Second Artillery Corps unveiles its latest radiation protection suits and uniforms (Type 07)

I guess no one bother to tell them that become radiated is the quickest way to become superheroes.

Photo of the day: Our beloved "military genius" showing off his Type98.

Localized North Korean Ak74M

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/09/world/asia/north-korea-tries-to-build-the-image-of-kim-jong-un-its-new-leader.html

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea’s state-run television called its young untested leader, Kim Jong-un, a “military genius” on Sunday and showed him driving a tank, sitting in the cockpit of a warplane, and interacting with soldiers in a youthful display of camaraderie that was unlike the style of his late father.
The broadcast, a documentary on North Korea’s Central TV, also claimed that Mr. Kim, believed to be in his late 20s, oversaw the April 2009 test-launching of the country’s long-range rocket.
“I had determined to enter a war if the enemies dared to intercept” the rocket, he said in the program

Chinese, Burmese ships attacked on Mekong River

Chinese, Burmese ships attacked on Mekong River

By Zhang Ming'ai
0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, January 6, 2012
http://www.china.org.cn/world/2012-01/06/content_24339265.htm

Four Chinese cargo ships and one Burmese patrol ship were attacked on the Mekong River on Jan. 4, river police in charge of security on the Mekong River in north and northeast Thailand told People's Daily.

Police force from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand launches joint patrol along the Mekong River in Guanlei Port in Dai Autonomous Prefecture of Xishuangbanna, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 10, 2011.

Police force from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand launch joint patrol along the Mekong River in Guanlei Port in Dai Autonomous Prefecture of Xishuangbanna, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 10, 2011. [Sina.com]

Quoting a police report, an officer said that the Myanmar patrol ship and Chinese cargo ships near a Burmese dock were attacked by armed assailants in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The report went on to state that the armed assailants fired M79 rockets at the ships, with the first rocket falling in the river and the second exploding near the patrol ship. Due to low lighting conditions at the time of the incident, the patrol ship was unable to determine the source of the attack and subsequently could not offer a meaningful armed response.

The police report concluded that the incident has greatly affected shipping services on the Mekong River.

Although no Chinese ships were hit in the attack, crew members expressed concerns over security on the river.

Shipping services were restored on the Mekong last December after their suspension following the deaths of 13 Chinese sailors in cargo ship attacks on the river on Oct. 5, 2011.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

China deploys patrol boats on Mekong

Those patrol boats are purposely built for small arms fire-fights – well-protected by 100mm armor plates, fronted by 12.7mm mounts. It is no type 527 riverine but good luck trying to sink it with RPG. (Guess who picks up the tab for those patrol boats?)

Myanmar boarder police

Loas boarder police (nice police camo)

China boarder police

China deploys patrol boats on Mekong: state media
AFPAFP –
http://news.yahoo.com/china-deploys-patrol-boats-mekong-state-media-052210019.html

China's national flag is seen flying from the back of a ship sailing down the Mekong river. China has deployed more than 300 armed police to patrol the river in boats in collaboration with Myanmar, Thailand and Laos after a deadly attack in October, according to state-run media

China's national flag is seen flying from the back of a ship sailing down the Mekong …

China has deployed more than 300 armed police to patrol the Mekong river in boats in collaboration with Myanmar, Thailand and Laos after a deadly attack in October, according to state-run media.

Two months ago, 13 Chinese sailors were killed on a section of the river south of China's border, raising concerns in Beijing for the safety of crews and cargoes sailing south through an area rife with drug warfare and smuggling.

Citing officials, the official China Daily newspaper said that Chinese police would escort 10 private cargo ships, including the boats that were attacked on October 5 by what is thought to have been a drug gang.

"The special force will serve as the first joint-patrol law enforcement team of the national border defense department, committed to safeguarding the international waterway," said public security deputy minister Meng Hongwei.

The Mekong flows through China's southwestern province of Yunnan into Southeast Asia, serving as a major trade route through several countries including Cambodia and Vietnam.

China reacted angrily to the October attack, sending patrol boats down the Mekong to retrieve 164 stranded Chinese sailors and 28 cargo ships and calling on diplomats from Thailand, Laos and Myanmar to speed up investigations.

Since then, police in Thailand have detained nine soldiers who are suspected of killing the Chinese sailors and are also thought to have links with a Myanmar drug kingpin.

Communist propaganda of the day: First China military sponsored anime

Look at who opens for PLA's August First Film Studio's first anime TV show.

http://chn.chinamil.com.cn/jsdm/2011-12/21/content_4749475_2.htm
《正义红师》精彩壁纸
作者：
2011-12-21 13:54:55 来源：中国军网

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band?

all we are saying is give peace a chance

Could this be the first photos of Type 056 light corvette under construction?

We will know soon enough.

MSA 74 to the left, Type 054A number 15 (17th overall) at the right,  Type056 in the middle?

  Guangzhou's Huangpu Shipyard

Photos taken from Shanghai 

Thursday, December 02, 2010

Type 056 Light Corvette.

A model of the new Type 056 Light Corvette was presented to Hong Kong University by the deputy commander of the PLA Hong Kong Garrison, Major General Wang Junli (here) on November 4th 2010. Since then, it was speculated that this 1500 ton corvette could be the possible replacement of the Jianghu class workhorse. This could be credible since the two leading Chinese naval affairs magazines covered the Type056 in their current issues.

Chinese shipyards are capable of building such a corvette -- it bears a resemblance to the Thai Navy's Pattani-class OPV which China exported in 2006. The Type 056 would up-gun the Thai OPV with four YJ-3/C803 ASM and a FL-3000N RAM launcher aft.

In the meanwhile, old Jianghu soldiers on.

Thail Navy's Pattani-class OPV, build in Shanghai in 2006

It is a " localizated" RBU-6000 Smerch-2 ASR, naturally

Since there is no record of a RBU-6000 sale to the PRC.

Russian RBU-6000 Smerch-2 ASR

The next round of Brigadization.

Here is a perfect development to start off the New Year – the across the board China Military brigadization. For the past few months, we have been noting tip-bits of units, either regiments or divisions, are becoming brigades and the recent PLA Daily news articles seem to have confirmed some of brigadization tip-bits.

What we know thus far:

--All the China Army Aviation (helicopter) Regiments are now Brigades.

--All the China Army Armor Divisions are now divided into Armored Brigades and/or Mechanized Infantry Brigades.

--The China Airforce Air Divisions (Bomber, Attack, Fighter, Recon) are either reformed into Brigades/Battalion (Wings/Squadron???) or Bases. The goal is be able to max-and-match different birds to tailor better on mission requirements.

Will keep you posted on further developments

Aviation brigade conducts round-the-clock flight training

(Source: PLA Daily) 2011-12-27
http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/news-channels/photo-reports/2011-12/27/content_4754601.htm


Recently, an aviation brigade of the air force of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army stationed in Xinjiang conducted a round-the-clock flight training to ensure that new equipment and new personnel form combat effectiveness in the same year they are deployed. (PLA Daily/ Zhang Shuhua)

Editor:Zhang Qingxia

Army aviation brigade airdrops relief materials to snow-hit area in Xinjiang
( Source: PLA Daily ) 2010-February-2 15:27
http://eng.mod.gov.cn/DefenseNews/2010-02/02/content_4122530.htm

For days in a row, the helicopters of an army aviation brigade of the Xinjiang Military Area Command (MAC) of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) rescued the people stranded by the snowstorm in the mountainous area of Altai. The picture shows the crew members are unloading relief materials from the helicopter.

By January 27, an army aviation brigade of the Xinjiang MAC dispatched 3 helicopters to fly for 41 sorties to rescue 66 people in 8 administrative villages of 3 counties and airdrop 15 tons of flour and rice to 11 administrative villages of 5 counties.

A leader of the brigade said that although the amount of the airdropped materials was not huge, they helped to strengthen and build up the confidence and strength of the people in the disaster-stricken area to overcome the difficulties.

PLA air force builds multi-type aircraft support bases

(Source: PLA Daily) 2011-12-26
http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/news-channels/china-military-news/2011-12/26/content_4753774.htm
Focusing on the development requirements for a modernized strategic air force, the Logistics Department of the Air Force of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is making every effort to build multi-type aircraft support bases. At present, a logistics support system adaptable to the needs of future air combat is taking shape.

A few years ago, personnel of the Logistics Department of the PLA Air Force were confronted with a severe challenge: future air combat should be featured by systematic confrontation between multi-type aircraft rather than between single-type aircraft. However, for a traditional airfield and station, there was basically one airfield in one air field and station, and only one runway available for only one type of aircraft.

So the PLA Air Force organs made a resolute decision that air field and station should be transformed into comprehensive support air base that can support multi-type aircraft and serve as the basic dependence and fighting entity for command, control, support and independent operational tasks.

After investigation and survey, the Logistics Department of the PLA Air Force, in line with the guideline of "nationwide deployment, all-border access all-area response", focused on flight support, expanded support functions of airfield and enhanced comprehensive multi-type aircraft support capability.

With years of efforts, the air base construction has made critical breakthroughs one after another. A good number of comprehensive support bases and multi-type aircraft support bases were completed in succession. In addition, support facilities of over 100 support bases for basic tasks and back-up support bases have been improved. A scientifically-distributed national network of air bases has basically been shaped.

By Tian Yuanlong, Xu Chunxiang and Li Wei

Editor:Li Meng

 12 Birds, a squadron?