aboard the Chinese aircraft carriers to replace the J-15, the PLA's current carrier-based fighter.
 

The article said China has great ambitions to build a navy which is stronger than the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

US to deploy new destroyer against China's Anti-Access strategy

The primary function of US Navy Zumwalt-class stealth destroyers in future plans for Asia Pacific regional strategy will be to counter the anti-access/area-denial capabilities of China, reports party mouthpiece Global Times. 

The second vessel of its kind began service in the US Navy on Oct. 19, and is expected to be deployed to the Asia Pacific theater in 2014.

The new surface combat vessel is considered the future of the US Navy by admiral Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations, and will play an important role in supporting president Barack Obama's Asia Pivot Strategy. The 15,000-ton USS Elmo Zumwalt DDG-1000's stealth design is able to reduce radar and sonar detection to the lowest levels of any destroyer in the world. It would be able to engage against Chinese warships in a littoral combat environment.

Although it has yet to appear, it is very likely that the following destroyer will sport the deadliest weapon system to date: an electronic rail gun that fires using electromagnetic pulses. In addition, current vessels are also equipped with a Peripheral Vertical Launch System, capable of reducing damage from a missile battery explosion. Together with the F-35 and the US missile defense program, this destroyer will be integrated into the new AirSea Battle doctrine under the US Pacific Command.

The ship is not invincible from the Chinese point of view. "I can send several dozen small fishing boats loaded with explosives, floating and wobbling in the water, toward the Zumwalt, place the explosives onto its hull [and blow many holes in the hull], said rear admiral Zhang Zhaozhong of the PLA Navy during an interview with national broadcaster China Central Television. "It will be finished then. The Zumwalt is no good!" he said