Saturday, October 25, 2014

Photos of the day: new kids on the block, J-20, Y-20 and KJ-500

Three prototypes are currently conducting test flights at Yanliang Airport near Xian.   The most interesting of this bunch is probably the KJ-500 AWAC, a domestic modification of the  ZDK-03 exported to Pakistan.  Unlike the ZDK-03, this Chinese AWAC is based on the newly available Y-9 tactical transport airframe with longer range and greater payloads rather than the older Y-8.




J-31 to headline this year's Zhuhai International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition.

Expert: J-31 has export advantages


(Source: China Military Online)   2014-10-24


   BEIJING, October 24 (ChinaMil) –Over 130 aircraft of various types will participate in the 10th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition to be unveiled on November 11, 2014 in Zhuhai of south China’s Guangdong province, and the J-31 stealth fighter will also appear in Zhuhai and conduct a demonstration flight, according to media reports.

  Xu Yongling, an aviation expert, said in an interview that the Chinese fighters are renowned for its low cost and excellent technical standard. The J-31 stealth fighter has export advantages. In the future military trade market, China will no longer be the "small potato". Instead, its market share will gradually increase.

  The J-31 stealth fighter had its successful maiden flight in 2012 and is still in the test phase. However, will its participation in exhibition only two years after the maiden flight reveal secrets of China’s stealth aircraft technology?

  Xu Yongling said that the J-31 is likely to be positioned as an export-oriented aircraft initially. Therefore, the secrecy is not a problem. The J-31 shall disclose its appearance as much as possible in order to have a good showcase.

  The current global arms export market is still dominated by the United States. Russia’s orders remain stable in the second place while arms exports from Europe are gradually improving. China is relatively weak in this field. "If Russia and Europe are entering into rivalry with the U.S. over the cake, then China can only cut a corner form the cake", said Xu Yongling. Once the J-31 is being exported, it will become a highly-competitive product in moderately developed countries or below, along with third-generation fighters.

  European countries are traditional allies of the U.S. so their military aircraft trade contains a lot of strategic and political factors. It is very difficult for other countries to intervene.

  The training systems in the NATO, the U.S. and its allies are bounded together. "It is very difficult for aircraft developed by outsider countries to enter their market as the threshold is very high", Xu Yongling said.

  Xu Yongling stressed that China does not want to sell fighters to western countries. In addition to traditional friendly countries such as Pakistan, there are many countries in the Middle East, South Asia and Latin America whose demand for fighters matches China’s ability to export military aircraft. Some countries are lacking imported third-generation fighters while their second-generation fighters are going to the scrapheap. They have a large demand for importing fighters.

  “If China’s products can catch up with the rhythm of these countries in terms of time period and we take initiative from military diplomacy, then the possibility of having a share in the third-generation and fourth-generation fighters market in these countries remains relatively high," said Xu.

  Xu Yongling believes that the Chinese fighters’ share in global arms trade market will gradually increase in the future. It is possible for China to transform from a "corner” role to an important player with strong competitiveness.



Editor:Zhang Tao

Monday, October 20, 2014

Photos of the day: J-31 test flight

 Shenyang J-31 completed another test flight last week and here are photos of that flight.
























Sunday, October 19, 2014

Family photo: China Coast Guard type "50/80" cutter

Lead ship of this class "3306" launched at Guangzhou Huangpu Shipyard January 2014, last of the first batch of 10 launched October 2014 at Wuhan Shipyard.

The first batch were constructed evenly at 5 each by Huangpu and Wuhan ship yards, their pennant numbers are 1305、1306、1307、2305、2306、2307、2308、3306、3307、3308.










Family photo: China Coast Guard, 4000 ton class cutter.

Lead ship of this class "3401" launched in Sept 2013, last of the first batch of four "3402" launched in June 2014.

Members of this batch are: 3401, 2401, 1401 and 3402, all constructed by  Guangzhou Huangpu shipyard





Monday, October 13, 2014

Syrian military UAV, 3399 RMB!






Yes, boys and girls, you are looking at the largest Coast Guard cutter in the world U/C, weighing in 10,000 Ton








China builds world's largest patrol ship: report

By Yang Jingjie Source:Global Times Published: 2014-1-22 0:38:03

China is reportedly building a 10,000-ton class marine surveillance vessel, the largest of its kind in the world, amid the country's buildup of its maritime law enforcement force against the backdrop of territorial disputes at sea.

Analysts said the ship, with a higher continuous voyage capability than current Chinese ships, could better cope with conditions in the South China Sea and safeguard the country's maritime interests.

According to a Tuesday report by the Beijing Times, China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) recently said on its official website that it signed contracts in 2013 to build two kinds of marine surveillance ships, one of them 10,000 tons.

However, the information was no longer available on the company's website on Tuesday.

CSIC's spokesman Liu Zhengguo Tuesday declined to confirm the news to the Global Times, saying it would take days to verify the information.

If confirmed, the vessel under construction would surpass Japan Coast Guard's two 6,500-ton vessels to be the world's largest patrol ship.

The China Coast Guard's (CCG) largest patrol ships in service have a tonnage of 4,000.

China Ocean News reported Tuesday that a 5,000-ton class patrol ship will be deployed to the waters around Sansha, China's newest city, set up to consolidate the country's claim over the South China Sea.

Li Daguang, a professor at the National Defense University of the People's Liberation Army, said that building large tonnage vessels has become a trend in shoring up China's maritime strength, as the fleet of the patrol ships used to be made up of outdated vessels as well as retired warships, which were refitted.

Liu Cigui, head of the State Oceanic Administration (SOA), last week told a national maritime work conference that 20 new patrol vessels are under construction.

It is not clear to which area the 10,000-ton vessel allegedly under construction would be commissioned.

Wang Xiaopeng, a maritime border expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that as its continuous voyage capability is expected to be over 10,000 nautical miles, the ship will be able to carry out cross-sea patrols.

Yu Zhirong, a retired official from the maritime law enforcement authority in the East China Sea, told the Global Times the ship is more likely to be deployed in the South China Sea, given the absence of relay stations in the vast waters.

"With abundant supplies and fuel, it would be able to carry out enduring surveillance tasks," said Yu.

Wang shared similar sentiments, noting most of the illegal oil exploitation by foreign countries takes place in waters far away from China's coastal areas.

The expert estimated that the large vessel will be equipped with at least two planes and several boats. "Entering November, the disputed waters become choppy, therefore, only ships above 1,000 tons could sail to the high seas. Meanwhile, the boats attached to the large ship could enter the lagoons for patrol," he said.

Wang also noted that the 10,000-ton vessel could serve as both "shield and sword" in safeguarding China's maritime rights.

According to him, the large ship could more effectively drive away armed foreign fishing boats, which operate in waters claimed by China, and carry out close-up surveillance on offshore oil platforms set up by foreign countries.

Tensions have been running high between Beijing and Tokyo over the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, while China is also locked in disputes on the South China Sea with some Southeast Asian countries.

At last week's maritime work conference, Liu, the SOA head, named the major goals set for this year, including fostering the "combat capability" of the CCG, which was established last July.

He also vowed to strengthen the Chinese maritime law enforcement force's regular presence at sea and deepen the CCG and military's coordination in their maritime operations.
Posted in: Diplomacy, Military

Sunday, October 12, 2014

The end of FFG 514 Zhenjiang

The fate of 514 Zhenjiang after decommission is now settled -- said to have taken an inert AShCM right on the bridge while being a test dummy
-- hmmwv




Monday, May 13, 2013

FFG 514 (ZhenJiang) decommissioned today.

After 514 is gone; of the original 14 Type053H JiangHu I class built, only 4 are remaining with the PLAN.   


中国海军第1代导弹护卫舰镇江舰退役 服役35年
2013年05月13日 17:14  京江晚报  我有话说(162人参与)


http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/2013-05-13/1714724498.html



  本报讯  昨天,被中央军委以镇江城市命名的我国第一代导弹护卫舰——“镇江舰”在东海舰队服役35年后,正式退役。

  市委、市政府及市双拥办相关负责人昨天出席了在上海举行的“镇江舰”退役纪念活动,向舰上官兵赠送了纪念品,表达了镇江人民对“镇江舰”和舰上全体官兵的感激之情。大家表示将永远铭记“镇江舰”35年来创下的辉煌业绩。

  作为我国海军的主战舰艇、我国第一代导弹护卫舰,“镇江舰”在近海防御上发挥了积极作用,为捍卫国家海洋权益、保卫祖国海防、维护国家主权、支援国家经济建设作出了巨大贡献,同时也培养出多名将军。

  1953年2月,毛泽东主席曾亲临“镇江舰”的前身“洛阳舰”视察,挥毫写下了“为了反对帝国主义侵略,我们一定要建立强大的海军”的题词,鼓舞了一代又一代“镇江舰”官兵搏风斗浪,卫国戍边,献身祖国的海防事业。

  “镇江舰”政委倪万群代表“镇江舰”全体新老官兵,衷心感谢镇江市委、市政府以及镇江人民多年来对“镇江舰”的大力支持、关心和帮助。

  他说,镇江市委、市政府和镇江人民的深情厚谊,将继续激励着我们全体官兵在新的岗位奋勇向前,不畏艰险,继续为祖国的海防事业作出新贡献。(魏华  沈春来)

  相关链接:光荣“镇江舰”

   海军514舰,于1986年8月1日被中央军委命名为“镇江舰”。从此,镇江市欣喜地多了“一块流动的土地”、“一张流动的名片”。“镇江舰”是一艘有 着辉煌成就的战舰,它在捍卫国家权益、保卫海防、维护主权、支援经济建设等各方面都作出巨大贡献,为我国海军建设培养了一大批优秀的人才。