China considers buying four Russian Amur-Class AIP submarines

China reportedly signed two military sale frameworks with Moscow, of which Russia will jointly build four Amur-Class AIP submarines with China and sell them to the country while China will buy 24 Su-35 fighters from Russia, reports Sina's military news portal.

 

It is the first major military procurement China has made with Russia in 10 years, said the report. China needs submarines to counter threats from India's fleet and build a fleet to resist America's influence, said the Voice of Russia, the Russian government's international radio broadcasting service. A manager for a Russian national defense export company said Moscow and Beijing have been negotiating over submarine technologies. China has not revealed how many submarines it wants to buy and has not scheduled to sign a supply contract.

 

It is natural for India and China to show interest in Russia's Amur-Class submarines, said a retired Russian Navy general named Sivkov. The submarine is superior to the export version of China's 877 submarine and China would want the Amur-Class vessel since India has them. The Russian submarine can also effectively fight against American submarines and destroy Los Angeles and Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines from long distances. Since it produces little noise underwater, American submarines cannot detect the its presence. The characteristic allow the submarine to make fire warning shots or destroy enemy ships effectively during real battles.

 

Although the Amur-Class submarine can attack multiple targets on land, it cannot carry an anti-guided missile system. China does not own any submarine-based anti-missile systems as of now.

 

India's defense ministry made emergency orders over concerns of the country's declining defense capabilities. India has skipped the bidding process and ordered two diesel-electric Amur-Class submarines 677 from Russia to enhance its sea combat capabilities.

 

Currently China owns 60-plus submarines while India has 14 with a leased Russian-made nuclear-powered submarine Nerpa since 2012. The vessel is superior to Chinese submarines since it produces far less noise, said Russian experts. He believes China will not wage a war against India now even though the Chinese fleet has greater combat power than India's. China considers its fleet as a force against America and does not feel threatened by India.

The Z-18F helicopter, China's new anti-submarine weapon

To strengthen the anti-submarine capability of the People's Liberation Army Navy, Z-18F helicopters will likely serve on the Liaoning, the nation's first aircraft carrier, and the Type 071 Yuzhao-class amphibious transport docks, according to a report by the Hangzhou-based Qianjiang Evening News on Aug. 12.

The paper cited a Chinese military website which stated that the Z-18F is likely a modified version of the Z-8F helicopter designed based on the French-built SA 321 Super Frelon. From photos posted online, Chinese military expert Li Xiaojian told the paper that the Z-18F is probably equipped with four eight-tube sonobuoy launchers, allowing the helicopter to carry 32 sonobuoys. A US SH-60 Seahawk, in comparison, is only able to carry 25 sonobuoys, according to Li.

Li also stated that the Z-18F is likely able to carry four 324mm torpedos simultaneously with the two external stores support system it has. Most anti-submarine helicopters designed in Western nations such as the SH-60, the NH-90 and the Super Lynx are only able to carry two torpedoes. Li said, however, that Westland's EH-101 is a better and more advanced anti-submarine platform than the Z-18F.

As the Z-18F helicopter is bulky, weighing 13 tonnes, Li said that none of the destroyers or frigates the PLA Navy currently has in its possession are capable of carrying it, therefore, only large vessels like the Liaoning and the Type 071 amphibious transport dock can carry it.

Li said that there is also another version of the Z-18 helicopter called the Z-18J which is being designed as an early warning aircraft.

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.

PLA Navy would lose 40% of its fleet to sink a US carrier: report

China would have to sacrifice up to 40% of its People's Liberation Army Navy fleet in an attempt to sink a super aircraft carrier like the USS Gerald R Ford in a campaign, according to a report from the Moscow-based Military-Industrial Courier. 

China currently possesses several effective weapons systems that could be used against a US carrier battle group, including its DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missiles and 12 guided-missile destroyers. The country's two Type 051C and six Type 052C destroyers are all equipped with anti-ship missiles such as the YJ-83, C-805 and YJ-62, and they would also pose a serious threat against US carriers within the Asia-Pacific region. In addition, China has purchased four Sovremenny-class destroyers equipped with Moskit SSM P-270 anti-ship missiles from Russia, the report said. 

Aside from the Liaoning, the country's first aircraft carrier, the PLA Navy currently has 15 Type 054A frigates carrying HQ-16 surface-to-air missile within its vertical launching system. With the capability to defend the Chinese fleet against the US carrier-based aircrafts, Type 054A is able to sink enemy vessel with its C-803 anti-ship missile as well. 

If a US carrier battle group were to enter the waters of the Chinese coast, the PLA Navy could also deploy its 10 Type 056 corvettes and 40 Type 022 missile boats to fight in guerrilla warfare at sea against the US Navy, the report said. Both vessels able to launch anti-ship missiles such as YJ-83 and C-803 and the United States Navy would loses 10% of its strength in the region if one of its carriers were to be sunk.

However, the PLA Navy would not be able to sink a US aircraft carrier easily. According to the Forbes magazine, several countermethods have been developed by the US Navy to defend its aircraft carriers from Chinese attacks. While long-range unmanned aerial vehicles are able to destroy Chinese missile facilities, F-35 fighters with a combat range of 200 and 300 nautical miles enables the US ships to fight without entering the Chinese coastline.

The Military-Industrial Courier estimated that between 30%-40% of China's total naval strength would be lost to simply destroy one US carrier. Meanwhile, the biggest weakness for the US Navy in a potential conflict with the PLA Navy would be how to deploy its 11 carriers, 88 surface combat vessels, 55 Littoral Combat Ships and 31 amphibious assault ships to the Western Pacific in a short period of time, the report said.

News Politics PLA's Type 99 tank can be equipped with laser weapons: Russian media

The Type 99 main battle tank of the People's Liberation Army can be equipped with advanced weapon systems such as high-speed armour piercing shell and laser sensor damage weapons, according to the Independent Military Review, a Russian military magazine.

The Type 99's 125mm smoothbore tank guns are similar to those used by the Russian-built T-72M main battle tank, but the Chinese tank encompasses more technology from Israel, the report said. Based on the M711 shell, a 125mm armor piercing, fin stabilized, discarding sabot-tracer imported from Israel, China has developed its own armour piercing shell which can travel even faster in speed.

The Israeli M711 shell can travel 1,700 meters per second with 600mm of armor penetration, while China's new high-speed armour piercing shell is capable of traveling 1,780mm per second, increasing its armor penetration to 850mm. The country's new armour piercing shell makes the 25mm smoothbore tank gun of Type 99 main battle tank 30% more powerful than the German Rheinmetall 120mm tank gun designed for the M1A1 main battle tank of the United States.

Meanwhile, China's latest laser sensor damage weapon can be considered a significant threat to potential adversaries, according to the Independent Military Review. It can be used to destroy the optical instrument of an enemy tank and it is also capable of blinding the crew of enemy tank as well. Type 99 is currently the only main battle tank in the world that can be equipped with such a weapon system, the report added.

Experts dismiss PLA Navy's landing craft from Ukraine as giant toys

 Ukrainian-built hovercraft may be too fast or too big for operations in the South China Sea and Taiwan, say foreign military experts

China's purchase of four of the world's largest military hovercraft, the Zubr-class Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC), from Ukraine for US$3.15 million might have shocked neighbouring countries, but military experts have dismissed them as "giant toys".

Defence ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng confirmed at a press briefing late last month that Beijing had imported an LCAC for the People's Liberation Army Navy.

Geng did not say which fleet would be the first to put the giant Zubr into service, but Xinhua reported that the first LCAC had reached Guangzhou on May 24, raising speculation that it might join the South Sea Fleet, which is responsible for operations in the South China Sea, amid simmering territorial tensions between China and Vietnam and China and the Philippines.

But former Taiwanese defence minister Wu Shih-wen, who patrolled the South China Sea when he was a naval officer between the 1960s and 1980s, said LCACs were not suitable for use in the South China Sea.

"All the islands involved in the territorial disputes between Beijing, Taipei and other Southeast Asian countries are tiny islets, with some even smaller than a ship," he said.

The Tokyo-based Diplomat Magazine said the Zubr is nearly four storeys high with a displacement of 555 tonnes, a range of 300 nautical miles and a top speed of 63 knots. It can remain at sea for five days and has a payload capacity of about 150 tonnes, more than twice that of the LCACs in service in the American and Japanese navies.

Its four compartments can accommodate 10 armoured vehicles and 140 troops, or more than 350 soldiers without armour.

Antony Wong Dong, of the Macau-based International Military Association, said that because of their range and speed limitations, the LCACs would be capable only of playing an important role in amphibious operations against Taiwan and the Diaoyu Islands, with other potential theatres too far away.

"But the Zubr deal was made in 2009, one year after the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang's Ma Ying-jeou was elected as the self-rule island's president," Wong said.

The Zubr was incapable of making a round trip to the Diaoyus, claimed by both Beijing and Tokyo. "The Diaoyus are more than 200 nautical miles from the mainland, but the maximum range of LCACs is just 300 nautical miles, meaning the giant landing ship would need a refuelling ship to follow it."

Japan's air and sea capabilities were stronger than the PLA's, Wong added, and an LCAC approaching the Diaoyus would present a big target that could easily be sunk by Japan.

Wang said the Zubr's top speed of 63 knots and its hovering would stir up large waves and would make it difficult for the PLA's most advanced frigates, capable of between 45 and 60 knots, to stay close to it.

"None of the PLA Navy's military ships could catch up with the Zubr, but compared with a fighter jet, it's much slower," Wong said. "It means the Zubr could be left to fight alone at sea because no one could protect it."

China Radio International said the second LCAC would be built by Feodosiya Shipbuilding in Ukraine, and a second pair of vessels would be built in Chinese shipyards under the supervision of Ukrainian technicians.

Professor Arthur Ding Shu-fan, secretary general of the Taipei-based Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies, said the Zubr could become a training platform for the PLA Navy during island landing drills.

"The practical utility of LCACs, especially the large Zubr, is limited, although it could help perfect the fighting capability of the PLA's marines," he said, adding that the first Zubr could be used as a training platform like China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning. "As a new weapon, it will take time for the PLA Navy to come up with a new mode of operation to let the Zubr integrate into their system too."

Shanghai-based naval expert Ni Lexiong said military means were not China's first choice to solve territorial disputes in the East and South China seas, but the Zubr deal could pose a "military threat" to countries involved in territorial disputes with Beijing. "I think we will not have too many LCACs due to their limited utility … but as a rising maritime power, China needs LCACs like the Zubr to perfect its naval arsenal," he said.

China's navy forms 1st carrier-borne jet force

A carrier-borne aviation force has been formally established as part of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, military sources said on Friday.

The forming of the force, approved by the Central Military Commission (CMC), demonstrates that the development of China's aircraft carriers has entered a new phase, the sources said.

The force comprises carrier-borne fighter jets, jet trainers and ship-borne helicopters that operate anti-submarine, rescue and vigilance tasks.

The sources said the carrier-borne force is vital to the strike force of China's aircraft carrier and a vanguard in transforming its navy. It will also play a key role in developing aircraft carrier groups and building a strong navy.

Wu Shengli, a member of the CMC and commander of the PLA Navy, attended the forming event on Friday.

The sources said the personnel of the force are more elite than the aviation forces within the PLA. To be able to fly fighter jets, the pilots should have flown at least five types of aircraft and their flight time must exceed 1,000 hours.

Rich experience in joint drills and major drills is also a prerequisite. The pilots also received training in courses like warship theory, nautical basics, and maritime meteorology.

Currently, China operates one aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, which was refitted based on an unfinished Russian-made carrier and delivered to the Navy on Sept. 25, 2012.

The carrier's original design allows it to carry about 30 fixed-wing aircraft.

The Liaoning has conducted successful take-off and landing tests of its carrier-borne J-15 fighters, the main strike force of China's carrier group.