China Defense Blog: April 2015

Friday, April 24, 2015

Photos of the day: J-15 pilot training in the Bohai Bay

Tuesday, January 06, 2015

Photo of the day: Serial J-15's spotted on the Liaoning for the first time

Thanks Deino and Hongjian for this update.

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Communist Propaganda of the day: CNN

Note to CNN: That is not a "Russian Jet" but rather a PLAAF J-11, fact check please.

China's anti-sniper solution -- LG5 40mm Precision Grenade Launcher paired with programmable airburst grenades

Chambered for 40mm (export) and 35mm (internal use)

PLAN decommission of the day: Hainan class 728 Zhenyuan and 729 Tianzhu, North Sea Fleet.

728 镇远艇 037 南海81大（北海）
729 天柱艇 037 南海81大（北海）

Friday, April 10, 2015

Development of PLA's battlefield rations

Development of PLA's battlefield rations

(Source: China Military Online) 2015-04-10

　　The prototype of the military rations of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) appeared in the period of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950 – 1953).

　　During the war, the officers and soldiers of the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) mainly ate simple solid foods including fried rice, parched flour and fried bean.

　　After that, the logistic supply departments produced a batch of compressed biscuits so as to provide better food support for CPV's tactical operations, forming the earliest prototype of the PLA's standard military rations.

　　The PLA's first-generation military rations in the real sense appeared in 1970s.

　　At that time, the military rations consisted of three staple foods, namely the No. 761 compressed solid food, dehydrated steamed rice and dehydrated noodle, and three auxiliary foods, namely three kinds of canned foods.

　　The No. 761 compressed solid food was the PLA's first-generation standard personal combat rations. And the PLA soldiers depended on the 761 compressed solid food for energy supplement during a self-defense war in 1979.

　　In 1980s, the PLA's second-generation military rations began to appear, namely using the No. 90 compressed solid food to replace the No. 761 compressed solid food.

　　In addition, the complete-set foods also appeared to make up for the deficiency of the compressed biscuit.

　　During the Battle of LaoShan in the self-defense war in 1979, a kind of soft-package food, which was especially made for the PLA troops patrolling along the plateau borders in China, was provided for the scouting forces.

　　This kind of soft-package food contained three kinds of foods in its plastic bag, namely a bag of meat, vegetable and rice, a bag of compressed solid food and a bag of pear in syrup, and the meat, vegetable and rice can be heated in boiling water before eating.
File Photo

　　Since 1990s, the PLA logistic supply departments improved the first and second generation military rations.

　　In addition to the personal combat rations, collective food was also developed for a squad or an element.

　　Besides the simple compressed biscuits together with cans and hot pickled mustard tuber, the self-heating food, namely food equipped with a heater, also appeared in the PLA's food menu.

　　If water was available, the sealed rice and noodles could be heated, marking that the age of PLA's individual combat rations with only compressed biscuits had gone.

　　Currently, the PLA have formed four main categories of military rations, namely field operation food, long voyage food, lifesaving food and general food.

　　The field operation food is the so-called field ration. After the No. 90 compressed solid food, the No. 05 and No. 09 single solder instant foods were successively developed for PLA troops in the 21st century, which contain some additives according to different taste requirements.

　　The long voyage food is classified into long flight food for air-force personnel and long ocean navigation food for naval personnel on surface warships and in submarines.

　　The long flight food is for pilots with a long flight time (over three hours). The most prominent features of the long flight food for pilots are that it can be conveniently and quickly prepared and eaten by pilots with only one hand, and the sealed water bag with a straw for pilots' water drinking is adopted to avoid affecting pilots' flying.

　　During the long ocean navigation, the naval members are apt to suffering serious illnesses including night blindness and sepsis if they cannot get vitamins supplement from vegetables in time. Therefore, the most important thing for long ocean navigation is to meet the military members' nutrition balance requirement.

　　The lifesaving food is mainly used by soldiers waiting for rescuing when in danger, which is mainly distributed to flight personnel and warship personnel. The lifesaving food features high concentration, light weight, high calories and tight package.

　　The general food is the strategic supply for troops in the period of supply difficulty. A large quantity of military cans and dehydrated vegetables belong to this category.

　　In addition, there are anti-radiation food for missile troops and nuclear submarine troops, and plateau anti-hypoxia food.

Tuesday, April 07, 2015

Global warming?? I guess they won't be needing a replacement icebreaker anytime soon.

Monday, June 17, 2013

IceBreaker 722 decommissioned.

The PLAN decommissioned its Yanha class icebreaker 722 this month after 44 years of service.

This small PLAN icebreaker is no Soviet style mammoth capable cutting through the thick of frozen Arctic layers -- The PLAN used the Yanha class mainly to push away icy waters of the Bohai Sea. With the previous transfer of 722's sister ship 723 to the China Coast Guard in Dec 20th, 2012, this leaves the PLAN with no ice-breaking asset under it's command.

No worries, there are plenty of One-Liners to break-the-ice at a blind date, such as this one "There are three kinds of people: Those who can count and those who can't. "

Sunday, April 05, 2015

black and white photos of the day: After burn

PR Photos of the day: 10 hours marching in the rain

Creature of habit - the PLAAF airborne still consider themselves as a "foot mobility" outfit therefore it is only natural for them to release "thousand-man march" PR photos

ZBL09/VN1 Vehicle Launched Bridge variant unveiled

Enabling PLA's own "stryker" brigades to enjoy organic engineering support.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

The first ZBL-09 Assault gun equipped unit unveiled

It is the 162nd light-mech infantry division, 54th Group Army, Jinan MR. There is no need for "Drumroll, Please" as the 162nd already operates other ZBL-09 variants.

It is interesting to note that this PLA daily is calling ZBL-09 Assault gun a "wheeled light tank"

http://jn.81.cn/content/2013-04/12/content_5297880.htm

中国军网记者频道济南（王卫东武今鹏）：今年3月初，某新型轮式坦克正式列装济南军区某装甲团，盼新装备盼红了眼的全团官兵，像喜迎新娘一样激动不已。
激动伴着欣喜，原因是听说新装备配备的火控系统大多只需按几个按钮，输入数据、参数即可完成射击准备，“一键式”智能射击方式还会使射击精度更高，像操作“傻瓜”相机一样简单容易。
然而，几天的新鲜劲头还没过，官兵们一个个像霜打的茄子——蔫了：战术互联网电台、数传单元、车长任务终端、北斗一体机等，这些信息化设备一时让官兵如坠云雾。
坦克三连上士车长张鹏，入伍第三年就考取通信特级证书，连续8年被评为通信能手，9次担任重大演习头车车长，被官兵誉为“动中通”。
第一次带领通信组训练，张鹏自信地给战士们动员：“不就是输入几组数据吗？有啥难的？看我的！”
说完，张鹏带领第一组乘员起步、登车，利利索索地钻进坦克，按照前段时间培训中掌握的程序，打开电源，初始化数据库……战士们瞪大眼等着给班长们鼓掌，可坦克里的张鹏却憋得满脸通红：一番鼓捣，愣是联不通上级指挥中枢，本车其他3名成员也丁是丁，卯是卯，根本联不到一块……
“咋就玩不转呢？”张鹏钻出坦克，脸红得像关公。不仅张鹏这组人遭遇尴尬，团领导调研中发现，尽管接收新装备前后，团里通过邀请专家授课、外送骨干培训，官兵掌握了一些常识和技能，但真的使用起来，不是锣齐鼓不齐，就是训练、保障难题频频“冒泡”。
炮兵营四级军士长王虎，带着全班钻进某新型自行火炮操作室，每个人都傻了眼：新型火炮操作平台上，密密麻麻的按钮就有20多个，以前学的一些基本常识在大脑里成了一团浆糊。炮长的专业变得更复杂，训练内容由过去的3个，变为现在5大专业涉及十几个学科内容。第一次训练，王虎带着全班对照说明书，小心翼翼地一个按钮一个按钮碰，一个流程一个流程试。
新装备配备的信息显控平台、火控计算机，能把风速、气温、药温等几十个影响精度的因素瞬间完成精准计算。过去，大家比的是哪门炮、哪辆车射击准备中最先占领阵地，计算修正量最精确等等，如今，拼的是信息共享、数据互通以及车内人与人、单车与单车、单车与整个指挥中枢之间的协同……
一时间，面对“撒手锏”，官兵们就像小娃娃放鞭炮——又爱又怕。从团领导到普通一兵逐步认识到，换装并不是单纯的“腾笼换鸟”那么简单，而是带来了训练方式、训练观念、保障手段等一系列冲击。
“装备能配发，但人的素质得靠自己积累提升，素质升级势在必行，我们不能等，也等不起。换装更需换脑！”党委议训会上，大家达成共识：老老实实从头学,扎扎实实起步练。
很快，全团上下都有股强烈的素质危机感。从头学，可不是吃大锅饭、磨洋工。政委谢天平的一句话通俗易懂：吃着碗里，盯着锅里的，不仅要完成大纲规定的训练任务，更要盯着信息化战场找差距、补齐短板。
训练场还是以前的训练场，教室还是原来的教室，但团党委“一班人”的目光看得更远了。他们邀请院校专家、教授和友邻单位技术骨干来到部队，共同研究制定官兵素质升级“路线图”，区分专业、区分层次，按岗位实施定向培训。
坦克七连官兵熟悉了新型坦克的基本操作使用，提出了遇有浓雾、烟尘怎么办？火控系统故障怎么办？通信系统遭敌袭扰等18个“怎么办”，围绕这些“怎么办”，全团掀起了轰轰烈烈的训练热潮。
（王卫东武今鹏王世鹏李连军）

Friday, July 29, 2011

ZBL-09 Assault gun variant unveiled.

Perhaps this latest unveiling would add more credence to the rumor of PLA's own Stryker Brigade, perhaps not. At any rate, it is no secret that the PLA high command is a huge fan of FM 3-0 and don't be surprise to see a more "full spectrum" focused than pure firepower approach to war fighting down the road