Red vs Blue, the PLNA edition.

A simulated exchange of anti-ship missiles and aircraft-launched cruise missiles ensued, and the red side flagship, the destroyer CNS Lanzhou, was paralyzed in the attack.



PLA Navy tests readiness in S. China Sea
Source: China DailyEditor: Zhang Tao
2015-12-19 15:560

Three-fleet drill is second in 30 days to hone maritime combat capabilities

The People's Liberation Army Navy conducted a massive combat exercise on Wednesday in the South China Sea, mobilizing forces from each of its three fleets, the Navy said on Friday.

Guided missile destroyers, frigates, submarines, early-warning aircraft and fighter jets from the Navy's North Sea, East Sea and South Sea fleets participated in the simulation of modern sea warfare, according to a Navy statement.

The drill headquarters did not release information to the two sides to achieve an element of surprise like that in real warfare situation, said the statement.

First, the red side dispatched early-warning aircraft and ships to locate the blue side's forces. That attempt was thwarted when the blue side jammed the early-warning aircraft.

A simulated exchange of anti-ship missiles and aircraft-launched cruise missiles ensued, and the red side flagship, the destroyer CNS Lanzhou, was paralyzed in the attack.

The red side then launched a joint submarine, ship and aircraft strike, inflicting huge losses on the blue side right before the end of the drill was announced.

Rear Admiral Li Xiaoyan, deputy chief of staff of the South Sea Fleet, and the red side leader, said that he thought the exercise would end quickly but it was prolonged by unanticipated events, and thus closely represented actual naval warfare.

Such drills can improve the Navy's combat readiness and operational capabilities, he said.

A military expert from the PLA who wished to remain anonymous told China Daily that the Navy has requested that all of its drills be performed in a realistic manner and that its units test their combat capabilities through joint operations.

"You can see that the Navy is including information and electronic warfare scenarios in every exercise it has made in recent years, indicating it pays great attention to building a strong information capability," he said. "Moreover, the Navy is striving to improve its ability to integrate and coordinate various types of naval weaponry, which is why it always emphasizes joint operations in drills."

This was the PLA Navy's second large joint exercise over the past 30 days. In mid-November, it deployed combat ships and submarines from the three fleets in a counter-submarine drill in South China Sea.

The PLA is now in the initial stage of an unprecedented overhaul ordered by President Xi Jinping that will streamline the military command chain and structure and is intended to improve combat capability.

One major facet of the reform that was published in late November is that the number of noncombatant PLA personnel will be reduced. Han Hong, a former PLA Air Force senior colonel and deputy head of the Air Force's stunt team, announced this month that she had resigned from the military and appeared publicly on Wednesday as the CEO of a newly established entertainment program production company.

Photos of the day: PLAN port call to Hawaii, 1997 vs 2015

Feb 20th, 1997

HAWAII, the United States, Dec. 14 (ChinaMil) -- The Taskforce 152 of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy composed of the guided-missile destroyer Jinan, guided-missile frigate Yiyang and supply ship Qiandaohu, arrived in Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on the morning of December 13, 2015, for a five-day goodwill visit.

Before Pearl Harbor, the Chinese naval taskforce 152 visited Jacksonville, a port city in northeast Florida, in early November. Hawaii is the 11th leg of the taskforce's global voyage. It arrived here after 15 days’ sailing on the Pacific Ocean since wrapping up the goodwill visit to Mexico on November 28.

Rear Admiral John Fuller, commander of the U.S. Navy Region Hawaii, welcomed the visiting Chinese naval ships at the dock.

During the visit, the Chinese and American naval troops will have interactions including holding deck receptions, visiting each other's ships and playing together in football and basketball matches. Senior Captain Wang Jianxun, commanding officer of the Chinese naval taskforce 152, and some officers of the taskforce will visit the USS Arizona Memorial to pay tribute to the U.S. sailors and marines killed during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

Sitting on the Oahu Island of Hawaii, Pearl Harbor is a world-renowned natural harbor where the U.S. Pacific Fleet is headquartered.

PLAN Commission of the day: DDG 174 Hefei

Type-052D destroyers likely to join China’s carrier battle group: expert
Source: China Military OnlineEditor: Yao Jianing
2015-12-15 17:400

BEIJING, Dec. 15 (ChinaMil) -- The guided missile destroyer Hefei (Hull No. 174), the new comer of China’s Type-052D guided missile destroyer family, joined the South China Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy on Dec.12, 2015.

This new warship is the third Type-052D guided missile destroyer independently developed and built by China. Together with the Kunming (Hull No. 172) and the Changsha (Hull No. 173), all the three Type-052D guided missile destroyers of China, which are good at regional air defense and attacking surface targets, belong to the South China Sea Fleet.

Does it mean that such deployment is related to the current South China Sea situation?

According to Du Wenlong, a researcher from PLA’s Academy of Military Sciences (AMS), as China’s most advanced guided missile destroyers, the more complex combat environments will surely facilitate the three Type-052D warships to verify their combat effectiveness so as to allow their problems and shortcomings to be exposed as soon as possible for future improvement.

There also have been media reports predicting that the strong-firepower Type-052D destroyers will play an important role in China’s future aircraft carrier battle groups.

Du made positive comments on the media reports by saying that the aircraft carrier is vulnerable to various kinds of fire attacks and it is a must for warships with powerful anti-submarine, anti-ship and air defense capabilities to act as its escorts.

Multipurpose is the most prominent feature of the Type-052D guided missile destroyer with an integration of capabilities of air defense, anti-ship, anti-missile and anti-submarine. So, the Type-052D destroyers are the most suitable warships to join China’s aircraft carrier battle groups to date, Du concluded.

Photos of the day: Type091 getting ready to launch

Friday, November 27, 2015

Photos of the day: China's type 901 replenishment tanker taking shape

Saturday, November 21, 2015

China's new über 55,000 ton replenishment tanker (Type901)

For the last 12 months, there has been a hint that a 55,000t class new AOE  is under construction at GSI's Longxue shipyard.  Well,  judging from this latest set of photos, they are making good progress.

Amateurs talk tactics, professionals talk logistics -- The PLAN is taking this military maxim to heart.

Action of the day: Iraqi Ch-4B drone attack ISIS gathering in Ramadi

You can watch the video (here)

Iraq debuts new Chinese CH-4 UAV
 
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/iraq-debuts-new-chinese-ch-4-uav-417682/

    13 October, 2015 BY: Beth Stevenson London

Iraq's defence ministry has released a video and pictures of its first China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) CH-4B “Rainbow” unmanned air vehicle taking off from Kut airbase.

 

PLA Daily commentaries on the two recent PLAAF developments

Canopy, a highlight of China's new J-20 fighter jet
Source: China Military Online
Editor: Zhang Tao
2015-12-03 16:310

The China-made fourth-generation J-20 stealth fighter with fuselage number 2017 completes its first flight recently.


BEIJING, Dec. 3 (ChinaMil) -- The latest China-made fourth-generation J-20 stealth fighter with fuselage number 2017 has successfully completed its first flight on November 24, 2015, only over two months after the first flight of the J-20 stealth fighter with fuselage number 2016.

This is the eighth China-made J-20 fighter and also the sixth prototype J-20 fighter used for test flight.

Fu Qianshao, deputy editor of the Aviation Magazine under the PLA Air force, said in an interview that canopy with metal-film coating is used for J-20 fighter with fuselage number 2017, which can further improve the fighter’s stealth performance.

Fu held that launching two prototype J-20 fighters in such a short time not only proves that the results of test flight assessment for the J-20 fighters are satisfactory, namely the relevant tests on J-20 fighter’s aerodynamic performance, stealth performance and airborne equipment have achieved or been close to the index requirements, but also indicates that the J-20 fighter has entered its key test-flight completion stage.

Fu introduced that the current eight prototype J-20 fighters can be classified into three categories, namely the black color J-20 fighters with fuselage numbers 2001 and 2002 are technical verification models, which are similar to the U.S. YF-22 prototype models; the J-20 fighters with fuselage numbers 2011 and 2012, which have different coatings and appearances from the previous ones, are apparently the engineering prototype models equipped with Pitot tubes; and the J-20 fighters with fuselage numbers 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017 are prototype models, which are close to the stereotyped models.

“It is possible that the China-made J-20 fighters will soon be deployed to PLA troops,” Fu estimated.

According to the released photos, the canopy of the J-20 fighter with fuselage number 2017 has been slightly adjusted as compared with the previous models, namely its canopy has a shrunken edge curve, Fu continued.

Fu expressed that the canopy modification is in consideration of strength enhancement, air resistance reduction and stealth improvement. The J-20 fighter’s canopy has been modified for two times, and such modifications are mainly for stealth performance improvement and at the same time, for air resistance reduction, Fu explained.

In addition to the canopy appearance change, the canopy of the prototype J-20 fighter with fuselage number 2017 has another highlight, namely use of metal-film coating, Fu mentioned.

The aircraft cockpit is a strong reflector, which can affect aircraft’s overall stealth performance, Fu analyzed. But after the use of canopy with metal-film coating, radar waves cannot penetrate into the cockpit, and even some of the radar waves enter the cockpit, only small fraction of radar waves can be reflected, which will further improve aircraft’s stealth performance, Fu added.






Russian jet fighters 'to enhance the PLA'
Source: China Daily
Editor: Zhang Tao
2015-12-03 16:140


The introduction of Russian-made Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets will bring a number of benefits to the People's Liberation Army Air Force and the Chinese aviation industry, according to military observers.

The aircraft's Russian producer, the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association, says the first four Su-35s will be delivered to the PLA next year and the remainder are expected by the end of 2018.

Sergey Chemezov, CEO of Russia's state technology corporation Rostec, said last month that Russia and China have signed a contract, estimated to be worth $2 billion, for 24 Su-35s. The deal was confirmed last week by Wu Qian, a spokesman for the Chinese Defense Ministry.

Wang Ya'nan, deputy editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge, said on Tuesday that it will be some time before the PLA commissions the domestically developed fifth-generation fighter jet, the J-20.

"After the J-20 joins the PLA, it will also take time for our pilots to familiarize themselves with the aircraft. So the Su-35 will help the PLA fill in the gap before it has enough J-20s."

"The Su-35 is very close to a fifth-generation combat aircraft in terms of flight maneuverability," Wang said, adding that technological advances represented by the Su-35 are another major attraction for the Chinese military.

The operational range of the Su-35 is much greater than the Su-27's, which means it will give China an edge over the South China Sea, he said.

"The PLA has a limited number of aerial refueling aircraft, and these tankers are not as good as those from the United States. That leads to a constrained operational range and flight duration for our existing fighter jets," Wang said.

"Combat jets capable of flying farther, like the Su-35, which boasts a larger fuel capacity than the Su-27, can substantially improve the PLA's presence over those waters."

Fu Qianshao, an aviation equipment expert with the PLA Air Force, said the Su-35 is sufficiently powerful to surpass the US Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II thanks to its supreme maneuverability.

"Despite the Su-35 having no stealth capability, it can still rival fifth-generation fighter jets in other aspects. Its service will complement our existing fourth-generation fleet of J-10s and J-11s," he said.

Song Xiaojun, a military commentator for China Central Television, said the first 24 Su-27s that were introduced to the PLA Air Force have started to be withdrawn from service, so the Su-35s are expected to fill the gap.