Another example of the 8.6×70mm DBU-202 cartridge in PLA service.

 Pictured here is a GI Zhou catching some sleep next to his beloved QBU-202 bolt-action sniper rifle, chambered in 8.6×70mm Lapua Magnum and fitted with a rather impressive-looking high-tech optic.

The system itself has been around since the early 2020s, and there is already a fair amount of information about it available online. While drone warfare continues to dominate headlines both inside and outside China, this photo offers a useful reminder that the PLA is also investing heavily in other specialized forms of warfare. The adoption of a new long-range sniper caliber is one small but visible example of that broader effort.

Norinco has not simply introduced a rifle and called it a day. Over the past few years, it has developed an ecosystem of supporting equipment that aligns with the PLA's evolving land warfare concepts. Although some literature exists on the subject, I think there is still plenty of room for further research. The role of specialized long-range marksmanship and sniper units appears to be receiving increasing attention within the PLA's broader warfighting framework.

The PLA is not exactly keeping these capabilities out of the public eye, either. Chinese sniper teams have appeared regularly in international events such as the Golden Owl competition in Kazakhstan and the Sniper Frontier contests held under the International Army Games framework. In recent years, China has also hosted its own Sharp Blade international sniper competitions, attracting teams from dozens of countries.

Tonight, you pukes will sleep with your rifles. You will give your rifle a girl's name because this is the only cat you people are going to get

 

 

 

 

Sunday, November 10, 2024

Non-headliner items from the current Zhuhai Airshow 2024

14.5X114mm Three-barreled Gatling gun RWS mount as an anti-drone solution   Note the UAV jammer in the back of this "CS/Squad C-UAV System"

Also, the new General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) chambered in 8.6mm is based on PLA's current in-service QJY-201, another export push perhaps. 

 

Replacing the CJ-6 Basic Trainer for Good?

At the 2025 Dubai Airshow, China's new XJJ basic trainer made its first public appearance, offering the clearest sign yet that the People's Liberation Army Air Force may finally be preparing to retire the venerable CJ-6 from frontline basic training duties.

The XJJ program appears to be moving forward steadily, with reports indicating that the aircraft will be powered by a new turboprop engine developed to replace the aging HS-6A (Huosai-6A) piston engine that has powered generations of CJ-6 trainers. The shift reflects a broader modernization effort, bringing primary pilot training closer to the performance and operational characteristics of modern military aircraft.

The CJ-6 has had a remarkably long career. First flown in the late 1950s and entering service in the early 1960s, it became the backbone of Chinese military basic pilot training for decades. While often compared to the Soviet Yak-18, the CJ-6 was substantially redesigned by Chinese engineers and evolved into a highly successful aircraft in its own right (too successful as one might argue or the PLAAF really is that cheap) .

For generations of PLAAF, PLANAF, and civilian pilots, the CJ-6 represented the first step into military aviation. The aircraft earned a reputation for being rugged, forgiving, easy to maintain, and inexpensive to operate. Those same qualities helped it find a second life abroad, where large numbers of surplus aircraft were exported and became popular among warbird collectors and recreational pilots, particularly in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

Even as newer trainers entered service, the XJJ for example, the CJ-6 remained difficult to replace. Its low operating costs and proven reliability made it a practical solution for basic flight instruction. However, the aircraft's piston-engine design increasingly contrasted with the needs of a modern air force training pipeline centered around advanced jet trainers and fifth-generation combat aircraft.  There's rumor flying around (pun intended) that the PLAAF might have sixth-generation flying as well.

The appearance of the XJJ suggests that Chinese military planners finally have a successor capable of taking over the CJ-6's role. A modern turboprop trainer would offer better performance, lower lifecycle support challenges, and a training experience more representative closer to the contemporary military aviation.

That said, replacing the CJ-6 is more than simply introducing a new aircraft. It marks the possible end of one of the longest-serving training platforms in Chinese aviation history. Few military trainers anywhere in the world can claim over six decades of continuous service.

But, eventually every aircraft reaches the end of its journey.

PLAAF, it may finally be time to let the old trainer go. Long overdue.  "Let It Go"

  

Wednesday, November 05, 2025

Elephant walk Nanchang CJ-6

Step aside, sixth-generation fighter Chengdu J-36 and Shenyang J-50, below is the pride of the PLAAF

Saturday, August 30, 2025

Nanchang CJ-6, the old and the new

As the PLA Navy intensifies its push train more naval aviators, it can rely on the time-tested CJ-6 as its basic trainer aircraft. Yup, the pilots who now command the cutting-edge J-35 stealth fighter began their careers in a far humbler 60-year-old, radial-engined trainer with tricycle landing gear. 

 

 

Monday, December 30, 2024

Forever CJ-6

CCTV captured footage of a newly minted Nanchang CJ-6 taking off.  Some in China requested that the PLAN be photographed a CJ-6 taking off from one of her new flattops, as a reenactment to a WWII Pacific Theater scene.    Personally, I believe that's a terrific concept; let's do it.

Thursday, August 22, 2024

Yup, CJ-6 trainer still in production

This tiny trustworthy basic training is still in production after 60 odd years, according to this AVIC PR photo.   It now has a civilian variant to offer as well. 

Just photos: Clear High Res Photos Of Type 054B's 48VLS cells

Photos of second batch of Type 054B guided-missile frigates taken from Shanghai's Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard 

 

Also,  I am offline for 12 to 14 days,  see you guys back in early Sept.

 

Bonus photo of 2x Type55 DDG under construction at Dalian shipbuilding up north

 

Monday, August 10, 2026

Type 054B FFG Ready for Launch at CSSC Huangpu Wenchong — and Possibly 48 VLS cells

Another Type 054B is sliding toward launch at Huangpu, as is tradition the Chinese internet, they immediately broke into debate over hull numbering. It’s part of the PLA‑watching sport at this point.

Some insist this is Huangpu’s 5th hull, others swear it’s the 6th. The confusion is predictable: Huangpu and Hudong‑Zhonghua are building 054Bs in parallel, and the “5th hull” many people reference is actually the one taking shape in Shanghai. Tomato, tomahto, the numbering "debate" is mostly noise.

The signal is the production tempo. The PLAN already has two 054Bs commissioned, and rumors point to eight more in the second batch. That puts the class on track for roughly ten ships in service within a few years, keeping up the下饺子 pace.

But the real headline isn’t whether this hull is #5 or #6. It’s the early zoomed‑in photos suggesting that the second‑batch 054Bs may be moving from 32  vertical launching system (VLS)  cells into 48 of the Type54B class. If confirmed, that’s a meaningful jump in flexibility and firepower and arguably the bigger story than the hull count.

Happy Monday for all of your VLS counters out there.  

36 to 48   vertical launching system (VLS) cells.  32 on the first two

 

 Now, look at the 2nd batch of Type54B below

 

 

 

Tuesday, April 28, 2026

A new Type 054B frigate is now taking shape at Guangzhou’s Huangpu Shipyard.

Some of you will remember the classic era of China‑Navy watching when dedicated enthusiasts would literally camp outside the big shipyards in Dalian, Shanghai, Wuhan, and Guangzhou. Back then, blurry fence‑line photos were prized intel, and some of them ended up on this blog.

As Chinese milblogs and satellite imagery became more accessible, the community gradually shifted from on‑the‑ground snapshots to analyzing high‑resolution overhead imagery instead. 

Still, it’s always refreshing to see a genuine shipyard photo surface again. There’s something about that old‑school, boots‑on‑the‑ground perspective that satellite pictures just can’t replace.

 

Sunday, March 01, 2026

Third Type054B FFG spotted

After the first two Type 054B frigates entered PLAN service in early 2025, many wondered whether production would continue at the same pace. That concern now seems misplaced: a third Type 054B has been spotted under construction at the Pudong Changxingdao shipyard in Shanghai, a clear sign that the class remains firmly in the pipeline as a core “blue‑water” general‑purpose combatant moving forward.

Looking back at the broader Type 054 program, the pattern is familiar. China typically builds an initial pair of ships, conducts a period of intensive evaluation and refinement, and only then moves into full‑rate production for a larger batch. The emerging trajectory of the Type 054B appears to be following that same proven approach.

 

 

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

PLAN commissions first Type054B frigate

PLA Navy commissions first Type 054B frigate
By Global Times Published: Jan 22, 2025 10:12 AM

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202501/1327355.shtml


The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's first Type 054B frigate, the Luohe, is commissioned on Wednesday, given the hull number 545, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

With the hull number 545 and a displacement of about 5,000 tons, the Luohe is a new generation of frigate independently developed and built by China. It has made breakthroughs in vessel stealth technology, combat command systems, and firepower integrated control, among other aspects, significantly enhancing its performance.

The ship possesses strong comprehensive combat capabilities and diversified military mission capabilities, which are of great significance for improving the overall combat effectiveness of naval warship formations. It is an important piece of equipment for the transformation and development of the Chinese navy, according to Xinhua. 

Is That a PL‑17 on a J‑16? Yes — and the Real Story Isn’t the Missile.

Much has been written,  or, more accurately, speculated  about the PLAAF’s PL‑17 extreme‑long‑range air‑to‑air missile. People argue about its range, its speed, its seeker, its datalink, its guidance logic, its cosmic aura, whatever. One thing we can actually confirm is simple: it’s huge. The missile is roughly six meters long, and every photo we’ve seen makes it look like someone zip‑tied a telephone pole under a J‑16.

But the interesting part of these zoomed‑in photos isn’t “wow, the PL‑17 mounts on a J‑16.” It’s the strike package around it. Modern air combat isn’t a single fighter launching a single missile in a single heroic duel. It’s an entire kill chain:   fighters, bombers, EW platforms, AEW&C, tankers, escorts, and standoff shooters all operating as one.  That’s how a South Asia air force shut down an entire air‑based “anti‑terror” operation. One can easily find a recent example is floating around online. No need to repeat it here.

This is the same pattern we saw in the PLAAF’s deployment to Egypt for Eagles of Civilization 2026, see blog post belwo: a full‑spectrum package of heavy fighters, tankers, AEW&C, EW aircraft, transports, and helicopters. Not a single aircraft type, not a single mission profile. In another word, a complete ecosystem.
So when there's a PL‑17 hanging under a J‑16, there's a bigger story at play here.

Look at the formation around it: heavy bombers, lightweight escorts, EW support, airborne early warning, tankers, and long‑range shooters all stitched together.

Meanwhile, there are still people out there obsessing over one fighter’s engine production rate or bragging about importing a warbird  from a wine‑producing country. The PLAAF is not one of them. Their focus is the system, not the celebrity aircraft. And the PL‑17 on a J‑16 is just one tile in that mosaic.

Again, thats just me.

 

 

Sunday, August 09, 2026

Official acknowledgment of the day: JL-1 ALBM on the H-6N

 So, we finally have it: official acknowledgment that the JL-1 air-launched ballistic missile is operational enough to be shown mounted on an H-6N. This is the first time Beijing has essentially confirmed — yes, it flies on the bomber built for it.

Cast your mind back to the September parade marking the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in WWII. A whole buffet of new weapons rolled past the cameras, each prompting the usual internet debates. Everyone's entitled to an opinion, that's what the internet is for. I, for one, also have an opinion. Shocked, right?

But this one is huge different, and I'm not talking about the size of the missile.

The JL-1 is a nuclear-capable air-launched ballistic missile, and its appearance on the H-6N is the clearest signal yet that the PLA has closed the last gap in its nuclear triad. Land, sea, air — all three legs now have a credible standoff option.

CCTV is now reporting the JL-1 mounted on a H-6N Bomber. That's a big, not subtle. Even more interesting: the footage shows the single H-6N escorted by two J-20s — a visual hint at how the PLA imagines this system being protected en route to its launch point.

For context:

• Shanghai → Los Angeles: ~10,400 km
• J-20A ferry range: ~4,000–5,000 km
• JL-1 ALBM range: ~8,000 km with H-6N, the missile itself ~ 3500 km

Anyone can do the math. Anyone tracking Chinese strategic reach already has.

Now, the usual caution: even with official confirmation, we still don't have the full picture. Range figures (which could vary significantly under real operational conditions), payload assumptions (plenty of those floating around from people who write as if they work inside the CMC building in Beijing), and operational doctrine all need more data. I'll leave it to the professionals to sort out what the numbers actually mean once they've finished poking at the footage and the phrasing.

But as far as public signals go? This is a big one.

 

 

Thursday, June 05, 2025

Photos Of The Day: A possible air refuelable PLAAF strike package

YY-20 + J-15 + J-20 + H-6N

 

 

Friday, January 03, 2025

Power Projection PR Of The Day: H-6N "President Xi's soft-power on display," Mid Air Refueling

PLA watchers have had a busy two months, with stealth fighters, new assault ships, and a new Y-20-based KJ3000 AWAC.  However, one aspect is being overlooked: the "fully operational" status of the new H-6N air-launched ballistic missile carrier. With mid air refueling, those punch packing ALBM could reach-out-to-the-second-island-chain and touch someone.

Fear not; judging by several literature on the H-6N, professionals are paying attention to this important advancement. 

 

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

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.