Sea-plane might support China´s territorial claims - Wendell Minnick

Wendell Minnick

A new sea-plane might fit nicely into China´s territorial claims in the South China Sea, writes defense analyst Wendell Minnick in Defense News. Up to now, China did not have airplanes able to go to the disputed islands.

Wendell Minnick:

The Jiaolong (Water Dragon) AG600, under construction by China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA), will be China's largest operational seaplane. CAIGA did not respond to inquiries after the company's announcement on March 17 that it had completed the front fuselage assembly for the prototype. 

According to brochures obtained at the 2014 Airshow China in Zhuhai, the aircraft is powered by four turboprop WJ-6 engines and has a range of 5,500 kilometers, which would provide substantial movement within the SCS. In the Spratly Islands, China is currently constructing artificial islands on Hughes Reef, Johnson South Reef and Gaven Reef. 

Despite the lack of direct mainland access to Beijing's strategic claims in the SCS, the aircraft are seen as a boon to solidifying control of the area by China's military and maritime enforcement agencies for island hopping within the crowded clusters of the 750 reefs, islets, atolls and islands in the Spratly Islands archipelago.

More in Defense News.

Wendell Minnick is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´ request form.

Are you interested in more political experts at the China Speakers Bureau. Do check out this page.  

Related articles

• Indonesia: China'a claims to the South China Sea" not legal"
• In photos: China's construction of military bases in Spratlys
• Vietnam, Australia Strengthen Security Ties
• Testing Beijing, Japan eyes growing role in South China Sea security
• Philippines demands China stop maritime land reclamation
• India, Asean to discuss South China Sea dispute at Delhi meet

Carrots and sticks for China´s military - Wendell Minnick

Wendell Minnick

A tough fight against corruption and a firm increase of their budget. President Xi Jinping is using both sticks and carrots to get the powerful military establishment into line, writes defense analyst Wendell Minnick in Defense News.

Wendell Minnick:

China's 2015 defense budget increase could reflect political strategy by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is pushing the military to swear loyalty to the Communist Party while he arrests military leaders on corruption charges, according to an expert. 

China's official news service, Xinhua, announced that the defense increase was still the "lowest growth in five years as the country confronts mounting pressure in the face of an economic slowdown." The Chinese government is struggling with a debt crisis, a real estate bubble and massive corruption. The National People's Congress (NPC) announced that the government was lowering its growth target to 7 percent for 2015, the lowest in 15 years. 

China raised 2015 defense spending by 10.1 percent compared with 2014 to US $141.5 billion. NPC spokeswoman Fu Ying made the announcement during the annual NPC in Beijing on March 4. This marks the 26th time China's defense budget has seen nominal double-digit increases since 1989. 

"In China, defense spending increases have become sacrosanct," said Richard Bitzinger, coordinator of the military transformations program at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. "I suppose the bigger surprise would've been if they had not increased the budget by so much."

More in Defense News

Wendell Minnick is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´request form.

Are you looking for more political experts at the China Speakers Bureau? Do check our recent list here.  

Related articles

• President Xi Jinping unveils new slogan to govern China
• Reforms, foreign policy on agenda of China's "twin sessions" this week
• China's leaders meet with 'rule of law' on agenda
• Chinese Leader to Make US State Visit
• China official jailed for 17 years over jade bribes

China´s weak military spots - Wendell Minnick

Wendell Minnick

China´s expanding military power got much media coverage over the past years. But defense analyst Wendell Minnick got a just released report on a less covered subject: why is China´s military build-up less strong than anticipated. From Defense News.

Wendell Minnick:

Sponsored by the USCC and produced by the International Security and Defense Policy Center of the Rand National Security Research Division, the report is based on the premise that understanding where the People's Liberation Army (PLA) falls short of its aspirations, or has not fully recognized the need for improvement, is just as important as recognizing the PLA's strengths. 

The report looks at two critical shortcomings: institutional and combat capabilities. On institutional issues, the PLA faces shortcomings regarding outdated command structures, quality of personnel, professionalism and corruption. Combat weaknesses include logistical, insufficient strategic airlift capabilities, limited numbers of special-mission aircraft, and deficiencies in fleet air defense and anti-submarine warfare. 

"Although the PLA's capabilities have improved dramatically, its remaining weaknesses increase the risk of failure to successfully perform some of the missions Chinese Communist Party [CCP] leaders may task it to execute, such as in various Taiwan contingencies, maritime claim missions, sea line of communication protection, and some military operations other than war scenarios."

Much more in Defense News.

Wendell Minnick is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´ request form.

Are you interested in more recent stories by Wendell Minnick? Check out this regularly updated list.  

Related articles

• Report Finds China's Military Transformation Still Far From Complete
• China's incomplete military transformation: assessing the weaknesses of the PLA
• China's rising military not ready to win wars, U.S. report says
• Graft Busters Take Aim at China's Military
• New spy games between China and Taiwan - Wendell Minnick

New spy games between China and Taiwan - Wendell Minnick

Wendell Minnick

Officially China and Taiwan are still at war, although hostilities are mostly verbal. Until Taiwan arrested an alleged spy from China this month, writes defense analyst Wendell Minnick in Defense News.

Wendell Minnick:

Taiwan has arrested an alleged Chinese spy, the first such apprehension in Taiwan in decades, according to the National Security Bureau. 

The question many here in Taipei are asking is whether China will attempt some sort of swap to get him back. China is holding two Military Intelligence Bureau agents who were captured in Vietnam more than a decade ago. 

On Jan. 16, Taipei prosecutors went forward on indictments on mainlander Zhen Ziaojiang's alleged spy ring, which included five Taiwanese accused of spying for China. The indictment charged former Army Maj. Gen. Hsu Nai-chuan, Air Force Lt. Col. Chou Chih-li, Air Force pilot Sung Chia-lu, Air Force official Yang Jung-hua, and karaoke club owner Lee Huan-yu. 

According to media outlets, Zhen was a captain and an intelligence officer in the People's Liberation Army. This has given rise to the assumption that the Army's Second Department of the General Staff Department was in charge of the operation. 

In 2005, Zhen obtained residency in Hong Kong and began flying to Taiwan ostensibly on business and tourist trips, which were allegedly missions to recruit Taiwan military officers, according to government statements to the press. Zhen's alleged mainland intelligence contact has been identified as a "Mao Shangyu," most likely a pseudonym, based in Xiamen City, Fujian Province, the statements said.

More in Defense News.

Wendell Minnick is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´ request form.

What are the most important China trends for 2015. At the China Speakers Bureau we listed our 7 major trends.

Related articles

• Wang Ning, the PLA's 'hongerdai' rising star
• As world eyes China's economy, Xi still focused on consolidating power with the PLA
• These Stunning Photos Of China's Flankers Are A Sign Of Cultural Change
• China Just Doubled the Size of Its Amphibious Mechanized Infantry Divisions | The Diplomat
• Why Taiwan Needs Submarines - Analysis

China beats neighbors on destroyers - Wendell Minnick

Wendell Minnick

China builds up its military power and will set another record, now for phased-array radar-equipped destroyers. By 2018 it will outnumbers its largest competitor in the region, Japan, writes defense analyst Wendell Minnick in Defense News.

Wendell Minnick:

On Dec. 22, China commissioned its fifth 052C destroyer, the Jinan, leaving one last ship of that type to be finished. 

The People's Liberation Army Navy's (PLAN's) procurement of Luyang-class Type 052C/Ds and Type 055 guided-missile cruisers with phased-array radars will provide long range anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) support to four planned carrier strike groups. They will also provide coverage for high value units such as 20,000-ton Type 081 amphibious assault ships, said Tony Beitinger, vice president of market intelligence forAMI International. 

"AMI anticipates that the PLAN will build: six Type 052Cs, eight 052Ds and six Type 055 cruisers. The 052Cs are already in the PLAN inventory while the 052Ds are under construction and will enter service by 2018. The new cruiser design should start construction by 2016 and conclude in 2024." 

Toshi Yoshihara, author of the book, "Red Star Over the Pacific," said, excluding the US Navy, this buildup will "tilt the naval balance of power in maritime Asia." The only two other Asian navies with warships of equivalent capability are Japan's, with six phased-array radar-equipped destroyers, with plans to build two more, and the South Korean Navy, with three similar destroyers.

More in Defense News.

Wendell Minnick is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´ request form.

Are you interested in more stories by Wendell Minnck? Check out this regularly list.    

Related articles

• China Is Building A New Fleet Of Guided Missile Destroyers
• Navy Has Started Two Cruiser Modernizations, Long Term Plan Still Pending
• China will have better aircraft carriers than India, Japan: Kanwa
• U.S. Bolsters Missile-Defense Presence in Japan
• Janes: China May Have Begun Series Production of J-20 Stealth Fighter

China buys Russian SAM installation to threaten Taiwan - Wendell Minnick

Wendell Minnick

Can China´s military equipment reach Taiwan, was a key question military on the island asked themselves. After China´s purchase of 400-kilometer-range S-400 Triumf road-mobile SAM systems from Russia, that answer is "yes", writes defense analyst Wendell Minnick in Defense News.

Wendell Minnick:

The Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation has downplayed recent Russian-language media reports of an agreement and contract, but “as I understand it, it is basically true,” said Vasiliy Kashin, a China military specialist at Moscow’s Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies. 

Russian media reports indicate China and Russia have signed a US $3 billion contract to procure an initial six S-400 battalions. The missile is an upgraded variant of the S-300, now fielded by China in battalions based near major cities and scattered along the coast facing Taiwan and Japan. 

Kashin, who attended the recent Airshow China in Zhuhai, said that with a range of 400 kilometers and fielded in Fujian Province, the SAM system will be able to cover the whole of Taiwan airspace, thus finally solving the “problem of air superiority for the Chinese.” If China chooses to deploy the S-400 in Shandong Province, it will provide coverage of airspace over the Senkaku Islands. “That will be another asymmetric capability, together with anti-ship ballistic missiles, which will boost Chinese potential in dealing with the local conflicts in East Asia,” Kashin said. China has staked a claim to the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, which it refers to as the Diaoyu Islands. Other factors suggesting China will deploy the S-400 over the East China Sea include the fact that China declared an air defense identification zone over the East China Sea, including the Senkakus, in November 2013.

More in Defense News. S-400 Triumf surface-to-air launch vehicle

Wendell Minnick is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´request form.

Are you interested in more stories by Wendell Minnick? Do check our regularly updated list here.  

Related articles

• Russian S-400 missile system may give China coverage of Diaoyutai
• China's CX-1 Missile Now Exportable
• Developing an anti-stealth radar - Wendell Minnick
• Developing an anti-stealth radar - Wendell Minnick
• China signs $3 billion S-400 Triumf contract with Russia
• China to receive Russian S-400 systems in exchange for political support

Another military export product: the CX-1 missile - Wendell Minnick

Wendell Minnick

China showed off yet another military product at the recent Zhuhai Airshow, the CX-1 missile, writes defense analyst Wendell Minnick in Defense News. The supersonic anti-ship cruise missile is ready for export to America’s friends and foes alike, with potential markets including Iran, Pakistan and African and South American countries.

Wendell Minnick:

China’s new CX-1 supersonic anti-ship cruise missile is ready for export to America’s friends and foes alike, with potential markets including Iran, Pakistan and African and South American countries. 

On display at the recent Airshow China in Zhuhai, the missile resembles India’s BrahMos cruise missile with a large intake in the nose, referred to as the “axial symmetrical inlet” in the brochure. However, that appears to be the only similarity, according to Chinese-language media outlets, which mention differences in wing, guidance vanes and jet vanes of the two missiles... 

At speeds of Mach 3, the missile can strike a target within a circular error probability of 20 meters, according to the display. Warheads include a unitary semi-armor-piercing warhead for ships and a unitary fragmentation-blast warhead and unitary penetration warhead for land attack. 

Each road-mobile launcher carries two missiles. When attacking a slow target, such as a ship, the missile can make a terminal horizontal attack by combining high and low cruise and employ the compound guidance of a strap-down inertial measurement unit and active radar seeker. 

A land-based road-mobile unit would consist of one command vehicle, one integrated support vehicle, three launching vehicles, three transporter-loader vehicle and 12 canisters for two-wave attacks.

The CX-1 missile

More in Defense News.

Wendell Minnick is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´request form.

Are you interested in more stories by Wendell Minnick? Do check this regularly updated list.  

Related articles

• For sale: China´s new cruise missile - Wendell Minnick
• China's LY-80 Air-defense Missile in Great Demand
• CX-1 cruise missile better than BrahMos, not a copy: report
• China´s alternative for Lockheed´s F-35 - Wendell Minnick

Developing an anti-stealth radar - Wendell Minnick

Wendell Minnick

An anti-stealth radar, able to spot intruding stealth fighters, is yet another military industry where China is making inroads, reports defense analyst Wendell Minnick from the Zhuhai China Airshow for Defense News.

Wendell Minnick:

One of the most noticeable was the road-mobile JY-26 “Skywatch-U” 3-D long-range air surveillance radar. China had plenty of road-mobile radars on display, but this one claimed a unique capability — “stealth target detection.” This towering radar is a clear symbol of China’s continued desire to locate and destroy stealth aircraft like the B-2 bomber and F-22 and F-35 fighters. 

According to a brochure by the East China Research Institute of Electronic Engineering (ECRIEE), this radar “boasts double stealth target detection virtues thanks to operation in UHF [ultra high frequency] band and owning of large power-aperture product” for both air breathing targets and tactical missiles. The range of the UHF radar is not cited on the brochure, but other details are, including electronic counter-countermeasures and a complex digital active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar capable of tracking 500 targets.

 4
Can Defeat Stealth? China claims that its JY-26 Skywatch-U 3D long-range air surveillance radar can detect stealth aircraft. (Wendell Minnick/Staff)

More in Defense News.

Wendell Minnick is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´request list.

Are you looking for more experts on China´s innovation? Do check our our updated list here.  

Related articles

• For sale: China´s new cruise missile - Wendell Minnick
• News story: €1 billion contract to develop cutting-edge radar for Typhoon
• China to show off stealthy J-31 fighter - Wendell Minnick
• US Report: China's Nukes Getting Bigger and Better