China Defense Blog

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Type59MBT on the move.

Here are pics of Type59 from a brigade of 65th Group Army, Jinan Military Region en route to "Stride-2015 * Zhurihe E" training exercise. With roughly 1500 Type59 MBT still in PLA service, we are bound to see them in action somewhere.

With full laser tag gear

Other Type59s are not so lucky but they'd make good target though

This used to be my playground

PLA to conduct 10-day training in waters off eastern Hainan Island

This picture shows a screenshot of the related no-sail notice published on the official website of the Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) of the People's Republic of China (PRC).

　　BEIJING, July 20 (ChinaMil) -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will conduct military training in the relevant waters near eastern Hainan Island in the South China Sea from 8:00 of July 22 to 8:00 of July 31, 2015, according to the official website of the Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) of the People's Republic of China (PRC).
　　During the above-mentioned period of time, no vessel is allowed to enter the designated maritime areas.
　　The following are the coordination points for the lines drawn to demarcate the related prohibited waters:
　　18-15N 110-30E;
　　19-32N 111-21E;
　　19-34N 113-26E;
　　18-35N 114-08E;
　　16-45N 113-15E;
　　16-10N 112-18E.

Monday, July 20, 2015

CCTV capture of the day: PLAN's joint amphibious operations with Zubr LCAC

Type96 MBT spotted

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Photos of the day: New PLAN LCAC 3321

South China Sea Fleet conducts combat readiness patrol and high-sea training

(Source: China Military Online) 2013-03-20

The “Jinggangshan” amphibious dock landing ship leaves a naval port in Sanya in south China’s Hainan province on the afternoon of March 19, 2013. (Photo by Li Zhanglong)

　　A taskforce under the South China Sea Fleet of the Navy of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) left a naval port in Sanya in south China’s Hainan province on March 19, 2013 for the waters of the South China Sea and the Western Pacific Ocean to conduct combat readiness patrol and high-sea training.

　　The taskforce is composed of the “Jinggangshan” amphibious dock landing ship, the “Lanzhou” guided missile destroyer, the “Yulin” and “Hengshui” guided missile frigates as well as helicopters and hovercrafts on the warships. The taskforce will conduct training on such subjects as command post establishment, maritime maneuvering operation, maritime right protection, high-sea escort, rapid response to support operation and political work in the waters of the South China Sea and the Western Pacific Ocean.

　　The high-sea training will fully drive the troop units under the South China Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy to conduct a series of actual-combat confrontation drill according to the criterion of “being able to fight and win battles”, so as to effectively improve the fleet’s capability to complete diversified military tasks, according to Jiang Weilie, commander of the taskforce and commander of the South China Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy.

　　The combat readiness patrol and high-sea training is an annual routine military training of the South China Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy. The “Jinggangshan” ship is China’s largest-tonnage amphibious dock landing ship with an advanced weapon system. Both the “Lanzhou” warship and the “Yulin” warship, which have carried out escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off the Somali coast, have strong air-defense, anti-missile and anti-submarine capabilities. The “Hengshui” warship is a new-type guided missile frigate recently commissioned to the PLA Navy.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Photos of the day: More LCAC under construction at Jiangnan shipyard

This should come as no surprise to anyone as they would need more LCAC to accompany all those new 071 LPD that are entering service.

There are three 052C and one Yuan to the upper right.

Friday, July 17, 2015

Status update on the "world's largest amphibious aircraft"

2015-07-18 04:03:05 GMT2015-07-18 12:03:05(Beijing Time) China Daily

The fuselage of an AG-600, China's self-developed amphibious aircraft, is assembled in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, on Friday. Cao Yanxing / For China DailyThe fuselage of an AG-600, China's self-developed amphibious aircraft, is assembled in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, on Friday. Cao Yanxing / For China Daily

17 domestic orders received for what will be the world's largest amphibious aircraft

China started the assembly on Friday of its first domestically developed seaplane, which is expected to take a big share in the international market.

"Since the first day of its development, the AG-600 has been designed for the global market. We are confident in its market prospects because the aircraft's overall specifications, such as the maximum takeoff weight and flight range, are better than other amphibious planes in the world," said Qu Jingwen, general manager of China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co, the aircraft's developer.

"Some countries with many islands, such as Malaysia and New Zealand, have expressed interest in the AG-600, and we are in contact with them," he said on a Friday in Zhuhai, at a ceremony marking the start of assembly.

The aircraft maker has received 17 orders from domestic companies. One of the buyers will use it to carry tourists to reefs and islands in the South China Sea, he said.

Huang Lingcai, the chief designer, said the AG-600 will play an important role in forest fire control, maritime search and rescue, personnel and supply transport and law enforcement tasks at sea.

He said that the plane can fly a round trip between Sanya in Hainan province and the shoal of Zengmu Ansha, the southernmost point of China's territory, without refueling.

The AG-600 can carry 50 people during a maritime search and rescue mission. To extinguish forest fires, it can take on 12 metric tons of water from a lake or sea within 20 seconds and pour it on the fire.

The project was launched in September 2009. The aircraft's debut flight is planned for the first half of next year, according to a statement by the company, a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corp of China.

Powered by four turboprop engines, it will be the world's largest amphibious aircraft, surpassing Japan's ShinMaywa US-2 and Russia's Beriev Be-200, Huang said.

It will have a maximum takeoff weight of 53.5 tons and an operational range of about 4,500 kilometers.

China has decommissioned all of its seaplanes - reportedly as many as five SH-5 maritime patrol amphibious aircraft, he said.

Leng Yixun, director of general aviation products at AVIC, said the company estimates China will need at least 100 seaplanes over the next 15 years.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

China to build world's largest amphibious aircraft

There is no reason to get excited; it is just a larger version of the old SH-5: a seaplane that has a production run of only 4 copies. I found it odd that AVIC calls the Dragon 600 project a "commercial production." Oh my!! Is that a large Magnetic Anomaly Detection (MAD) Sensor in your tail or are you just happy to see me?!

JL (Dragon) 600

SH-5

China to build world's largest amphibious aircraft
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-06-25 16:48

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2009-06/25/content_8323684.htm

The development and production of the Dragon 600, intended to be the world's largest amphibious aircraft, has received government approval, AVIC General Aircraft Company Ltd said Wednesday.

The Dragon 600, which would be as large as an Airbus 320, could be used for tasks such as emergency rescue, fighting forest fires and sea patrols, said Hu Haiyin, deputy general manager of the company.

Hu said that market research indicated a domestic market for 60 such craft in the next 15 years.

The research and design stage would last for four years, with commercial production to begin in at least five years, Hu said.

The company's facilities are southwest of the Zhuhai airport. The first construction phase is scheduled for completion in 2012 and the company plans to have 1,500 employees.

Photos of the day: Mech Infantry assault on a fixed position

By 7th Mechanized Infantry Company, 487th Regiment, 163rd motorized Infantry Division, 42GA, Guangzhou MR.

The thin-skinned ZBD04 pictured here is not successful by PLA standards, only 500 vehicles entered service when the heavier and larger ZBD05 became the new standard issue tracked APC for "swimming" units and the up-armored ZBD04A for others.