ZTL09 8x8 Wheeled Light Tank to the PLAN Marine??

ZTL09 8x8 Wheeled Light Tanks sporting the now-famous "Blue Smurf" camo were spotted in Sanya City, near the HQ of the PLAN Marine.  Rumor has it that they are now getting those wheeled new toys to increase their mobility for MOOTW and non-amphibious operations.  Time will tell. 

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Photos of the day: PLAN Marine anti-terror training pics

Saturday, January 02, 2016

Send In the PLAN Marine

Shortly after the passage of new law authorizing the PLA to conduct counter-terrorism operations overseas, the PLAN marine now heads to Xinjing for some baptism of fire under "desert conditions".    Coincidence?

Chinese marines leave for military training in Xinjiang
Source: XinhuaEditor: Dong Zhaohui
2016-01-02 16:250

GUANGZHOU, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Chinese marines will be deployed in the next few days to a training base in northwest China's Xinjiang to begin their first military exercise of 2016.

As the Chinese military expands its training sites and conditions, the Xinjiang base gives troops a real combat situation under desert conditions.

Previous drills were conducted at a training base in north China's Inner Mongolia, cold regions in northeast China, and in highland jungles.

The drill will improve troops' fighting abilities "in a wider area, a larger space and in a more complicated environment," said a military source.

The soldiers will be transported via a 5,900-kilometer route from southern province of Guangdong to Xinjiang by train, air or truck. Their mobilization, desert combat tactics and coordination will be tested, and they will also carry out a combat exercise with an infantry division of the Lanzhou Military Area Command.

Photos from last year's Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) drill

Sunday, December 27, 2015

New Law Allows PLA to Undertake Counterterror Missions Overseas

China's new counter-terrorism law has made it legal for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to participate in counterterror missions overseas.
The PLA and the country's armed police forces may carry out such operations with the approval from the Central Military Commission, says the law adopted by top legislature on Sunday.
Public security and national security authorities may also send personnel overseas for counter-terrorism missions, with the approval from the State Council and agreements from concerned countries.
The law also stipulates that related departments, authorized by the State Council, may collaborate with overseas governments and international organizations in holding policy dialogues, communicating on intelligence information, enforcing the law and regulating international capitals.
The new law comes at a delicate time for China and for the world at large - terror attacks in Paris, the bombing of a Russian passenger jet over Egypt, and the brutal killings of hostages committed by the notorious Islamic State (IS) extremist group are alerting the world about an ever-growing threat of terrorism.
It will provide legal support to the country's counter-terrorism activities as well as collaboration with the international society, said An Weixing, an official with the public security ministry, at Sunday's press conference.

CCTV capture of the day: night carrier operations

Photo of the day: Third China Coast Guard Type054 "Civilian Edition" launched at Guangzhou's Huangpu Shipyard

Pennant number31303

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Additional Coast Guard Type054 and Type056 cutters launched in Guangzhou.

The second Type054 hull is sporting the pennant number of 46302.

The 76mm autocannon on the first hull is now visible

Two sisters

Sunday, May 29, 2016

China's Coast Guard getting their own Type054 based hull

And why not,  since the Type054 is a proven design with 24 hulls already in service and an extensive record of overseas deployments by the PLAN.  By sharing the common hull with the PLAN, the Coast Guard is applying the economy-of-scale of the per unit cost in addition to reductions in logistics support and  maintenance costs.

The Coast Guard is also sharing the same hull with Type056 so this is not unprecedented.

DDG167 "Shenzhen" completed a major mid-life modernization

it seems that the old HQ-7 SAM and 4x Type 76 dual 37mm AAA were replaced a 32-cell HQ-16 VLS and 2x Type1130 CIWS, similar to a new Type 054A FFG.  Its displacement increased from 6100 to 6500 tons as the result.

CCTV capture of the day: J-15's buddy centerline refueling training at South China Sea

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-carrier-taiwan-idUSKBN14O0ZX
China says aircraft carrier testing weapons in South China Sea drills

A group of Chinese warships led by its sole aircraft carrier is testing weapons and equipment in exercises this week in the South China Sea that are going to plan, China's foreign ministry said Wednesday.

Exercises by the ships, in particular the aircraft carrier Liaoning, since last month have unnerved China's neighbors, especially at a time of heightened strain with self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own, and given long-running territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

China says the Soviet-built Liaoning and the other ships conduct routine exercises that comply with international law.

"The Liaoning aircraft carrier group in the South China Sea is carrying out scientific research and training, in accordance with plans," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a regular news briefing.

"The purpose is to test the performance of weapons and equipment," he said.

The People's Liberation Army Navy said on its official microblog this week that the aircraft carrier conducted drills in the South China Sea with its fighter jets and helicopters.

U.S. warships have also been conducting what they call "freedom of navigation" patrols through the South China Sea over the past year as concern grows about Chinese construction of air strips and docks on disputed reefs and islands.

The group of warships sailed through waters south of Japan and then rounded east and south of Taiwan late last month on their way to the south China province of Hainan.

Taiwan's defence minister warned at the time that "the threat of our enemies is growing day by day".

Taiwan media have reported that the Liaoning could sail north up the median line of the Taiwan Strait, the narrow body of water separating Taiwan and China, on its way to its home port of Qingdao.

Taiwan's defence ministry said the talk about the timing and northward route of the Liaoning was speculation, and it would make preparations based on the situation and "maintain its grasp of the movements" of the ship.

Business relations between mainland China and Taiwan have grown significantly over the past decade but tension has increased since the island elected a president from an independence-leaning party last year.
Also In South China Sea


China distrusts President Tsai Ing-wen and has stepped up pressure on her following a protocol-breaking phone call between her and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump last month.

Beijing suspects Tsai wants to push for the island's formal independence, a red line for the mainland, which has never renounced the use of force to bring what it deems a renegade province under its control.

Tsai says she wants to maintain peace with China.

(Reporting by Michael Martina; Additional reporting by J.R. Wu in Taipei)

Saturday, January 04, 2014

http://china-defense.blogspot.com/2014/01/j-15s-buddy-centerline-refueling-store.html
 

J-15's buddy centerline refueling store

Here is one potential solution to the challenge of limited takeoff weight and range of Short take-off but arrested-recovery (STOBAR) carrier borne aircraft -- Give them a “hard point mounted fuel pod with a hose-and-drogue system” (a.k.a buddy store) This arrangement  allows carrier borne aircraft to increase their combat range as well as their take-off weight without the need of a dedicated tanker support.


Judging from the following public release photos of China’s Shenyang J-15 Flying Shark, such a buddy store is available to the Chinese Naval Aviators, assuming that they have mastered the mid-air refueling techniques of course. Given the fact that the J15 is based on the Russian SU-33, the Shangyang buddy store bears resemblance to the UPAZ-1A Sakhalin centerline refueling store series currently available in the international arms market.

SU-33's UPAZ-1A at play

 

Type 053H3 FFG gets an upgrade.

Judging by the recently completed Mid-Life extensions of PLAN's 053H3 FFG, its older air defense assets are now par with currently standards:  Out are the HQ-7 SAM and the 4x Type 76 dual 37mm AAA,  new are the HQ-10 (Chinese SeaRAM) and the 2xType730 CIWS. 

The ten 053H3s still in service are considered "second tier" by the PLAN and being deployed as such.  However, since this class has organic hangar support for ASW helo and with a greater range, they are more versatile than the newer Type056.  Expect them to be around for a while. 

 Photo credit goes to Forbin

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