The rumored Chinese Expeditionary Mobile Base (ESB) Vessel is finally unveiled.

 
Well, there it is at last — the long‑rumored Chinese Expeditionary Mobile Base (ESB) finally crawls out of the shadows.

China State Shipbuilding Corporation has now blessed us with an official photo of the civilian version of its ESB concept. And, shock of shocks, it’s built on a civilian bulk carrier hull, roughly 10,000 tons (link), which tracks perfectly with the earlier rumors on the Chinese inter-web.

During Operation Epic Fury, naval logistics suddenly became the hot topic of the moment by professional naval officers, think‑tankers, and online armchair admirals alike, with the role of the Expeditionary Mobile Base (ESB) being front and center. 

The Chinese, of course, have been thinking about this far longer (and with far less drama) as far as I could tell. The PLAN’s usual pattern applies: test the idea on a civilian hull, get something in the water quickly, keep costs down, and if the experiment flops, quietly retire it without having to explain why a bespoke military hull is now a very expensive pier ornament.

And no, the concept isn’t new. The U.S. Navy’s USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB‑3) rides on an Alaska‑class tanker hull and is run by Navy civilian mariners (link). The real distinction is mission scope: the U.S. Navy has global obligations; the PLAN decidedly does not. So a smaller, cheaper, proof‑of‑concept ESB is perfectly reasonable for a navy still workshopping what “naval/marine expeditionary” means in practice.

Well, outside of that island sitting 100 miles (160 km) off the southeastern coast of mainland China, of course.

Back to topic: China’s ESB isn’t a peer to the USS Puller. Not yet anyway. It’s a trial balloon with two helicopter H spots. But it’s a smart trial balloon, and exactly the kind of incremental, low‑risk experimentation the PLAN, sorry I meant, the “Chinese civilian sector” loves.

 

 Note the huge tanker under construction in the back

 USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB‑3) from (link)

 

Sunday, January 18, 2026

China’s container‑based Arsenal Ship / Q‑ship is headed out for sea trials.

 

The "Zhong Da 79" is outfitted with three rows of quad‑pack containerized VLS modules (and no, not the Kubernetes kind), 60 cells in total.   She also reportedly carries an EMALS system capable of launching large drones, pushing the boundaries of what a 8000-ton cargo hull can host.

With today’s departure for sea trials, the "Zhong Da 79" is no longer just a concept on paper. She’s a tangible, operational testbed and potentially a real option for China to employ during a crisis or "high‑intensity exercise"

 

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Photo Collection Of The Day: CSSC Exploration 01, China's 15,000-ton Civilan, Flat-top, Aircraft / Drone Carrier

中船探索01 aka  Zhōng chuán tànsuǒ 01.  Others call her "CSSC Experimental Aviation Platform", either way, she's the same boat.

 

 

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Here it is - first good photo of the CSSC experimental aviation platform, aka Chinese civilian drone mothership/carrier under sea trials

For details of this interesting boat, check out navalnews' "Chinese Experimental Aviation Platform And Combat USV Emerge In Detailed New Imagery" (link)

 

Credit goes to大包CG

Boring logistics of the day: Jerry Can The Next Generation.

Much has written about how the humble Jerry Can that kept half of WWII logistics running. China, being a country roughly the size of a small continent, also cares deeply about its POL (Petroleum, Oils, and Lubricants) pipeline. Which brings us to today’s blog topic: "Flexible Oil Bladder" 软体油囊 ​​​​


Below is a Central China TV segment from a recent exercise, where troops resupply a stranded truck column using the PLA’s new helidrop‑friendly "Flexible Oil Bladder".
Yes, Rommel would have killed for something this fancy instead of chasing fuel drums across North Africa like a man trying to catch his hat in a windstorm.


The bladder itself is classic modern logistics chic: TPU construction, meaning a polyester mesh skeleton sandwiched between polyurethane layers, all fused together with high‑temp or high‑frequency welding. Because nothing says “we learned from the last 80 years” like hermetically sealing every seam with oil‑resistant compounds so the contents don’t quietly dissolve the container from the inside out.

Polyurethane‑coated fabric buys you the usual perks: high mechanical strength, UV resistance, and a service life that doesn’t end the moment the sun looks at it funny.
Compared to rigid metal tanks, these flexible bags are lighter, smaller, corrosion‑proof, and generally easier to manhandle, transport, deploy, and pack away. 

They cut down on lift requirements and convoy volume, useful whether you’re topping off a battalion in the field or feeding a shale gas site in Gansu. And because engineers can’t help themselves, there are versions for vehicles, ships, aircraft, sling loads, airdrops, waterborne towing, and even underwater storage. If it holds liquid and moves, someone has strapped a flexible tank to it.

From battlefield bulk fuel storage to emergency pipeline repairs, these things are slowly replacing the old iron drums and rigid tanks. They’re not glamorous, but they’re the kind of quiet, unsexy upgrade that actually changes how a force sustains itself.

Jerry Can 2.0: still not exciting, but undeniably effective.

Photo of the day: PL-17 Beyond-visual-range missile mounted on J-11BG

Ha — PL‑15 is practically vintage at this point, so 2025. The new PL‑17 BVRAAM, the follow‑on to the PL‑15 that grabbed international headlines on May 7th, 2025, is now moving into the integration phase. And it’s not just for the shiny new J‑16s and J‑20s, the PLA is already retrofitting it onto older airframes like the J‑11, which says a lot about how central this missile is becoming to their long‑range air‑combat doctrine.

 

 

Sunday, February 22, 2026

PLAAF J-11B to J-11BG

 

A J‑11B equipped with an AESA radar and capable of carrying the advanced PL‑10 and PL‑15 air‑to‑air missiles. See Central China TV capture below

The J‑11B was the first PLAAF Flanker variant to feature fully Chinese‑developed avionics, weapon systems, and engines. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, it formed the backbone of China’s air combat fleet, long before the J‑10, J‑16, and J‑20 entered service in significant numbers.

Even today, although the J‑11B is no longer the headline platform of the PLAAF, nearly 300 aircraft (including both J‑11A and J‑11B variants) remain in service. Upgrading these airframes to the J‑11BG standard central on AEDA radar appears to be a straightforward and logical decision for PLAAF leadership.

The PLA’s long‑standing approach to foreign military procurement is consistent: acquire systems from abroad, absorb the technology, and ultimately transition to fully indigenous solutions, one way or another.

 

 J-11B front,  J-11BG back

 

Bonus photos of J-11GBH of the PLA Naval Aviation (H=Hai or Ocean) 

 

 

Monday, November 24, 2025

Photos Of The Day: J-15T with PL-15 LRAAM and PL-10 SRAAM

 Accompanied by KJ-600/H-600 Carrierborne AEW&C

 

 

Friday, March 29, 2019

PL-15 on the news

China's most powerful air-to-air missile equipped on warplanes

Source
    Global Times
Editor
    Chen Zhuo

Time
    2019-03-26 21:51:17


A Chinese J-11B fighter jet is photographed carrying a new type of air-to-air missile. Photo: China Central Television

The J-11B fighter jet has become the latest user of China's self-developed world-class air-to-air missile that was feared by senior US military officers, revealed China's national broadcaster on Monday.

A photo appeared on a China Central Television (CCTV) program on Monday shows a J-11B under the People's Liberation Army Air Force carrying a large missile under its wing.

The J-20 stealth fighter jet carried the same type of missile and made public display at the Airshow China 2018 in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province, in November 2018, CCTV reported.

This is the first time a J-11B is spotted carrying this type of missile, the report said.

"Judging from the shape and aerodynamic design plus the J-20 reference, the missile is very likely to be the PL-15 air-to-air missile," Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Wei compared the PL-15 with the US' latest AIM-120 missile, as both have very long effective range that would allow the launch platform to become an airborne sniper, enabling an aircraft to hunt hostile fighters, early warning aircraft and aerial tankers from beyond visual range.

A J-11B fighter jet attached to an aviation brigade of the air force with the PLA Northern Theater Command flies at low altitude through valleys during a flight training exercise on January 8, 2019. Photo: eng.chinamil.com.cn


US media outlet the National Interest said the PL-15's effective range could be much higher than the AIM-120's 180 kilometers, but that could be an exaggeration, according to Wei.

The PL-15 is also equipped with an active electronically scanned array radar, which makes evasion very difficult, Bloomberg reported.

Then-US Air Force general Herbert Carlisle voiced serious concern about the PL-15 missile when it was first made public in 2015, as he called on the US Congress to fund a response, the Bloomberg report said.

Wei said the technology of the PL-15 has matured, so it can now be put on a variety of platforms, including the J-11B.

By equipping the missile, the J-11B's aerial combat capability can be greatly boosted, the CCTV report said.

The J-11B is less advanced than other Chinese fighters like the J-20, and some military observers said the J-11B's radar could be outdated in a way that it cannot see far enough what the PL-15 can hit at maximum range.

But that would not be a problem if the fighter is supported by other warplanes like an early warning aircraft, which can send target data to the J-11B, Wei said.

Dubbed by Chinese military observers as the "aerial trident," the J-20, J-16 and J-10C fighter jets, conducted air defense penetration drills in June 2018, with all of them reportedly carrying the PL-15 missiles. Now the J-11B could join the PL-15 club.a

Sunday, June 03, 2018

Here it is -- PLAAF's tip of the spear "Ménage à trois" for air defense penetration

Joking aside,  folks should see this new "high end package" of J-20, J-10C plus J-16 formulating from miles away.  It should come as no surprise to anyone, in fact it is an expected and natural consequence of the recent development.

China's fighter jets hold 'perfect combination' training

Source
    Global Times
Editor
    Li Jiayao

Time
    2018-06-03

China's People's Liberation Army Air Force recently conducted combat training involving three types of its most advanced fighter jets, carrying air-to-air missiles, which a Chinese expert called a perfect combination.

China's most advanced stealth fighter jet, J-20, conducted joint training with multi-role strike fighter J-16 and multi-role fighter jet J-10C, engaging in air defense penetration drills, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Thursday.

The fighter jets used domestically developed mid-range air-to-air missile PL-15 and short-range air-to-air missile PL-10 in the training, Beijing-based news website Sina reported on Saturday.

"The three fighter jets… and the two missiles are perfect combinations," Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The J-20 is capable of destroying a hostile air defense system. The J-10C can then take air supremacy, while the J-16 can strike enemy ground forces, Song said, adding that using the PL-15 and PL-10 together can cover both long-range and short-range aerial combat.

"The combination will serve as an important aerial deterrent against external forces," Song added.

 wo fighter jets attached to an aviation brigade of the air force under the PLA Southern Theater Command soar over the sky for a combat sortie during a flight training exercise in late May, 2018. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Tang Jun)

J-20 with J-10 to its left

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Offical photo of the day: J-11B with next generation of Chinese AAM (PL-10 ASRAAM and PL-15 LRAAM)

Since the 2016 Zhuhai airshow, photos of J-10 and J20 armed with PL-10 ASRAAM and PL-15 LRAA are now a common sight.   PL-10 is China's answer to the US AIM-9X Sidewinder, both with high off-bore sight capability, thrust-vectoring control (TVC) and able to "lock on" via helmet-mounted sights (HMS).  Paring with the PL-10 is the PL-15 LRAAM with a range of 200km, tasked for beyond visual range engagements, similar to US' AIM120-D of the same class.

Judging by this photo released by China's official Xinhua news agency yesterday, the PLAAF has retrofitted their older J-11B heavy fighters with this latest pair of advanced AAM.   They are not just for PLAAF top-of-the-line anymore.

J-11B with PL-10 and PL-15 AAM

J-10C with PL-10 and PL-15

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Photos of the day: J-20 mounting a pair of PL-10 Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missiles