Communist propaganda photos of the day: PLA's 5th Army Aviation Brigade.

Move over  J-10,   WZ-10 is now the communist propaganda poster boy.    J-10 was like 'sooooo what err, you know, like, 2005.

Meet the fearsome North Korean navy

Under normal circumstances, a hosting navy would open-house featuring its latest hardware, perhaps a round or two joint search-and-rescue dog-n-pony show -- not this time -- the visiting PLAN sailors get some eye candy instead.    Don't think they are complaining though

PLAN Frigate 527 Luoyang and training ship Cheng He return home after a training stop at North Korea. (here).

Guangzhou HuangPu's Milk Cow

Here is the latest photo from Guangzhou on the second Type 903 AOR under construction there. 

Monday, January 14, 2013

New type 903 AOR Replenishment oiler completed it's first sea trial

With impressive building speed of launch to first sea trial in just 9 months, the China navy must be needing those new milk cows bad.    Don't be surprise to see those two supporting Gulf of Aden anti piracy operations by year end.

Monday, May 07, 2012

A new type 903 AOR Replenishment oiler launched in Shanghai Hudong Shipyard.

Six weeks after the launch of a new Type 903 in Guangzhou's HuangPu shipyard.  A new Type 903 can also be seen in Shanghai today.

In the meanwhile in Guangzhou (photo posted on 5/5/2012)

News photos of the day: Defending Mali's Z-9 Choppers

Two were imported from China. Not sure they are in service anymore judging from the following photos.

New type 903 AOR Replenishment oiler completed it's first sea trial

With impressive building speed of launch to first sea trial in just 9 months, the China navy must be needing those new milk cows bad.    Don't be surprise to see those two supporting Gulf of Aden anti piracy operations by year end.

Monday, May 07, 2012

A new type 903 AOR Replenishment oiler launched in Shanghai Hudong Shipyard.

Six weeks after the launch of a new Type 903 in Guangzhou's HuangPu shipyard.  A new Type 903 can also be seen in Shanghai today.

In the meanwhile in Guangzhou (photo posted on 5/5/2012)

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Light at end of the tunnel?

It has been said that in order for the China navy to field a modern navy, it must possess more Replenishment Oilers (AOR). With only five AOR in its orbat, it can barely keep up with the Gulf of Aden commitment and the regular Western Pacific cruises. The situation might be improving in near future as recently posted photos suggesting that two more AORs are under-construction and one of those launched today in Shanghai.

I am sure that little flattop can be  quite thirsty too. 

Photos of the day: Xianglong, Soaring Dragon gearing up for its maiden flight?

Last June's pending test flight rumor turns out to be false -- it was nothing more than a taxi run.   Lets see if second time's a charm.

To date, Xianglong is the largest joined-wing aircraft known to have been built, there is nothing out there like it.

China sends troops to border with conflict-torn Myanmar: media

China sends troops to border with conflict-torn Myanmar: media
BEIJING | Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:34am EST

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/11/us-china-myanmar-idUSBRE90A0FN20130111

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has sent soldiers to its border with Myanmar amid concern that escalating violence between the Southeast Asian country's government and ethnic separatists is spilling over, an official Chinese newspaper reported on Friday.

The Global Times said that troops were sent to the border between China's Yunnan Province and Myanmar's northern Kachin State "to understand the situation". It did not give any details on the number or type of soldiers.

"On the night of the 9th, there was shelling in Kachin, and residents of the unstable area quickly ran inside the Chinese border to pass the night in peace," the report said. Yunnan is home to an ethnic Kachin population.

The Communist Party's official newspaper, the People's Daily, carried an article on its website from the Changjiang Daily newspaper describing artillery shells exploding on a mountain in Yingjiang County, which borders Myanmar.

Officials in the Dehong prefecture government, in which the county is located, declined to comment on Friday.

The intensification of the conflict has cast doubt on the intentions of Myanmar's government, which is led by former generals who have been praised for reforms in other areas including elections, media and civil society.

Kachin rebel sources have reported aerial bombings, shelling and even the use of chemical weapons since December 28. Myanmar's government said there were no airstrikes, but that K-8 trainer jets had provided cover fire to protect ground troops from rebel attacks.

The 18-month conflict in Kachin state is one of the biggest tests for Myanmar's new civilian government's reform effort and the use of aircraft has raised doubts about whether the retired generals in the government have really changed their harsh old ways.

While China has strong business and trade ties with Myanmar, it has long looked with wariness at its poor and unstable southern neighbor and has repeatedly called on the country to ensure stability along the vast and remote border.

China had forcibly returned scores of ethnic Kachins who have fled Myanmar, a human rights group said last year. (Reporting By Beijing Newsroom; editing by Jonathan Standing)

Micro blog of the day: Chinese Kachin communities protest against the Myanmar government

Photo of the day: Luda class 107 being disassembled

Friday, October 19, 2012

Luda class DDG 107 "Yinchuan" decommissioned

Luda class DDG 107 "Yinchuan" decommissioned today after 36 years of service (here) marking it the third decommissioned Luda Class in recent weeks.

They forget to call it an "aircraft carrier platform"

Meals of China’s aircraft carrier face challenges

(Source: China Military Online)   2013-01-09

　　The aircraft carrier is not only a weapon platform but also a huge systematic project. Besides equipment with advanced technologies, such seemingly common factors as meals will also become the key to the overall combat effectiveness, thus needing comprehensive arrangement.

　　The aircraft carrier carries at least one or two thousand people and at most five or six thousand people. The consumption of ingredients used to provide so many people with three meals a day is an astronomical figure. Meanwhile, such issues in the training period of the aircraft carrier as food reserves and supplies and palatability of meals will also be considered.

　　Therefore, China’s first aircraft carrier will inevitably pose a new challenge to the Navy of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on how to provide food support for the large surface ship. From the point of view of cooking, western food is relatively easier to make and highly nutritious, but the equipment is complex; Chinese food is delicious and the equipment is comparatively simple, but the cooking process is complex and both the cooking water quantity and pollutant discharge capacity are large.

　　For an aircraft carrier carrying thousands of people, traditional cooking methods of Chinese food will put unparalleled pressure on cook staff. It is hard to imagine how much valuable fresh water will be consumed in cleaning vegetables and how much manpower will be needed to cut and cook the vegetables if we make a common dish named Yu-Shiang Shredded Pork (Sautéed with Spicy Garlic Sauce) for all the officers and men on the ship. The standard of the meals abounding in fish and meat on aircraft carriers of the United States is high heat supply and simple processing. Except those of senior officers, the meals of ordinary officers and men are absolutely tasteless, and also do not adapt to China’s specific conditions.

　　Therefore, the meals of China’s aircraft carrier will definitely take the road of finished products and combination of Chinese and western food. On one hand, on the huge platform of the aircraft carrier, Chinese food alone can hardly meet the physical demands of officers and men from combat training and also exerts great pressure from its production, and hence it is necessary to introduce some western food, such as fried chicken, western-style pastries and fruit juice. On the other hand, the supply of finished dishes will be further increased to suit the taste of Chinese officers and men. For example, the PLA Daily told that the PLA submarine troop units have used finished collective food. Drawing on the practice of in-flight meals, the food packaged by tinfoil-paper bags needs to be heated only before fried meat-and-vegetable dishes are finished.

　　Finished Chinese food is more difficult to prepare than finished western food. But with the constant improvement of China’s food technology and logistical support capability, world-class meals will be definitely available to the officers and men on China’s aircraft carrier.

(source:mil.cnr.cn)

Editor:Li Meng