Friday, September 28, 2007
Chinese warships in Sydney for first Sino-Australian exercises
SYDNEY (AFP) — Two Chinese warships arrived in Sydney Friday ahead of the first joint military exercises between Australia and the Asian nation, with officials saying more operations were planned.
Australian defence minister Brendan Nelson said next week's joint exercises involving the Australian, Chinese and New Zealand navies signalled closer military cooperation between Beijing and Canberra.
"At this stage I would expect that primarily we would be looking at naval exercises but we will also be having discussions between our air force and obviously our army," Nelson told reporters.
"Some of those discussions have already commenced," he added as he welcomed the guided-missile destroyer Haebin and supply ship Hongzehu into Sydney Harbour.
While the United States has expressed concerns about China's increasing military muscle, Nelson said the joint exercises showed Beijing recognised it needed to be open and transparent about its growing capability.
"I think if people are looking for evidence of increased efforts by Chinese military and political leadership for transparency, look no further than the visit by these two Chinese warships to Australia and the fact that we'll be doing joint exercises with our navy and New Zealand," he said.
The three navies will conduct joint search and rescue exercises next week in the Tasman Sea.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Chinese President Hu Jintao agreed at a meeting of Asia-Pacific leaders in Sydney earlier this month to hold annual security summits.
At the same time Australia, which has strong trade ties with China, sought to assure Beijing that new trilateral security talks it has entered into with Japan and the United States are not aimed at isolating China.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
By Leithen Francis
Shaanxi Aircraft and Antonov are establishing a Beijing engineering centre to work on the Shaanxi Y8-F600 and an updated version of the Y-5 transport aircraft as well as a new 30t and 60t cargo aircraft.
The Shaanxi-made Y8-F600 is a medium-sized freighter derivative of the Antonov An-12 and the Y-5, made by Shijiazhuang Aircraft Industries, is a derivative of the Antonov An-2.
Liang Zhenhe, a vice-president Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC) II, the parent company of both Shaanxi and Shijiazhuang, says the first Y8-F600 was scheduled to be built in time for first flight this year, but the schedule has been delayed by 12 months to make improvements and modifications to the design with the help of Antonov.
Liang says AVIC II, with the help of the new engineering centre in Beijing, also plans to develop two new cargo aircraft.
One will be a standard freighter with a take-off weight of 30t and the other will be a four-engine freighter that can land and take off from land and water and has a take-off weight of 60t, he says.
Liang says following last month's fires in Greece, China's government decided to develop the 60t freighter for firefighting missions.
He also says the new engineering centre in Beijing will be helping AVIC II in its bid to get a share of the work on China's new large commercial passenger aircraft programme.
China's State Council decided in February that the country will make large commercial aircraft seating at least 150 passengers and that AVIC I and II will each work on the programme.
The government has yet to decide what AVIC I and II will be doing, but Liang confirms AVIC II has had discussions with Russian engine maker NPO Saturn about developing a powerplant for the large commercial aircraft.
But he adds these discussions are only preliminary and he says AVIC II has also spoken to Western aircraft engine manufacturers.
By Leithen Francis
Shaanxi Aircraft has again delayed the roll-out of its Y-9 medium transport as a result of ongoing design changes, but expects to deliver its first production example to the Chinese military in 2009, says company vice-president Liu Bin.
"We have slowed down the development speed of this aircraft to redesign a lot of new things," said Liu during the 19-22 September Aviation Expo in Beijing. Improved avionics and an "integrated display panel" are among the new technologies being incorporated with the Y-9, he said, adding: "we want to make sure the aircraft is perfect."
Shaanxi originally planned to fly the Y-9 - a stretched development of its Y-8F commercial freighter - in 2006, but late last year extended its development schedule into 2007 due to what it described as "small changes" to the aircraft's design (Flight International, 14-20 November 2006).
Liu said the Y-9's first flight is now set to take place during 2008, and revealed that Beijing has already agreed to order the type for delivery from 2009. He declined to reveal how many of the aircraft will be acquired, however, noting that negotiations are continuing.
To be powered by four Chinese-built Wojiang FWJ-6C engines driving six-bladed JL-4 composite propellers, the tail ramp-equipped Y-9 will be capable of carrying a 20t cargo, including land vehicles and other equipment. The transport can also be configured with 106 troop seats, 72 stretchers or to deploy paratroopers, says Shaanxi.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Chinese naval vessels and French naval vessels take part in a joint exercise in the Mediterranean Sea, Sept. 25, 2007. The Chinese naval vessel formation of guided-missile destroyer "Guangzhou" and its supply ship "Weishanhu" attended the joint exercise with the French Navy, code-named "China-France Friendship 2007," in the Mediterranean Sea Tuesday, on the Chinese vessels' way back home after their 87-day four-nation European tour.
Toulon, France, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Naval forces of China and France conducted a joint military exercise in the Mediterranean Sea on Tuesday.
The "China-France Friendship 2007" drill in the Mediterranean Sea off the southern French port city of Toulon was the first of its kind between the two navies in the Mediterranean.
The five-phase exercise focused on joint search and rescue operations. It aimed to improve cooperation between the two navies to improve their ability to cope with unconventional security threats.
The exercise was conducted shortly after two Chinese naval vessels, the guided missile destroyer Guangzhou and supply ship Weishanhu, wrapped up an 87-day European tour that took them to Russia, Britain, Spain and France.
Major General Su Zhiqian, deputy commander of the South China Sea Fleet of the Chinese Navy and commander of the two Chinese naval vessels, said after the exercise that the goodwill visit and the military exercise had helped deepen the military exchange and cooperation between the two countries, explored ways to jointly respond to unconventional security threats and boosted their capability to deal with a security crises.
On Tuesday morning the two Chinese vessels sailed out of Toulon, the last stop on a voyage of 23,000 nautical miles on which they also called at Russia's St. Petersburg, Britain's Portsmouth, and Spain's Cadiz.
After the exercise, the two Chinese vessels were to return home.
Not too sure, but I think this has something to do with Taiwan
It was on September 20 in a sea area of the Yellow Sea: a number of Army vessels carrying tanks, artilleries and personnel were seen racing towards the beach at full speed…. This is a description of a fabulous scene of a sea battle support drill staged by the Army vessel troops.
For the vessel troops of the Army and Air Force, recent years have been busily occupied by making great endeavors to boost the transformations from independent support to joint support, from regional support to trans-regional remote support and from mere on-water support to integrated water-land support, thus realizing the leap from transportation service support to maritime mobile operation.
For the sake of making proactive study and improvement of the training contents and methods, various vessel troop units often sail to different sea areas to step up navigation training under such complex and adverse conditions as navigating at night, in fogs and amid reefs and islands.
The vessel troop units also organize task forces time and again to conduct sea-crossing exercise against actual war background with the focus being placed on exercises of maritime transportation and the loading and unloading of heavy armaments. Besides, they have likewise stepped up the trainings on formation swimming, maritime defense and rush repair and rescue. In recent years, the vessel troops of the Army and Air Force have fared first-class in joint operational exercises involving various services and arms by accomplishing their tasks with flying colors.
By Wang Tongguang and Liu Mingxue
(Sept 26, PLA Daily)
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Japanese to attend China drill for first time
BEIJING, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Japanese observers will attend a military drill in northeastern China on Tuesday for the first time, Chinese media reported, in the latest sign of warming ties between the neighbours and former foes.
A Japanese staff officer and a defence attache to China would attend the "Warrior 2007" exercise, in what Chinese Defence Ministry official Qian Lihua called a "tangible measure" of strengthening military cooperation.
"There will be more partnership in defence and security between Japan and China," the China Daily newspaper quoted Qian as saying.
The news comes on the day the Japanese parliament installed Yasuo Fukuda, an advocate of closer ties with Japan's Asian neighbours, as prime minister.
China welcomed his election.
"We express congratulations that Mr Fukuda will take up the post of prime minister," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular news conference.
"We stand ready to press ahead with a relationship of mutual benefit and to push forward bilateral relations and cooperation to develop along a stable and healthy track," she said.
Japan invaded and occupied parts of China from 1931 to 1945, and relations are still overshadowed by animosities stemming from the Imperial Army's wartime atrocities.
Any warming of Sino-Japanese military ties would be sure to catch the attention of self-ruled Taiwan, a former Japanese colony which China's Communist authorities claim as a breakaway province.
Japan's participation in a U.S.-led ballistic missile shield in the region has sparked criticism in China, while Beijing's annual rises in military spending have caused concern in Tokyo.
But Chinese Defence Minister Cao Gangchuan went to Japan in August in the first such visit in nearly a decade, when he invited the observers.
"China's military transparency has been increasing, though we still hope it will become more transparent," the newspaper quoted Japanese staff officer Okimura Yoshihiko as saying.
The exercise, in the Shenyang Military Area, involves more than 10,000 troops from a motorised rifle division and is aimed at improving the People's Liberation Army's battle readiness.
Military officers from 35 countries have been invited to the drill, the newspaper said.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Another Yuan class? latest photo from Wuhan.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
13 hours ago
BEIJING (AFP) — The Chinese military has begun a two-day drill testing a system that provides commanders real-time battlefield data, signalling the continued modernisation of the nation's massive armed forces.
The exercise is part of an ambitious effort to improve military information collection systems, one of the main shortfalls of the otherwise rapidly modernising People's Liberation Army, the Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.
"We are trying to catch up with the advanced countries. It's a very complicated system, as it involves every military unit," Xu Guangyu, a retired Chinese general, told AFP.
"I think we need at least ten years to catch up with the world's most sophisticated nations," he said.
The drill, dubbed "North Sword 0709", was carried out at the Zhurihe training base in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the nation's largest military training field, Xinhua said.
Each of the 2,000 participating soldiers is equipped with an electronic device constantly beaming information back to headquarters about battlefield conditions, Xinhua reported.
This allows commanding officers to have precise information at any time about ammunition levels, food consumption and casualties among units under their command, according to the agency.
"The system could let us know the exact conditions our troops are under in combat... and when we should support them with logistics," said Zhang Jixiang, a senior officer taking part in the manoeuvre.
This particular effort targets an area of modern military technology aimed at enhancing what is known in the specialist literature as "battlefield awareness," said Robert Karniol, a Bangkok-based independent military analyst.
"The better commanders know what's happening on the battlefield, the better they can apply their resources, whether in people or in firepower or in mobility or in logistics support," he said.
No outside observer knows for sure when China decided to improve its capabilities in this particular field.
However, it is widely accepted that the first Gulf War of early 2001, showing off the immense superiority of the tech-savvy US armed forces, was a milestone in Chinese thinking on the issue.
"You can say with some certainty that the first Gulf War accelerated the process," said Karniol.
China's 2.3-million-strong military has seen its 2007 budget rise 17.8 percent from last year, and is now going for quality rather than quantity.
It is focusing considerable attention on the need to adopt high technology as means to enhance its battle efficiency, apparently with some success.
Recently, reports suggested that hackers from the People's Liberation Army had caused a shutdown of a computer system serving the office of US Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
Similar hacker attacks linked to the Chinese military have been reported by other western countries as well.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Breaking 10-year silence, China reveals it’s now No 1 arms supplier to Bangladesh
Pranab Dhal Samanta
Pakistan remains big buyer, but from artillery systems to missiles, combat aircraft to guns and ammo, Dhaka now tops China ’s list of importers; India ’s only export: six anti-aircraft guns to Lanka in ‘05
NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 8: While Islamabad remains Beijing ’s traditional business partner when it comes to weapons and military equipment, it’s Dhaka that’s emerging as the prime buyer of weapons made in China .
This has been revealed for the first time in 10 years when last week, China submitted a report on its exports and imports of major conventional arms for year 2006 to the United Nations.
And outside South Asia, Africa is China ’s new destination for weapons supplies.
This has implications for India . Given that the military holds the levers of power in both Pakistan and now Bangladesh , too, China ’s weapons trade brings a new dimension to India ’s engagement with its two neighbours.
India’s only defence export between 2000 and 2005 has been the sale of six L-70 anti-aircraft guns to Sri Lanka two years ago. New Delhi never openly admitted to this — wary of domestic political repercussions — but has indicated it in its annual submission to the UN Register of Conventional Arms.
The seven categories on which this reporting is done are battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large-calibre artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships (including submarines) as well as missiles and missile-launchers.
According to its declaration to the UN, China has sold 65 large-calibre artillery systems, 16 combat aircraft and 114 missile and related equipment to Bangladesh last year.
A scrutiny of Bangladesh ’s report to the UN also confirms the growing profile of China as its major arms supplier over the last three years.
The 65 artillery systems shown as exports to Bangladesh in China ’s report are further sub divided in Dhaka ’s import list: 18 122-mm Howitzers and 16 rocket launchers. In 2005, 20 122-mm guns were imported from China .
Besides this, some 200 small arms like pistols and sub-machine guns have been imported along with regular 82-mm mortars.
Interestingly, the other keen supplier to Bangladesh is Pakistan which sold 169 anti-tank Bakhtar Shikan missiles to Bangladesh in 2004.
China’s 1996 record shows that its principal buyers were Pakistan and Iran, which purchased five warships, five combat aircraft and over 100 missiles and missile launchers. A decade later, the profile has changed with Pakistan (10 battle tanks) still on the list as a traditional importer of Chinese equipment. Bangladesh tops the list and the rest of the concentration is in Africa .
China has sold four armoured combat vehicles to Congo , six to Gabon and two to Tanzania . Six combat aircraft each have been exported to Namibia and Zimbabwe . Outside Africa, the one-time large export is to Jordan of 150 large calibre artillery systems.
A decade ago, China stopped providing this information to the UN because US had mentioned Taiwan in a footnote while explaining some of its exports.
An angry China had then remarked that the UN register is a “register of legitimate transfers” and that Taiwan being a “ province of China ”, any arms transfer between US and Taiwan is “illegitimate”.
With US deciding, of late, to no longer make such a mention in its reports, Beijing last week took a decision to file the arms transfer report as well as tell UN about its military spending.
“In light of the fact that a certain country has stopped providing data on its illegal arms sales to the Taiwan province of China to the UN Register of Conventional Arms, China decides to resume providing annually the data of its imports and exports of conventional arms in the seven categories to the Register from this year,” the Chinese representative in Geneva told relevant UN bodies.
As for its own purchases, China indicates importing two warships from Russia and a little over 1500 missile and missile launching equipment from Russia and Ukraine . There are no other imports in any of the other categories.
*** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. It is being made available without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance their understanding of arms trade activities, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
For more information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
1st Amphibious Mechanized Infantry Division is now equipped with AAAV, confirmed by this CCTV report.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Here is a good recap of Russian SAMs in PLA service.
Both long-range and short-range Russian air defense complexes are popular exports. Those exports almost doubled last year, and now the Almaz Antey plant is working at full capacity, including the production of the S-400 Triumph system for the Russian Defense Ministry. Russia's military exports have increased every year since the late 1990s, keeping Russia in second place on the world arms market. Air defense systems were last among Russian arms exports all those years, in spite of repeated claims by officials that their sales would be picking up. Then last year it really happened. Air defense accounted for 9.2 percent of military exports last year, worth $600 million, up from 5.1 percent and $310 million in 2005.
If the Pantsir-S1 complex is put into mass production, Russian air defense exports may grow to $1-1.5 billion annually on a world market of $5-6 billion. Experts say that the air operations that have distinguished warfare in the last decade are an indication of the low capability of land-based air defenses. That, in turns, guarantees the eternal popularity of fighter jets.
The main Russian air defense products on the world market are the S-300PMU family of complexes, with a range of up to 200 km. and strike elevation of up to 27 km., and the Tor-M1 family, with a range of 12 km. and strike elevation of 6 km. China is the main customer for the S-300. Beijing signed contracts for about $1.14 billion for the purchase of 12 divisions of S-300PMU in 1996 and 2001, thanks to which several plants were kept running. Those contracts were followed by orders in 2004 and 2006 for a total of 16 divisions of S-300PMU-2 Favorite for $2 billion. Delivery on those orders will begin this year. Finally, China paid $200 million for two complexes of the naval adaptation of the system, the S-300F Reef, for installation on its 052C cruisers.
Other purchases for the 300 series have been Cyprus (two divisions of the S-300PMU-1 in 1997 for $230 million, relocated to Crete after an ultimatum from Turkey), Vietnam (two divisions of the S-300PMU-1 in 2003 for $230 million), Kazakhstan (a contract was signed in 2000 for the delivery of eight divisions in exchange for property removed at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union) and Belarus (four divisions of S-300PS from the stock of the Russian Armed Forces with delivery beginning in April 2006).
Algeria signed a package of contracts in April of this year for weapons deliveries worth about $8 billion that included four divisions of S-300-PMU-2 and 38 Pantsir-S1 complexes. Libya may become a customer for the S-300PMU-2 in the future and rumors of possible sales of the system to Syria and Iran have long been circulating on the market.
Export of the S-400 generation may begin soon. The United Arab Emirates expressed interest in the new system in 2002. No contract has been signed yet, but consultations are ongoing. Another major purchaser of S-300 and possibly S-400 systems may be India. Experts say that country could place defense orders of $5 billion or more. The first S-400 division in Russia went on duty this month in Elektrostal, outside Moscow.
The Tor-M1 is another successful Almaz Antey product overseas. China was the first customer for it, signing contracts in 1996 and 1999 to take delivery of 27 Tor complexes for a total of about $900 million. Greece bought 31 Tor-M1 in 1998 and 2000 for $860 million. Several of those Tor systems, along with Os systems, were placed on Cyprus this year t replace the S-300PMU-1 systems moved to Crete.
After that, that was a five-year period without any Tor sales, which ended in 2005 with the announcement of the purchase by Iran of 29 Tor complexes (probably for $800 million), mainly to defend the Bushehr atomic energy station being built by Russia. Washington reacted notably calmly to that deal. The Tor would be incapable of striking high-flying American jet carrying cruise missiles. Four Tor-M1 complexes were delivered to Egypt in 2005 under an agreement to modernize that country's outdated missile forces.
Twelve Tor-M1 systems that Greece did not buy under option were purchased by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in January of this year. Libya and Saudi Arabia have also expressed interest in the Tor. Analysts say that a new model with a range of 15 km. would be more successful on the market.
The Russian middle-range Buk complex has seen little demand on the world market in recent years. In 1996-1997, 18 Buk complexes were delivered to Finland as payment of the Soviet Union's debt to that country. Since then, Rosoboronexport has advertised the Buk-M1-2 at all international arms exhibitions, but without success. The problem with sales lies in the great reliability of the previous model, the Square (export version of the 2K12 Cube), which remains in use in more than 20 countries.
Almaz Antey has announced that a sales breakthrough for the Buk was made at the end of last year. Experts suggest that the customer was Egypt, since Cairo had expressed interest in updating its Squares as well. It seems the first stage in that upgrade was the direct delivery of a lot of Buk-M2E complexes. Russia has thus returned to a market it lost in the 1970s that the United States has dominated since then. Libya and Malaysia are also considering Buk purchases. Demand for the Buk remains soft, however. Experts note that the system is relatively expensive.
Almaz Antey has a competitor within Russia for the production of air defense systems. That is the KBP Instrument Design Bureau federal state unitary enterprise in Tula, which was not included in the Almaz Antey holding because it also manufactures other types of weapon. KBP's Pantsir-S1 short-range air defense system is a serious competitor to the Tor-M1. The Pantsir is only at the testing test at present, but major contracts for it have been signed with the UAR (50 complexes), Syria (36) and Algeria (38). The Russian Air Force will buy more than 100 of them when testing is completed. Experts say KBP will be running at full capacity through 2011-2012 with those orders and was even forced to turn down an order from Venezuela for them. A naval version of the Pantsir may also be developed.
All the Article in Russian as of Aug. 23, 2007
Some UN related news.
www.chinaview.cn 2007-09-17 22:26:35 Print
RABAT, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Major General Zhao Jingmin took office Monday in Western Sahara's capital Laayoun as force commander of the United Nations mission for the referendum in the former Spanish colony (MINURSO).
Zhao, who succeeded General Kurt Mosgaard of Denmark, is the first Chinese officer to be appointed by the UN as a peacekeeping force commander.
"The appointment has shown the UN's trust in the capability of a Chinese military officer and the appreciation of China's 17 years of active participation in UN peacekeeping missions," Zhao told Xinhua by telephone.
Zhao had been a senior officer at the Office of Peacekeeping Affairs in China's National Defense Ministry since October 2003. From 1996 to 1997 he served as a liaison officer with the UN Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM). He also served in MINURSO as a military observer from September 1991 to June 1992.
Western Sahara, a mostly desert region, is located on the northwest African Atlantic coast. Morocco, who currently controls Western Sahara, and the Algeria-backed Popular Front for the Liberation of Western Sahara had fought a war over the territory for more than a decade in the last century.
In 1991, the UN peacekeeping force, MINURSO, was set up to monitor the ceasefire between the two sides and organize a referendum on the future of Western Sahara.
However, the referendum has been delayed due to serious disagreements between the warring parties and the mandate of MINURSO has been renewed repeatedly.
Currently, MINURSO consists of more than 220 military observers,12 of whom are Chinese. Since the mission's foundation 16 years ago, 14 peacekeepers have died in the line of duty.
Thanks Dylan for the highline
+ -
10:58, September 16, 2007
A Chinese peacekeeping unit will be deployed in Sudan's Darfur region in early October, an official with Ministry of National Defence said on Saturday.
The unit consists of 315 people. They are divided into three engineer platoons, one well sinking platoon and one field hospital, Dai Shao'an, vice director of the peacekeeping affairs office with the ministry, told Xinhua.
On invitation of the UN Security Council, the unit was founded on 13 June in the Jinan Military Command of the People's Liberation Army and has been trained for multi-functional engineering troop.
The unit will fly to join a UN hybrid international peacekeeping force for Darfur.
Their main responsibility is to build roads and bridges and dig wells to prepare for the deployment of the hybrid international forces for Darfur.
The unit has been equipped with 145 vehicles including bulldozers, grabs and other constructing facilities as well as 315 small arms, said the vice director.
The engineers have been provided with necessary training and education of the UN constitutions, international laws and English language to fulfil the peacekeeping mission in Darfur.
Source: Xinhua
Friday, September 14, 2007
September 10, 2007 9:37 a.m. EST
Komfie Manalo - AHN News Writer
Manila, Philippines (AHN) - The Chinese government on Monday donated brand new engineering equipment to the Philippine military. It is for use in humanitarian projects in the war-torn southern Philippines.
Chinese military attaché to Manila, Liu Zhongxiang said the donation represents the "good relationship and mutual trust" between the armed forces of China and the Philippines. The donated equipment include bulldozers and graders.
But Liu said China is scheduled to donate more military equipment to the Philippines. The donation also marks the improving relations between the China and the Philippines, a long-time U.S. ally.
Several years ago, the Philippines and China were engaged in minor confrontations over claims to the Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea.
"This military assistance is important... in re-establishing the mutual trust between our two countries," Liu said.
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7008468581
trafffic jam, PLAAF style. Don't you just hate that?
From PLAdaily. WIG is now in service with the PLA
解放军列装首艘江湖地效型边防巡逻艇
来源:中国军网 作者:葛连会摄影
近日，我军第一艘用于界江湖巡逻执勤的地效型边防巡逻艇在某边防巡逻艇大队列装。图为该艇在兴凯湖首次下水巡逻执勤。
名词解释：
地效飞行器(亦称地效翼船、地效飞机、飞翼船)是一种在水面低空飞行的新型交通运输工具。它贴水飞行，使升阻比高于飞机，产生除了普通意义上的升力之外 的“地(水)面效应力”；发动机前置，将喷气流导入翼下，产生垫升力，提高起飞抗浪适航性。从贴水飞行、高升阻比、具有垫升力和地效力的特性，导出一系列 使用上的优越性能：
1.安全性：地效飞行器在距离水面1～6米的高度低空飞行，一旦出现紧急情况，可随时在水面降落，安全性高。
2.经济性：地效飞行器的升阻比高，因此可获得更大的承载能力和经济性。其设计与制造对可靠性的要求、建设费用均比飞机低，售价约为同级飞机的50% ～60%。地效飞行器在水面起降，不占用宝贵的土地资源，并可节省大量的机场和跑道建设费用，其通讯、导航、空地勤保障条件要求也较低，运营成本明显低于 飞机。
3.高速性：地效飞行器的速度为每小时120～550公里，是船舶的数倍至数十倍。
4.舒适性：地效飞行器在水面以上飞行，不直接受海浪冲击，所以颠簸程度比船舶小得多，也没有高空强气流造成的颠簸。舱内噪音程度与大型客机相当。
5.适航性：地效飞行器不受空中管制的限制，出航方便。它使用起来机动性好，耐波性强，适航性高。由于地效飞行器吃水深度很小，又可在水面随处起飞和降 落，因此它可以到达一般船舶和飞机难以到达的岛屿和水域。除了水面之外，地效飞行器还可以在平坦的冰雪原、草原、滩涂、沼泽上飞行。
6.隐蔽性：地效飞行器可在超低空地面雷达的盲区飞行，不易被敌方发现，更难以实施瞄准攻击。可以说，地效飞行器是人类的新发明，是继车辆、船舶、飞机 之后的第四大交通运输工具，凭借其独特的性能优势获得了诸如“航空母舰的撒手锏”、“电子战的运载平台”、“突击登陆的理想工具”、“海上救援流动医 院”、“海上超低空新作战空间”等等的美称。
http://www.dawn.com/2007/09/14/int2.htm
September 14, 2007
France cautioned over missiles sale to Pakistan
PARIS, Sept 13: A respected defence publication has cautioned the French government against the sale to Pakistan of missiles and radar for a fighter plane that it is developing jointly with China, saying such a sale would carry a risk of the technology falling into Chinese hands, circumventing a European arms embargo on China.
Islamabad has been talking to Paris about getting air-to-air missiles from the MBDA company and radars from Thales for its JF-17 fighter, the magazine said.
Those missiles and similar radars also equip Taiwan’s French-built Mirage fighters, defences that could be compromised if Pakistan transfers the technology to China, according to Jane’s.
If Pakistan lets Chinese engineers look at the technology, then such a sale would also circumvent an EU ban on arms sales to China that has been in place since the Chinese military crackdown on protesters in 1989.
Experts say that embargo is increasingly porous and France has previously lobbied for it to be lifted.
New French President Nicolas Sarkozy, elected in May, has yet to say where he stands on the issue, but may do so when he visits China later this year, his spokesman David Martinon said on Thursday.
Jane’s cited unnamed Russian and Chinese sources as saying the French sale to Pakistan is ‘’likely’’ to go ahead.
Repeated calls over two days and e-mailed questions from The Associated Press to the office of French Prime Minister Francois Fillon went unanswered.
Asked about the report, France’s Defence Minister Herve Morin replied: ‘’To my knowledge, there is no arms embargo for Pakistan.’’
He noted that France has a system of controls on arms exports and referred further questions to the prime minister’s office.
Without confirming that talks with Pakistan are under way, defence ministry spokesman Laurent Teisseire said: ‘’We have no reason not to cooperate with Pakistan on its leading projects.’’
He dismissed concerns of any possible technology leak to China, citing arms control measures that would be part of any such sale.
A spokesman for MBDA, Pierre Bayle, at first said: ‘’There is a competition to equip the Pakistani local-built fighter, this is an open competition. MBDA is in the competition, with other competitors’’ from the United States and South Africa.
But the next day, Bayle retracted that, saying he had been given inaccurate information and that there was no formal bidding process under way.
’’There might be preparatory discussions, there might be a market opening, we are always interested,’’ he said.
A spokesman for Thales, Markus Leutert, said: ‘’We are not commenting on any ongoing bids or unsigned contracts.’’
Alexander Neill, head of the Asia program at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies in England, said he anticipated a ‘’quite vicious’’ reaction from the United States if France proceeds with a sale.
He said concerns that China could get its hands on the technology were ‘’valid.’’’’Pakistan is building a very solid relationship with China,’’ he said.
Jointly funded and developed by Pakistan and China since 1999, the JF-17 made its maiden flight in September 2003.
On a visit to the fighter’s Chinese manufacturer in February last year, President Pervez Musharraf hailed the project as ‘’a major leap forward’’ in China-Pakistan cooperation.
A chance to look at the French technology could allow China to counter it, possibly affecting the delicate military balance between China and Taiwan, said Paul Smyth, head of Aerospace Studies at the Royal United Services Institute.
’’If one side knows a lot about the technical capabilities of the other, and you know that because you’ve actually got your hands on a radar or a piece of avionics, or a missile seeker head or some other operationally significant piece of kit, then you are very well placed to dissect it, look at how it works, decide how best to counter it ... so there’s no doubt that having access to that would be significant,’’ he said.—AP
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
it should come as no surprise that there is a command variant.
Monday, September 10, 2007
New Intelligent gathering ship launched in Wuchang for North Sea Fleet
Friday, September 07, 2007
Beijing Offers Manila New Helicopters
By WENDELL MINNICK, TAIPEI
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=3017976&C=asiapac
China is offering to sell the Philippines military eight Harbin Z-9 utility helicopters to help replace aging Bell UH-1H helicopters from the 1970s. Philippines government officials have acknowledged an interest in the Z-9 and another unidentified Chinese-made utility helicopter.
Military-to-military relations between the countries have been improving steadily since 2004, when Beijing and Manila began a security dialogue. Recently, China donated $2.5 million in engineering equipment and an additional $2 million in direct military aid.
The Philippines has about 38 UH-1Hs and a mix of other helicopters, including a small number of Sikorsky S-70s and S-76s, and Bell 205s, 214s and 412s. Additional helicopters would help the military control the insurgency in the south against communist and radical Islamic rebel groups.
The Philippines is currently accepting bids for eight attack helicopters for an estimated $25.8 million contract. McDonnell Douglas, AgustaWestland and an unnamed Polish company are competing for the contract.
Related link: http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=3017976&C=asiapac
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Rostvertol delivers MI-26TC to China
A Russian crew is flying the helicopter. Pilot in command – honored pilot-instructor of the Russian Federation V. V. Maksimov.
MI-26TC
On the 3-rd of September the most heaviest-lifting Mi-26TC helicopter flew out from Rostov-on-Don (Russia) for Harbin (China). It took off at the airdrome of Rostvertol plc, where this rotorcraft was created. During the ferry flight, which will last 6 days, the Mi-26TC shall land in Samara, Novosibirsk, Chelyabinsk, Irkutsk, and Chita.
A Russian crew is flying the helicopter. Pilot in command – honored pilot-instructor of the Russian Federation V. V. Maksimov.
The multipurpose helicopter is flying to Harbin in the frames of the signed last year contract with Lectern Aviation Company on hand-over of the Mi-26TC (where T –transport, C – certified) for a 3-years lease term. The heaviest-lifting in the world helicopter, capable to transport cargo weighing up to 20 tons inside the cargo cabin or on the external sling, will be used for the first time in China for firefighting and installation of electric power lines. At present this project is been actively realized.
As soon as the Mi-26TC helicopter arrives to China it will perform demonstration flights for showing its capabilities. These flights will be viewed by high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Forestry of China, Army Aviation, representatives of such large companies as China Flying Dragon Special Aviation (operator of the helicopter), China national Electricity Grid Construction Ltd (deal with installation of electric power lines), China Eastern Airline Special Aviation (deal with freight).
Works on preparing this contract began more than a year ago. As a result, last year in April during a joint visit of Rostvertol plc and Mil MHP plc specialists to the Chinese People’s Republic an agreement was signed between Rostvertol plc and Lectern Aviation Company (Hong Kong) on establishing a joint Russian – Hong Kong enterprise – “Rostvertol Helicopters China Limited”. After drawing up appropriate documents on the 1-st of August a certificate of the Mi-26TC helicopter’s conformity with Chinese regulations was issued. The Chinese technical specialists have all ready passed training on operation and maintenance of the Mi-26TC helicopter at Rostvertol plc. And in China they will perfect their skills under the guidance of experienced Russian specialists.
The Mi-26TC is a unique helicopter. Due to usage of a wide spectrum of additional removable equipment the Mi-26TC can be transformed in a short time from the basic version into one of the following versions: aerial-delivery, medical, fire-fighter, refueller.
Due to their multifunctionality and reliability these helicopters found wide application in different countries and on different continents. Nearly all over the world they extinguished fires, transported cargoes, participated the UN peacemaking missions. Due to growth of the number of international conflicts and natural disasters the multipurpose giants constantly change their basing sites and carry out missions on rescuing human lives and liquidation of extraordinary situations. Not long ago the helicopters actively worked in Sierra-Leone, Mexico, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos. As the situation in the world changed the sites of their application changed for Greece, Canada, Afghanistan, Congo, Liberia, Uganda, Sudan where the Mi-26T performs operations on transporting heavy bulky cargoes, mounting electric power lines, antenna-mast constructions, on reconstruction and construction of industrial objects.
Many years’ experience showed that these helicopters are effectively used as well for firefighting. Since 1999 and till now the aviation group of the Russian Ministry for Extraordinary Situations, which includes Mi-26T helicopters, participates in extinguishing fires in Greece. They operate in mountainous regions, in conditions of dense smoke. In such difficult conditions the helicopter proved its reliability and efficiency operating, moreover, far off from the maintenance base.
Russian helicopters extinguish fires in Greece, France, Italy, etc. Owing to the professionalism of the Mi-26T crews the material damage, which the fire could cause to these countries, considerably reduces.
The helicopter’s unique capabilities allow using it in mobile complex fire groups. Application of a wide spectrum of additional removable equipment allows to deliver to difficult to access regions bulky machinery and specially trained personnel, various types of fuel and lubricants, provide on board first medical aid, evacuate casualties.
Examples of Mi-26T helicopter’s effective usage may serve - transportation and installation of supports and other constructions of the cable-way in the neighborhoods of Innsbruck (Austria) in July-August 2006, as well as its participation in the humanitarian missions on delivery of food and living essentials to the suffered from earthquakes high mountainous regions of Pakistan.
China, who is actively increasing its production, and uses as well foreign technologies and goods for satisfying national interests, got interested in the unique capabilities of the Mi-26TC helicopter. Regarding the results of the demonstration flights and performance of works the Chinese party will consider the possibility of acquiring a batch of Mi-26TC helicopters.
China promises more military transparency
BEIJING (AFP) — China said Sunday it will begin reporting its armed forces budget to the United Nations and rejoin a global register of conventional arms amid foreign pressure for greater military transparency.
China said the moves were meant to show the world its commitment to military transparency, at a time when its massive armed forces expansion is causing alarm bells to ring in Asia and further afield.
"The Chinese government has decided to report annually to the Secretary-General of the United Nations basic data of its military expenditures for the latest fiscal year," said a statement by Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu.
"This is a significant step on the part of China in further enhancing its military transparency, which fully demonstrates that China is committed to improving mutual trust with other countries in the military field."
China will also resume providing data required under the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms starting from this year, the statement said.
The register is aimed at tracking transfers of arms worldwide. China quit the agreement in the late 1990s amid anger over US arms sales to Beijing's diplomatic rival Taiwan.
China, which already has the world's largest armed forces with 2.3 million men and women in uniform, has dramatically beefed up its military in recent years, causing jitters in Asia and the United States about Beijing's intent.
In March, the 2007 defence budget was raised a further 17.8 percent to 45 billion dollars.
The foreign worries spiked in January when China successfully destroyed a satellite in a new missile test, sparking fears of a race to weaponise space.
US Vice President Dick Cheney said afterward the test contradicted China's stated goal of a "peaceful rise."
The UN conventional weapons registry requires countries to report their holdings of major weapons such as tanks, combat aircraft and missile systems as well as international arms transfers, according to the UN's disarmament website.
China has been criticised for its foreign arms sales to pariah governments, with global human rights group Amnesty International saying in June that Beijing was selling a billion dollars a year in arms, fuelling violence in Sudan, Myanmar and elsewhere.
Jiang, the foreign ministry spokeswoman, defended China's arms sales, saying Beijing has always taken a "prudent and responsible attitude" to prevent them undermining stability.
But she added China would rejoin the arms register in the interest of world peace.
"China will continue to make joint efforts with the international community in promoting international peace and security," she said.
PRC arms import and export reported to UN
Reporting country: China |  |
| | |
| Original language: Chinese, English | Calendar year: 2006 |
| Background information provided: no | Date of submission: 31 August 2007 |
.
EXPORTS
| A | B | C | D | E | | Remarks | |
Category (I-VII) | Final importer State(s) | Number of items | State of origin (if not exported) | Intermediate location (if any) | | Description of item | Comments on the transfer |
| I. Battle tanks | Pakistan | 10 | | | | | |
| II. Armoured Combat Vehicles | Republic of Congo Gabon Tanzania | 4 6 2 | | | | | |
| III. Large-calibre artillery systems | Bangladesh Niger Jordan | 65 6 150 | | | | | |
| IV. Combat aircraft | Bangladesh Namibia Zimbabwe | 16 6 6 | | | | | |
| VI. Warships | Thailand | 2 | | | | | |
| VII. Missiles a) and missile launchers b) | Bangladesh | 114 | | | | | |
IMPORTS
| A | B | C | D | E | | Remarks | |
Category (I-VII) | Exporter State(s) | Number of items | State of origin (if not exported) | Intermediate location (if any) | | Description of item | Comments on the transfer |
| VI. Warships | Russia | 2 | | | | | |
| VII. Missiles a) and missile launchers b) | Russia Ukraine | 944 590 | | | | | |
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Rough Cut: Congo: On the Trail of an AK-47
Arming Africa
Read the full story of the reporter's convoluted trail to trace an AK-47, which took him from militia strongholds in eastern Congo to the cloistered world of China's arms manufacturers in Beijing.
Follow the links to learn more about China's presence in Africa, and the international pressure to curtail small arms trade there.
This story began with a simple question posed to Peter Batchelor, the U.N.'s leader for small arms and disarmament affairs as we walked through the dim, subterranean corridors of the United Nations building in New York. I was attending a preparatory conference to curry international support for proposed legislation to curb illegal trafficking of small arms and light weapons -- a category comprised of everything from pistols to shoulder-fired rockets -- and Batchelor was frantically meeting with diplomats, peace activists and arms lobbyists. I had only a moment with him: "I'm looking to track a weapon," I said, "back from a conflict zone to the manufacturer. Where have simple guns like the AK-47 inflicted the most damage?" His answer was quick and unequivocal: Congo.
And so I found myself, three flights and several days after departing New York, landing in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The scene awaiting me at the airport was chaotic: the country in microcosm. Airplanes crowded the tarmac, parked akimbo, their wings almost touching. Small mobs of people massed at the rear of ragged, ancient propeller planes, jostling for space among mountains of cargo and foodstuffs bound for Congo's vast, forested interior. Farther down the runway, an armada of gleaming, white United Nations planes and helicopters were behind guard posts and metal fences. We taxied to a halt alongside an old Boeing 727, painted in livery of the country's flag. It was the president's own plane, Congo's Air Force One, available for charter, for the right price.
An Exploited Past
Congo, or DRC, is among the most troubled places on Earth. Smack in the heart of Africa, the country boasts a surfeit of natural resources, but its wealth has been a blessing and a curse. From 1885, the territory was a personal fiefdom of the Belgian king, Leopold II, and experts estimate that his brutal, bloody, systematic exploitation of rubber and copper workers during that time let half the population die from violence or disease. Eventually, the international community condemned the brutality, and in 1908, ownership of the colony was transferred to the Belgian government. But conditions improved marginally.
Independence came on June 30, 1960, but only six months later -- with Central Intelligence Agency assistance -- the fledgling independent state's prime minister, the fiery, left-leaning Patrice Lumumba, was assassinated. Control fell to Joseph Desire Mobutu, army chief of staff, a charismatic, ambitious Western-friendly officer. He reigned over the country for 36 years, siphoning some $4 billion in state funds to personal foreign accounts, eliminating his enemies, suppressing dissent, pitting tribe against tribe and presiding over the disintegration and decay of a once-hopeful nation.
In 1996, aged, ill and seemingly willfully ignorant of the catastrophe he had overseen, Mobutu's firm grip on power loosened. In the vacuum, the rebel leader Laurent Kabila marched on the capital from eastern Congo, seizing control and sparking a vicious war that enveloped the country. Soon, the armies of six of Congo's neighbors were embroiled in a five-year war motivated by ethnic hatred, political opportunity and base material greed.
Today, Kinshasa bears both the hallmarks of the former dictator's kleptocratic reign and the war that followed. Along the main highway from the airport to downtown, Mobutu's grandiose, hubristic, now crumbling civic projects seem an insult to the thousands of people walking or squatting alongside the road. Radiating like the leaves of a palm frond, muddy dirt streets branch off the main road, disappearing into endless shantytowns.
 |
The Lawless East
Kinshasa's population was once manageable, but war and the insecurity of rural life have encouraged a vast migration from the surrounding countryside. But unlike other teeming, magnetic urban cores where I've traveled, Congo's largest city radiates a tense, paranoid energy, where citizens are outwardly aggressive toward foreigners with cameras and the fragile government's arbitrary enforcement of law and order feels only a step removed from anarchy.
The capital continues to experience unrest: Recently, after losing runoff elections in the country's first vote in four decades, the failed candidate's private army waged battles in the streets, killing hundreds. But the vast majority of the U.N.'s 16,500 troops -- its largest peacekeeping mission to date -- are based in the east, along the mountainous, jungle borders of Rwanda and Uganda, where well-armed rebel militias inflame tribal and political tensions, rape women and children and force the local population to mine gold, coltan (a primary component of cellphone circuit boards), timber and other easily extracted and sold resources from the fertile land. This is where I was headed.
After squaring away logistics and soliciting advice in Kinshasa, I made my way back to the airport and hopped a U.N. plane for the city of Bukavu, perched on steep, lush hills above Lake Kivu. This is the Great Lakes region of eastern Africa, where a line of inland seas runs from Lake Albert in northeastern Congo to Lake Tanganyika, which extends into northern Zambia. Bukavu is situated in South Kivu province. There, along with North Kivu, people have witnessed the most horrific casualties and consequences of war.
An estimated one million civilians are still displaced by sporadic outbursts and the perpetual threat of violence. Roughly four million Congolese have died as a result; the vast majority passed away from disease and deprivation, not from gunfire. Yet, in this part of Congo, a thousand miles from the capital and beyond the protective embrace of government, a gun carries enormous weight. In unscrupulous hands, it can provide money, food, sex and shelter. And eastern Congo is flooded with weapons.
The Weapon of Choice
Of all these weapons, the Automat Kalashnikov, or AK-47, reigns supreme. It's the durable, cheap, usually lethal, Cold War icon of the Soviet bloc and resistance movements across the world. The gun's familiar silhouette -- easily identified by the banana-shaped magazine -- has appeared on Mozambique's flag, Palestinian currency and Russian vodka. An estimated 100 million have been produced in hundreds of factories in dozens of countries during its 60-year history.
 |
In Africa, this weapon is the gun of choice; both U.N. soldiers and rebel militias carry them. With their legendary durability, AK-47s can function reliably for decades, and thus have often been transferred from arsenal to arsenal, from country to country, before ending up in the hands of rebels in sub-Saharan Africa. The documentation for most such transfers -- even the legal ones -- either rarely exists or is secret state information. Thus, the task of identifying the origin, let alone the long and convoluted trail, of a single AK-47 is nearly impossible.
Yet, I wanted to find out where these guns were coming from and how they were entering a region under a U.N. arms embargo. The U.N. in Congo rarely attempts this detective work, focusing their scant resources on collecting and destroying rebel weapons in the east and policing the nation's vast borders for arms smugglers. But with profits to be made and a never-ending line of unscrupulous arms dealers and traffickers, the U.N. troops that patrol this area the size of France face a Sisyphean task.
After interviewing two former Rwandan rebel soldiers outside Bukavu, I traveled south along the border in hopes of finding a Kalashnikov in the field. Perhaps if I could track a rebel gun back to the factory where it was manufactured, I might piece together how these weapons keep slipping into rebel hands.
The China Connection
In reading about the arms trade and speaking with U.N. officials, I knew that the most notorious arms smugglers -- like Victor Bout -- were Russian or from former Soviet states. Typically, these people were best able to profit from corrupt officials and poor oversight of the vast arsenals that were left unattended when the USSR fell. But as I looked through U.N. stockpiles of captured weapons, the majority of Kalashnikovs were made in China.
So too was the Type 56 AK-47 I bought from a rebel major in eastern Congo. Though the country of origin was clearly imprinted on the gun, the factory markings were ambiguous -- either they had been machined off the weapon or they had faded after years of use. And so, months later still on the trail, I found myself on a plane to China, descending amidst the haze and heat of summer into Beijing.
The Chinese link to Africa has existed since the 15th century, when an armada of massive junks is reputed to have followed the African coastline as far as modern-day Somalia, trading laquerware silk and ceramics for exotic spices, jewels and timber. For almost 600 years after this ambitious exploration, China turned inward, but today, the country's imprint can be found all over the African continent. Aided by central banks, government loans and Beijing's offers of massive infrastructure projects, Chinese oil companies have invested heavily in Guinea, Nigeria and Sudan, and resource-extraction companies are active across sub-Saharan Africa.
Recently, Western critics have chided the Chinese government for supporting regimes in Sudan and Zimbabwe with horrific human rights records, offering low-cost loan guarantees that subvert international lending requirements and engaging in a new form of economic imperialism. African nations, for their part, are largely pleased with the new Sino-African relations, which have filled government coffers. But there's a seamy side to this newfound friendship: Frequently, these preferential arrangements are negotiated with promises of Chinese weapons. And in countries like Sudan or Congo, these weapons often end up fueling conflict.
 |
Before arriving in Beijing, I attempted to make arrangements with the two major arms manufacturers, one of which likely would have made the gun I purchased in the Congo. I went through official channels, meeting with diplomats in the foreign ministry government-affiliated think tanks and industry contacts, but to no avail. These companies, Norinco and Poly Group, are notoriously cloistered: Though ostensibly private corporations, they are in fact controlled by high-ranking military and government officials. And though both companies boast such diversified businesses as real estate, film production, engineering and heavy machinery, Norinco and Poly are still China's largest arms manufacturers. And in China, of course, weapons production is a state secret, not privy to prying eyes of Western journalists.
So much so, in fact, that friends in Beijing quietly suggested that I purchase multiple SIM cards for my cell phone -- lest my translator and contacts be tracked by curious security officials. And so, after a week of dead ends and no specific history of where my Kalashnikov might have been produced or how it ended up in Congo, I found myself at a small military-backed arms research laboratory outside Beijing, not far from the Great Wall. The army base also boasted a public shooting range, which had a single-room display of Chinese guns in glass cases. The only docent was an old engineer, now retired, who guided me through the small exhibit.
In a final, vain attempt, I pulled out pictures of my Kalashnikov and asked him if he might have an idea where it was made. Squinting at the images, he sighed: "Oh, this is an old one, so it's hard to tell. It's probably a Poly Group gun, but we've made so many millions over the years." And immediately I understood: the trail was dead, and I would never find out exactly where my gun had come from.
Then, looking at his watch, he said, "The range is closing, you'd better go now, if you want to shoot." And so I did, shouldering a new Chinese AK-47 some 10,000 miles away from Congo, emptying the contents of its magazine into the foothills of the mountains.
* * *
Benjamin Pauker is writing about the small arms trade and his trips to Congo and China for Harper's magazine. His feature article will appear in the magazine this fall.071 under sea trial.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Wow
By Richard McGregor in Beijing
Published: September 2 2007 18:50 | Last updated: September 2 2007 18:50
Beijing says it will report on its level of military spending to the United Nations and resume providing data on its trade in conventional weapons to a register kept by the international organisation.
The announcement follows criticism over many years about what western nations say has been a lack of transparency in military spending by China in the midst of a substantial build-up and modernisation of its armed forces.
China’s official military expenditure has been increasing at 15-20 per cent annually this century, reaching about $45bn (€33bn, £22.3bn) in 2007, but the Pentagon estimates real spending is about two to three times higher.
Jiang Yu, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, in a statement on the ministry’s website, said Beijing’s decision to report its spending to the UN for the last fiscal year was “a significant step on the part of China in further enhancing its military transparency”.
“This fully demonstrates that China is committed to improving mutual trust with other countries in the military field,” said Ms Jiang.
She said China had stopped reporting details to the register on conventional arms after a “certain country”, which she did not name, had begun providing information to the UN of its arms sales to Taiwan in 1996.
“As the country concerned has stopped [this] behaviour, the Chinese government has decided to resume providing data annually on imports and exports of conventional arms in the seven categories to the register from this year,” she said. “China has all along taken a prudent and responsible attitude in its arms exports and implemented strict controls according to its international obligations and domestic laws and regulations.”
In spite of tensions with the US, in particular over Taiwan, Beijing and Washington have been warily but gradually rebuilding bilateral defence ties in recent years. Last month, Mike Mullen, US chief of naval operations, praised his counterparts in China after a visit to the country for reciprocating the access that he had offered them when they had been in the US.
Alongside this slight warming of relations, China has allowed its armed forces a higher-profile role in UN peacekeeping in recent years, although its initiatives in this field seem more diplomatic than military.
The UN announced last week that Major General Zhao Jingmin had been appointed force commander for the organisation’s peacekeeping mission in the western Sahara, a first for a Chinese national.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
"FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times. Privacy policy | Terms
© Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2007.
Bonus photos of Turkish WS-2 long-rang rockets
First photo of B-611 of Turkey military surfaced.
Turkey, China jointly develop advanced rocket for Mideast market
WASHINGTON — China and Turkey have completed development of the B-611 rocket, a secret effort to supply artillery-based rockets to both countries as well as client states, particularly in the Middle East.
"We also have to consider a gray area, in which a couple of Chinese companies are now marketing artillery rockets that border on the edge of short-range ballistic missiles," said Richard Fischer, a leading U.S. expert on China's military. "The B-611 was developed in cooperation with Turkey, the WS-2."
The WS-2 is a Chinese rocket with a range of up to 180 kilometers. It is a variant of the Soviet-origin Frog-7. The B-611, with a range of 150 kilometers, was first displayed at China's International Aviation and Space Exhibition in 2004.
The B-611 does not violate any weapons-control regime. It has many of the properties of a guided missile and could be used by U.S. adversaries.
"The key advantage is that these are much cheaper to produce," Fischer told the American Enterprise Institute on July 11. "If you could put a terminally guided anti-ship warhead on the B-611, then you have the potential to sell [Venezuelan President] Hugo Chavez something that would give the American Navy something to think about."
Uzi Rubin, regarded as the father of Israel's missile defense program, said commercial off-the-shelf technology and components could be used to convert unguided rockets to accurate ballistic missiles. Rubin, who has written a report on the topic, cited the availability of onboard inertial and satellite navigation systems as well as software.
Turkish participation in the B-611 project has triggered concerns over non-proliferation in the Bush administration. But so far the administration has not expressed concern over the Chinese-Turkish project.
