Open Season For PhotoShop.

In early September 09, I blogged about the displeasure of seeing a “Fork and Spoon” being emblemed into PLA’s mobile kitchen. Well, It seems others shared my sentiment and declared an open season to PhotoShop, resulting in these fine examples.

Chinese in West Germany

On September 23, 1986, PRC's military attachés eye-witnessed a West-German live fire exercise. One can only imagine how they felt seeing one of the most lethal armies in the world in action. PLA was in a poor state back in the 1980s -- starting in 1978, Deng Xiaoping reduced PLA's budget to the minimum, PLA had to support its "modernization" effort by converting part of industries to civilian production and increasing arms export to anyone that was interested. The resulting corruption, abuse, and low troop morale was expected, but it was a gamble Deng was willing to take. For some, the inadequately funded military in the 1980s proved to be the right decision. China was broke after years of mismanagement and the limited resources available were rightly channeled into the civilian sector.

PLA's deteriorating situation was brought under control in 1991 when the official budget was increased to cover necessities in addition to funding new weapons and training requirements. The PLA was ordered to abandon much of its civilian business and to refocus on national defense in due course. (Tiananmen and the 1st Gulf War also helped PLA's case for a greater share of the national budget)

First Sino-Russian joint naval escort sets sail

The PLAN is conducting a join escort with the Russian navy in the Gulf of Aden. Seeing the poor condition of the Russian Destroyer must give a great deal of joy to the Chinese fanboys, never mind that the Russian/Soviet navy is still ahead of PLAN in all areas of blue water operations ranging from carrier task force, saturated surface missile strikes and more importantly, nuclear submarine operations. Perhaps, the real lesson to be learned is that a strong and lasting Naval Power is not possible without a strong economy to support it. Thus, the purpose of a navy is not to just show a flag but to protect the international trade everyone is dependent on. In the age of globalization, a strong economy is no longer possible without trade and the navy is the trade protector.

Yup, failure to participate in the global economic game will rust your battleship.

First Sino-Russian joint naval escort sets sail

(Source: PLA Daily) 2009-09-14


　 　At 17:32 on September 10, local time, the “Setting Sail Ceremony of the Sino-Russian Joint Escort” began, Wang Zhiguo and Rear Admiral Sergei Aliokminski, commanders of the Sino-Russian joint escort taskforce, and 100-plus Chinese escort officers and men and 7 officers from the Russian Navy spoke out the same mind on the flight deck of the “Zhoushan” warship: to safeguard the peace and tranquility of the mission waters in the Gulf of Aden with friendly and cooperative spirit and brave and loyal conviction.

　　After the ceremony, the first joint escort of the Sino-Russian naval escort taskforce kicked off formally. At that moment, the “Zhoushan” warship and the “Admiral Tributs” warship, as well as 16 merchant ships escorted by the first Sino-Russian joint escort taskforce, including the “Jiaxin” and the “Zhenhua 14” merchant ships blew the whistle for 60 seconds altogether.

　 　Soon, the merchant ships formed into two columns and sailed towards the sea area to the east of the Gulf of Aden under the escort of the Chinese and Russian warships on both sides.

　　By Zhu Da and Yu Zifu

Editor:Luo Hui

Aviation equipment training base of PLA Navy established

Interesting news, consider which aircraft company is located at Shenyang and what type of twin-engined fighter it produces.

Aviation equipment training base of PLA Navy established

http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/news-channels/china-military-news/2009-09/16/content_4041614.htm

(Source: PLA Daily) 2009-09-16

　　Under the coordination of the Shenyang-based Military Representative Bureau (MRB) of the Armament Department of the PLA Navy, the Aviation Equipment Training Base of the PLA Navy was inaugurated at a military industry enterprise in Shenyang days ago. This training base is open to naval academies and troop units to take internship and training with aviation equipment.

　　With complete technical specialties and rich teaching resources, the Shenyang-based military industry enterprise mainly undertakes the task of development, production, test and type finalizing and maintenance of multiple types of important aviation equipment of the PLA Navy.

　　The Shenyang-based MRB of the Armament Department of the PLA Navy fully taps the education resources of the military industry enterprises and is proactive to act as a bridge between the troop units and manufacturers in organizing cadets and soldiers of related specialties to take internship and training in manufacturers. Since 2000, this MRB has successfully helped to bring about such training programs for more than 20 batches with thousands of professionals in naval aviation equipment produced.

　　The establishment of the base is conducive to giving better play to the enterprise’ advantages in technology and human resources to provide support for generating battle effectiveness of new equipment in the earliest possible time.

　　By Lu Hongzhe and Yu Yang

Editor:Ouyang Dongmei

Project Orangebook

What looks to be a new Type09 prototype MBT has leaked from the Chinese internet.

These MBTs sport a new polychromatic paint, which give the MBTs the ability to assume the color of its environment. The advanced armor has been designed to reflect incoming radar, much like the F117. The turret is adorned with two twin rail guns for CIWS defense against the latest ATGM and low tech RPGs (here). The main gun sports a 115mm pulse ion cannon powered by an onboard reverse-engineered Hyperion reactor. (here) (here) Like over-the-horizon radar, the cannon's guidance system is capable of indirect fire by ricocheting its energy pulse off the stratosphere. The Hyperion reactor also powers what appears to be an "anti-gravity sphere" that significantly lightens its load allowing for land speeds up to 200mph.

What this leak has demonstrated, is that China is clearly closing the "alien gap" with the West in developing state of the art weapons derived from alien technology.

China Trains Afghans and Iraqis in Mine Clearing

Reading from the recent statement of "The two sides [US and China] pledged to increase coordination to jointly promote stability and development in Afghanistan and Pakistan. " by David B. Shear, Deputy Assistant Secretary
-- Statement before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, The Pacific and the Global Environment. It is reasonable to expected more PRC involvement in that region in the comming months.

Here are two different views by AP and NYT; each with a different emphasis.

China training Afghans, Iraqis in mine clearance

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gKOaiW8kI2WSxtHQ3lFH6UyA2XXwD9ANMT100

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN (AP)

BEIJING — China's army is training Iraqi and Afghan soldiers to clear land mines, a sign of Beijing's desire to expand engagement with the two countries despite wariness over the presence of U.S. forces.

The two-month course is the first known instance of China offering such training to troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, which together are home to close to 200,000 U.S. troops.

Twenty officers from each country are being hosted by a People's Liberation Army academy in the eastern city of Nanjing, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. On graduation, they will return to their home countries with large amounts of mine detection and clearing equipment donated by China, Xinhua said.

The Defense Ministry did not reply to faxed questions and no telephone numbers were listed for the PLA's University of Science and Technology where the course was taking place.

Afghanistan remains heavily mined from the anti-Soviet guerrilla war and the internal conflict and U.S. invasion that followed. The devices kill and wound scores of people every year.

Large stretches of Iraq's borders still contain mine fields left over from the 1980s war against Iran, the 1991 invasion of Kuwait and the 2003 U.S. invasion. In addition, improvised explosive devices made from mines and other ordnance are a major killer of U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians.

China opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and has remained aloof from multinational military operations to stabilize Afghanistan and combat a resurgent Taliban. Beijing is especially unhappy with the presence of American forces in Afghanistan, with which it shares a narrow border.

Beijing has pursued strong bilateral ties with Afghanistan and Iraq. Afghanistan is the source of 95 percent of the world's heroin, and abuts China's volatile Xinjiang region where cheap Afghan heroin has fueled high levels of drug addiction. Chinese authorities also say radicals among the region's Uighur Muslim minority have trained in Taliban camps in Afghanistan.

Beijing's policy has been to promote Afghan stability through economic means and China was quick to offer aid following the 2001 fall of the Taliban regime. The U.S. has praised China's work on road building and fiber optic cable installation in Afghanistan along with a Chinese firm's plans to develop copper deposits that could create 10,000 jobs and annual revenues of $400 million for the Afghan government.

In Iraq, China's state petroleum companies are developing oil fields on which the government in Baghdad relies almost entirely for its revenues.

Gestures such as the de-mining training are a way to further build bridges and the course "showed the positive attitude of the Chinese government to assist the two countries' economic recovery and social reconstruction," Xinhua said.

China Trains Afghans and Iraqis in Mine Clearing

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/world/asia/16mines.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

September 16, 2009

China Trains Afghans and Iraqis in Mine ClearingBy MARK McDONALDHONG KONG — The Chinese military said Tuesday that it had begun training 40 officers from Iraq and Afghanistan to clear and defuse land mines.China has trained 300 mine specialists from 15 countries over the past decade, its Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Most recently, in June, 20 Sudanese soldiers completed a six-week demining course in Nanjing.The training of foreign mine-clearing specialists appears to serve the dual purpose of assisting in China’s steadily expanding search abroad for oil and gas, including projects in Sudan, Iraq, Iran, Angola and Ethiopia, and burnishing China’s image in the world.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has described the demining course as “an important step in the Chinese government’s active participation in international mine-clearing,” although Beijing has refused to sign the international treaty to ban anti-personnel mines, also known as the Ottawa Treaty.The United States, Russia and India also have not signed the protocol.The training is expected to be of extra help to the Iraqis. In recent months, the country has suffered a surge in violent attacks by insurgents, especially in their use of improvised explosive devices that essentially function like high-powered land mines. Bomb-detection techniques and the defusing of explosives remain important skills for military units and security forces there.Tensions in Iraq have also increased over developments at the Adhab field, southeast of Baghdad. China National Petroleum Corporation, a state-owned company, has struck oil at the Ahdab field, in Wasit Province, but local dissatisfaction has led the Chinese company to worry about security even as it has already posted guards at the site.Angry that the Ahdab field has not delivered an expected boon of jobs and infrastructure development, local farmers have wrecked generators, punctured pipelines, severed electrical cables and intimidated Chinese workers.

VT1A Main Battle Tank.

Norinco's VT1A MBT was first revealed in the October 2009 issue of "Ordnance Knowledge", a Norinco owned monthly magazine -- The VT1A MBT is a scaled down Type98/99 MBT built for export and similar to rest of the Type98/99 series of MBT, it's driver seat is located at the center of the hull and forward of the turret.

The Type99 MBT has been in PLA service approaching its 10th year and until now it has not been offered for export for number of reason: some of the potential customers might not have the necessary infrastructure to support or able to afford the high price associated with a 57 ton beast. In the past, Norinco has focused its sales effort with the Type96 and while it scored some success but in light of all the T-72 and T-54 upgrade packages that flooded the market in recent years, the Type96 might no longer be competitive in the international market place.

To reduce the total cost of ownership and combat weight to more manageable of 49 tons, the VT1A is not packaged with the 2nd generation ERA, active defense protection systems, D-3 infra-red jammer nor the much discussed a laser-dazzler device that are normally found on the Type 99. However, it can still perform the "rotation with pivot" in the center of the body by moving tracks from both sides in opposite directions. This capability allows The Type 99 to rotate 180 degrees in narrate streets making it a lethal adversary in MOUT. (Military Operations on Urban Terrain)


For more detail on the Type99/98 see

The New Chinese Type 98 MBT: A Second Look Reveals More Details
The Chinese Type 98 Main Battle Tank: A New Beast from the East



VT1A Specifications

Full Weight: 49 Tons
Turret root Height: 2.4 m
Width with track shield: 3.5m
Crew: 3 with auto-loader.
Power: 1200 hp
Engine: Water-cooled turbocharged diesel
Power-weight ratio: 24 hp / ton
Max speed: Highway speed 69 km/hour
Range: 450 km
Main Armament: 125 mm smoothbore

United Arab Emirates, China, India and a plane load of “weapons”

It was reported on September 5th 2009, that a China-bound UAE air force C-130 Hercules was detained at India’s Kolkata airport after the discovery of arms and explosives during a routine refuel stop. (here)

After being detained for 72 hours the C-130 and its 9 crew members were released and on their way to their original destination of Xiangyang China after the UAE government issued an apology; blaming the omission in the cargo declaration on a technical error. (here) Since the cargo was sealed during the episode, speculation concerning the content was abound, ranging from illegal US Harpoons, (here) to US Maverick or French MICA missiles to Pakistan. (here) (here) In other words, people were just guessing.

Back in June 2009, Norinco’s Kunlung Company shipped an entire LD-2000 air-defense system to UAE via a rented Russian An-124 for evaluation (here) . After 22 days, the evaluation was considered a success, with a final live-fire demo in front of the PLA’s defense attaché and other high ranking UAE officers.

While the detained UAE C-130 may not contain the returning LD-2000, it must be noted that like Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, the UAE has an active military exchange program with China, a fact missed by many pundits. In that light, it should not be a surprise to see military equipment in transit to China from UAE. Maybe next time someone will double check the paperwork and train the crew in simultaneous winking when embarking on such clandestine operations.

UAE C-130 Hercules at Kolkata airport

LD-2000
Like the land-based version of the naval CIWS Type-730, the LD-2000 combines a seven barreled 30mm Gatling gun with 6 TY-90 SAMs. The system is likely to have a similar overall capability to the US C-RAM but with extended range, thanks to the 6km reach of the TY-90s. However, rather than just anti-mortar defense the LD-2000 is more likely employed for point defense of key installations and facilities from cruise missiles, PGMs and fast jets at low altitude.
According to Norinco, LD2000 can engage cruise missiles with an RCS of 0.1 m2, up to a maximum speed of M2.0. The system is also claimed to have a multiple-target engagement capability and be able to operate in an electronic counter counter-measure environment.

(Drawing courtesy of Planeman)

Photo of the LD-2000 under eval in UAE.

Photos of LD-2000 in China.

Who will be the new owner of 60 K-8 Jet trainers/light attack aircraft: Iran, Pakistan or Indonesia?

Jiangxi Hongdu Aviation Industrial Shareholding Co., Ltd. Or "Hongdu Aviation" (here) announced that it has signed a contract to export 60 K-8 Jet trainers/light attack aircraft and its assembly line to an “Asian Country.” (here) (here) The contract is divided into three phases: the first phase includes the transfer of 12 Chinese-built aircraft, the second involves an equipment and technology transfer and the third the eventual local production of 48 additional aircraft.

There are 400 JL-8 (PLA designation) in service with both the PLAAF and PLANAF flight academies and 266 copies exported to 20 foreign militaries, making the JL-8 one of China’s most successful military projects. A similar deal was conducted with the Egyptian Air Force in Dec 27th 1999. After the first batch of 10 Chinese-built K8E's were delivered to the EAF, production was transferred to the Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI) to complete an additional 70 aircraft. The deal was reported to be worth 345 million. Forty more were ordered on November 2004, making the EAF the largest K-8 operator outside of China.


K-8 is not a state-of-the-art trainer, but it’s attractiveness to developing countries draw from PRC’s willingness to share technology and production know-how. Initially Pakistan had a 25% share of the original K-8 project as they intended to replace their older T-37 trainers with a fleet of 75 K-8s. However, in 2005, it’s procurement was only 39 aircraft and Pakistan shifted its focus to the JF-17 program instead. If Pakistan is not the intended customer for the recent deal, then it only leaves Iran (It will be very controversial =) and Indonesia as the possible recipients -- both countries have shown interest in the project as they require a large training fleet in addition to a desire to jump start its aviation industry via technology transfer

News from 2007

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-16148474.html

Jakarta, July 12 (Xinhua) -- A special team of the Indonesian Air Force has completed assessment into aging aircraft and will soon propose procurement for the new ones, including China's K-8 training jets, the chief said Thursday.

The team concluded that the Air Force needs to buy new planes in place for the aging ground support aircraft OV-10 Broncos and F- 5 Tigers from the United States and training/combat jets Hawk MK- 53s manufactured in Britain.

"The team has concluded assessment and we have several proposals to be submitted after 2009, based on the available budget," Air Force Chief of Staff Air Marshal Herman Prayitno was quoted by the national Antara news agency as saying.

He said the proposed training plane procurement includes L-159 from the Czech Republic, China's K-8 and South Korea's KO-1B turboprop planes.

However, the Air Force has not made the final say over which plane it intends to buy, he added.

The Air Force also is eager to acquire multi-role aircraft to replace the Broncos and the Tigers.

"We now have options of several aircraft types that we will submit for approvals, according to the available budget and the specific needs of the force," he said during a visit to the West Java capital of Bandung.

K-8E of the Egyptian Air Force.

Other K-8/JL-8 Photos

Chinese Missiles on display during Turkey's Victory Day Parade.

Despite the recent Sino-Turkey political fallout concerning the unrest in Xinjiang, imported Chinese missiles were prominently featured in this year's victory day parade. At the same time, Turkey also hosted the "Friends of Democratic Pakistan" meeting in which the Chinese government was invited. (here) There is something to be said about the civil-military relationship in many different countries -- sometimes they are clearly NOT on the same page. However, no one in the PRC is under the illusion that Turkey can continue its close military ties with China (overtly) if the Turkish public continues to press the Uyghur issue.

Sino-Turkey relations in regards to the Uyghur communities in Xinjiang is complex; for a good backgrounder, see Yitzhak Shichor's “Ethno-Diplomacy: The Uyghur Hitch in Sino-Turkish Relations” (Here)

Turkey marks Victory Day with military parades
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/newsbriefs/setimes/newsbriefs/2009/08/31/nb-09

31/08/2009

ANKARA, Turkey -- The country celebrated Victory Day with military parades in Ankara and other big cities Sunday (August 30th). The largest parade was in Ankara, where about 8,000 military officers marched past President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, General Staff chief Ilker Basbug and other senior officials. Warplanes flew overhead, while dozens of tanks and armoured vehicles rumbled past. Victory Day celebrates the Turkish army's win, under Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, in the 1919-1922 Greek-Turkish war. The day also honours Turkish armed forces. (AFP, Anadolu news agency - 30/08/09)

WS-2 Long Range MRL (400mm Range)


B-6111 Heavy Long Range Rocket

EU Arms Embargo.

Due to the successful EU arms embargo, the PLA was forced to abandon projects such as the 022 Fact Attack Craft, Song/Yuan class submarines, Z9 and Z10 attack helicopters....the list is too large to go on.

Joking aside, attempts to lifting the arms embargo by then presidents Jacques Chirac and Gerhard Schroder ended with no result as China passed the "Taiwan Anti-Secession" bill in March 2005. However, with behind the scene maneuvers, PRC seems to be able to gain access to propulsion, communication and other "humanitarian equipment" technologies critical to her defense modernization drive.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/461bf150-9b18-11de-a3a1-00144feabdc0,dwp_uuid=9c33700c-4c86-11da-89df-0000779e2340.html

6 Sep 2009 8:32pm​
China invited to arms fair despite embargo

By Jeremy Lemer

UK Trade & Investment, the government export promotion agency, has invited a Chinese military delegation to Britain's biggest arms fair even though China is still the subject of an official European-wide arms export ban.

Approval for the visit was given by ministers in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence while Lord Mandelson, the business minister responsible for UKTI, was also informed of the invitation, according to UKTI.

The Chinese delegation will consist of 10 military personnel, most holding the rank of general, and will include the Chinese ambassador. They will attend the Defence Systems and Equipment International exhibition, which starts at the ExCel centre on Tuesday.

The news comes as Lord Mandelson begins a five-day trade visit to China, where he is expected to push for increased market access for British companies to the advanced manufacturing, financial and green energy sectors.

"China is an exciting market for UK business," Lord Mandelson said in a recent statement. "My challenge is to promote British exports, encourage Chinese investment in the UK and continue to strengthen our good working relations."

When a Chinese delegation attended the event in 2005, the parliamentary committees on arms export controls expressed "dismay", urging the government to deny countries subject to arms embargoes official "sponsorship" to attend arms fairs in the UK.

But China was invited to DSEi again in 2007 and to the Farnborough air show in 2008, although it did not attend the latter.

Kaye Stearman, a spokesperson for Campaign Against Arms Trade, said: "We are obviously concerned about the prospect of arms going to undemocratic countries that abuse human rights. This is yet another country in the rogue's gallery invited to DSEi."

UKTI said the Chinese delegation would be steered towards humanitarian equipment, such as communications gear and tools for finding victims buried by earthquakes.

It said any purchases would require a licence and would receive strict scrutiny, adding that all of the equipment on display at DSEi was unclassified.

The EU export ban was introduced in 1989 in the wake of the Tiananmen Square massacres but over time EU relations with China have normalised.

The embargo allows for some licensed products to be traded, which have increased in number and value in recent years.

PLAN Type022 "humanitarian" Fast Attack Craft powered by Rolls-Royce's Kamewa water jet.

More Photos From The Rehearsal

Vehicle Squadron No. 01 ZTZ 99 MBT
Vehicle Squadron No. 02 ZTZ 96G MBT
Vehicle Squadron No. 03 ZTS 04 AAAV (Army)
Vehicle Squadron No. 04 ZBD97 IFV
Vehicle Squadron No. 05 ZTS 04 AAAV (Marine)
Vehicle Squadron No. 06 New 8x8 Wheeled IFV
Vehicle Squadron No. 07 ZDB03 Airborne IFV (Airforce)
Vehicle Squadron No. 08 ZSL 92 Anti-riot APC (PAP)
Vehicle Squadron No. 09 PLZ 04 155mm SPH
Vehicle Squadron No. 10 New 122mm SPH
Vehicle Squadron No. 11 PLL05 1200mm SP Gun-Mortar
Vehicle Squadron No. 12 PTL02 100mm SPA
Vehicle Squadron No. 13 PHL03 300mm MRL
Vehicle Squadron No. 14 HJ-9 ATGM
Vehicle Squadron No. 15 PGZ95 SPAAA
Vehicle Squadron No. 16 HQ-7 SP-SAM
Vehicle Squadron No. 17 YJ-91 ASM display-model (Navy)
Vehicle Squadron No. 18 YJ-83 ASM display-model (Navy)
Vehicle Squadron No. 19 YJ-62 ASM (Navy)
Vehicle Squadron No. 20 HQ-9 SAM (Air force)
Vehicle Squadron No. 21 HQ-12 SAM (Air force)
Vehicle Squadron No. 22 ECM (Air force)
Vehicle Squadron No. 23 UAV
Vehicle Squadron No. 24 Communication
Vehicle Squadron No. 25 Joint Logistic (Medical, Food, Water, OPL, and Bridging)
Vehicle Squadron No. 26 DF-15 Mod
Vehicle Squadron No. 27 DF-11 Mod
Vehicle Squadron No. 28 DH-10 LACM
Vehicle Squadron No. 29 DF-21C
Vehicle Squadron No. 30 DF- 41


Photo credit goes to 梦影随风