Chinese pilots in Russia for air force competition

Xinhua News Agency July 21, 2014 7:00am
Chinese pilots in Russia for air force competition


BEIJING, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Pilots from China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force have arrived in Russia for the Aviadarts-2014 air force competition.

The event, slated from July 22 to July 28, will see Chinese pilots fly three Su-30 fighters and compete with their international counterparts over flying abilities and air-to-surface combat skills among other areas.

Yu Hejie, a commanding officer with the PLA Air Force, said China's participation in the event showcases the mutual strategic trust and pragmatic cooperation between Chinese and Russian militaries.

Shen Jinke, PLA Air Force spokesman, also said that the force wishes to enhance exchanges with pilots from other countries through participation in the competition.

He added that military cooperation between China and Russia would not target any third party.

The very model of a modern Tajik police SWAT team member.

Hey if those PR photos can improve racial harmony, why not?

HQ-16 SAM in Tibet.

Back in May 2014, it was reported that the new HQ-16 has been deployed to Tibet for the first time during an anti-air drill., unfortunately the participating military unit was not spelled out..   Fast forward three months and now it is confirmed that the hosting unit was the 651st Independent Air Defense Brigade, organic to the Tibet MD.   Yup, that means the HQ-16 is here to stay.

Friday, May 02, 2014

Photos of the day: HQ-16A in Tibet

Not sure this is a one-time proof of concept or a permanent deployment.

Friday, June 15, 2012

HQ-16A in Shanghai

This CCTV report shows a militia managed ammunition depot offloading HQ-16A launchers to the near by Shanghai Garrison.   This is to suggest that after the 38th and 39th Group Army, the Shanghai Garrison is also be protected by HQ-16A

Sunday, March 11, 2012

HQ-16A spotted in service with the 1st Battalion, 4th Air Defense Brigade, 38th Group Army.

Replacing the old HQ-61, which never enjoyed large-scale deployment

Old HQ61 SAM

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Land Based HQ16 VLS SAM has entered service, confirmed by Chinese media

New surface to air missile ready for action: PLA

http://www.globaltimes.cn/NEWS/tabid/99/ID/677362/New-surface-to-air-missile-ready-for-action-PLA.aspx


Global Times | September 28, 2011 03:40
By Xu Tianran Share


Official military media for the first time acknowledged Monday that China's new land-based mid-range Surface to Air Missile (SAM) system has reached operational capability. Military observers say that deployment of this missile system will boost China's air defense capability.

The new SAM system, dubbed by foreign media as the Hongqi-16, or Red Flag-16, has been delivered to an air defense unit in the Shenyang Military Region.

In a recent drill, two HQ-16 missiles fired by the unit successfully hit their aerial targets, the official website of the People's Liberation Army Daily reported Monday.

As well as being able to engage aerial targets at high altitude, the mid-range HQ-16 is also able to intercept very low-flying targets at a distance of up to about 40 kilometers, filling the gap between the HQ-7 short-range SAM and the HQ-9 long-range SAM systems, Lan Yun, editor of Modern Ships, a Beijing-based military magazine, told the Global Times.

According to Modern Navy, the official magazine of the PLA Navy, the naval variant of the missile system, which has been fitted on Type 054A frigates, can intercept sea-skimming missiles that fly less than 10 meters above the sea surface.

In modern air attacks, large numbers of land-attack cruise missiles, such as the US Tomahawk missile, are being used, Lan said. "They fly about 50 meters above the ground to avoid early radar warning and interception attempts," he added.

But the current mid-range SAM missile system HQ-12 can only engage targets that fly 300 meters above ground, according to the promotion brochure of its export version, called the KS-1A system.

"Besides the low-altitude engagement capability, the HQ-16 is also more accurate than the HQ-12. The deployment of the land-based HQ-16 can greatly enhance the mainland's capability to counter modern air attacks," Lan said.

The Chinese are coming

Four Type96A and an AEV from a Nanjing Military Region unit arrives  in Alabino for the international tank biathlon championships taking place there.

PLAN decommission of the day: LongMarch 1 (Han class SSN 401)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-10/29/c_132841180.htm
China decommissions 1st nuclear submarine
English.news.cn   2013-10-29 15:06:39   

BEIJING, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- China has decommissioned its first nuclear-powered submarine after more than 40 years of service in the military, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Daily reported Tuesday.

The submarine's nuclear devices have been properly disposed of and scientists have decontaminated the warehouse where nuclear items were stored during the past 40 years.

The submarine will be used as an exhibit after it is released from military service, according to the newspaper.

China's first nuclear-powered submarine, the Long March No. 1, was launched in 1970. It was commissioned to the PLA navy in 1974.

The Long March 1 belongs to the Han Class nuclear-powered submarine(Type 091), which was produced based on technologies of the 1950s and 1960s and has short range weapons.

With a displacement of 5,000 tons, the class is usually equipped with six torpedo tubes.

Build Your Own Conspiracy Theory Of The Day: Chinese delegation right in front of a Lavi-prototype, mid 1980s.

CCTV capture of the day: PLAN SL-1 SLBM

Rare pictures of test failure in 1982, a successful launch was carried out a few days later

 -- =GT