#PLAAF Air Power

[usafphantom2]

USAF Should Look At China’s Future Multi-Crew Fighter Model For F-15EX

The F-15EX's currently empty rear cockpit needs to be taken advantage of by adding a new kind of second crewmen, an Air Mission Commanding Officer.

Major Joshua “Soup” Campbell Posted on Jul 25, 2024 11:24 AM EDT Edited By Tyler Rogoway

F-15EX and J16, both two seaters, but one uses the second crewman in a different capacity than the traditional weapon system officer role.

PLA/USAF

Amidst strategic shifts in its force posture, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) faces pivotal decisions on the deployment of its next-generation fighter fleet. With plans to retire aging F-15C/D Eagles and scale back F-15E Strike Eagle operations, the USAF is poised to integrate a limited number of F-15EX Eagle IIs into the fleet. Yet, while the F-15EX boasts advancements as an evolution of the F-15E Strike Eagle family of fighters, current strategies overlook the aircraft’s rear cockpit potential.

The first F-15EX Eagle II delivered to the Oregon Air National Guard’s 142nd Wing, the first operational unit to receive the type, touches down in Portland in June 2024. 142nd Wing/Oregon Air National Guard

Meanwhile, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) advocates for multi-seat configurations to manage data-rich combat environments effectively. USAF plans, on the other hand, currently exclude utilizing the F-15EX’s rear cockpit, limiting its role to air-to-air missions and possibly limited air-to-ground missions sometime in the future.

In this era of transformative air combat, as the PLAAF pioneers new operational concepts with multi-seat fighters, the USAF stands at a crossroads, balancing legacy strategies with the imperative for adaptive, integrated command and control of unmanned systems and network-centric operations. With the F-15EX, however, the USAF has an opportunity to lead the way regarding future air combat by fully embracing the Eagle II’s two-crew capability.

The Eagle II Opportunity

With the pending divestment of the F-15C/D and reduction of the F-15E inventory, the USAF has committed to purchasing a relatively small number of F-15EXs to replace the F-15C/D in Japan, as well as at three National Guard bases with units tasked with U.S. homeland defense. The Eagle II, however, evolved from the Strike Eagle and subsequent F-15 derivatives, is capable of far more than what the legacy Eagle fleet previously provided to combatant commanders.

Given its modernized sensors, self-protection suite, fiber optics, future integration of an open mission system and digital open architecture backbone, more powerful engines, increased computing capabilities, and the inclusion of a rear fully-missionized cockpit, the F-15EX represents a significant advancement over both the F-15C/D and F-15E. Yet, current operational plans do not involve taking advantage of the rear cockpit, leaving it empty and unused, assigning the F-15EX to perform long-range and medium-range air-to-air only missions with minimal expansions into other missions sets the F-15EX is purpose-built to fulfill.

From left to right, an F-15C, an F-15E, and an F-15EX. USAF

The evolving character of air combat, however, demands that platforms do more amongst the growing complexity of high-end warfare. When considering the future of air combat, which places information at center stage in a high-end conflict, failing to utilize the rear cockpit would be a missed opportunity to expand future roles and responsibilities of the F-15EX, disregarding the investment that already exists in the aircraft’s capabilities.

By contrast, People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) assessments of the anticipated complexities of forthcoming high-end combat environments have led them to identify multi-seat, multi-role configurations as critical to operations.

Available information suggests that the PLAAF believes an additional operator offers the potential for more effective interpretation and utilization of the vast sensory data that could overwhelm the cognitive and processing capacities of a single individual, particularly in the future of contested air combat environments. Having made this assessment, the PLAAF is now moving forward in developing operational concepts for how best to employ multiple operators in a single tactical aircraft, like the J-16 and the two-seat J-20S variant (also referred to variously as the J-20B and J-20AS), beyond their traditional roles. The USAF could benefit from adopting a multi-operator approach like the PLAAF’s with the F-15EX.

A picture of a two-seat J-20 during testing. Chinese internet

Information Saturation

Any future high-end conflict will produce vast amounts of data that need processing. Both the U.S. military and PLA continue to develop robust integrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) networks to facilitate combat operations and support long-range kill chains. As such, sensors within the land, sea, air, and space domains will provide more data than can be consumed by human operators to process — and make accurate — real-time tactical and operational decisions. Due to the rapidly changing environments in a future contest, these decisions will need to be made quickly and potentially at the forward edge of the battlespace.

In an anticipated information-saturated environment, the USAF advocates for the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-to-human collaboration to alleviate the workload and cognitive demands on operators. While the incorporation of AI may process and distill information to provide operators with pertinent data, a saturated, complex combat environment full of adversary ships, aircraft, and coastal defenses employing deception and denial tactics will still likely result in an overwhelming influx of information for operators to process, leading to task saturation. Performing a multitude of missions and tasks — including controlling collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) and managing other aircraft in formation — all the while making air-to-air and air-to-ground engagement decisions within a contested, degraded, and operationally limited (CDO-L) environment will challenge and could exacerbate cognitive processes for both humans and their AI agents. The PLAAF, on the other hand, seems to be intent on leveraging AI integration with more human operators, not less.

Public Domain

Moving Beyond Traditional Roles

A recent article published in January 2024 by Chinese state-owned outlet Ta Kung Pao Online in Hong Kong, titled “J-16 Leads the Air Force Aircraft Fleet in Preparations for Future Air Battles,” sheds light on the evolving role of the J-16 back-seater and its implications for the future role of the J-20S back-seater. The article outlines the traditional division of responsibilities between front-seat and back-seat operators in the J-16. It also underscores how, due to evolving characteristics of air warfare, the role of the backseat operator has evolved as combat has evolved, informing future J-20S operations.

A Chinese J-16. Japan Ministry of Defense A stock picture of a Chinese J-16. Japan Ministry of Defense

According to the article, the J-16 stands out as the primary two-seat fighter in the PLAAF’s combat air force. While the two-seat Su-30 Flanker exists in the PLAAF’s inventory, its fleet is smaller in size, whereas the J-16 contains more advanced avionics and is in continued domestic production exceeding 245 aircraft, leaving the PLAAF to rely heavily on the J-16 and its more advanced capabilities.

A Chinese Su-30MKK Flanker. Dmitriy Pichugin A stock picture of a Chinese Su-30MKK Flanker. Dmitriy Pichugin

Equipped with asymmetric, outsized weapons that don’t fit in the J-20’s weapons bay, the J-16 provides a broad array of operational capabilities, making it a versatile asset in various scenarios. Similar to the F-15E, the J-16 conducts long-range air-to-air engagements and attacks on ground and maritime targets where the back-seater serves as a weapons controller responsible for employing different types of weapons. The PLAAF, however, is beginning to adapt the J-16 to the expected information-dominated combat environment and evolving manned-unmanned teaming by developing new roles and responsibilities for the aircraft and its operators.

Information-Dominated Combat Environment

In the context of the evolving landscape of networked and unmanned warfare, contemporary air combat will incorporate a multitude of systems where all combat elements are interconnected with vast amounts of information. Through data transmission and intelligence-sharing platforms, collaborative operations based on interconnected systems have become the predominant operational model, with the J-16 capable of assuming the central command role for entire formations. According to the Ta Kung Pao article, the J-16 back-seater, in this new environment, evolves from simply a “weapon controller” into an “air mission commanding officer.”

A close-up look at the pilot and the back-seater in a Chinese J-16. China Military Online/Liu Chang and Liu Yinghu

With this new evolution, the air mission commanding officer (AMCO) encompasses multiple roles and responsibilities in a high-tech conflict that includes overseeing air-to-surface weaponry, managing and disseminating multi-platform intelligence, and issuing operational directives. While this may seem similar to the USAF’s airborne Forward Air Controller-Airborne (FAC[A]), there appear to be differences in employment concepts between the PLAAF’s AMCO and the USAF’s FAC(A), particularly regarding the operational environments with which they are utilized.

Primarily employed in close air support (CAS) or strike coordination and reconnaissance (SCAR) missions, the FAC(A) is the airborne version of a joint terminal air controller (JTAC) in which both can nominate and mark targets, deconflict airspace, relay critical ground schemes of maneuver, and authorize airstrikes. The PLAAF’s AMCO, however, seems to focus on roles and responsibilities that leverage the PLA’s sensing network in a contested air interdiction environment.

Utilizing the PLA’s expanding sensing network to build situational awareness in the battlespace, the J-16 back-seater, assuming the AMCO role and plugged into the sensing network, is intended to direct coordinated efforts among various aircraft, in conjunction with ground and naval units, to execute comprehensive aerial attacks. Additionally, the back-seater’s role is to command and coordinate multiple drones acting as ‘loyal wingmen’ with the intent to amplify combat effectiveness through combined manned and unmanned operations.

Whether or not the PLAAF is actually proficient with this type of force package integration in a high-end combat environment remains to be seen. There is a distinct possibility that the PLAAF is overstating its capabilities in such an environment and much of this training is nascent or scripted, or this is the aspirational plan for future operations. However, the article points to recent footage from state-run CCTV that claims to showcase joint exercises involving GJ-2 drones under the command of J-16s enabling swarm attacks. Analysts, however, suggest that the articles and CCTV coverage of these events do not match reality given current PLAAF capabilities and likely reflect a desire for future capability. But while the PLAAF may be unable to conduct the defined roles and responsibilities of the AMCO in the current state, the PLAAF continues to move forward in preparing its endeavors. More importantly, however, the J-16’s implementation of an AMCO also serves as a testbed for future two-seat J-20S operations.

While the J-20S may lack the payload capacity of the J-16, the PLAAF anticipates that “stealth, high-speed, and advanced situational awareness” allow the J-20S to “penetrate enemy territory, gain air superiority,” and subsequently assume command over trailing aircraft like J-16s and J-10Cs. Moreover, the J-20S, like the J-16, will be able to coordinate and control CCAs to compensate for its magazine depth and weapons limitations, a task overseen by the AMCO in the rear cockpit.

Drawing parallels from the expanding roles of J-16 and J-20S back-seaters, incorporating a Weapon System Officer (WSO) into the F-15EX’s rear cockpit would expand its capabilities and enhance the lethality of USAF strike packages. With the advent of large, integrated sensing networks providing a vast amount of data, an F-15EX WSO, assuming a role similar to an AMCO, can coordinate and direct fires, provide mission-critical intelligence in the midst of mission execution to other platforms in a strike package, pass information of evolving situations between pulsed operations, and even coordinate with various naval or ground forces.

As highlighted in this picture, a two-person crew did fly the first F-15EX jet to Portland in June 2024. Oregon National Guard

Additionally, the F-15EX’s weapons array integration, including outsized weapons, allows it to perform an array of missions already being fulfilled by the F-15E, which includes long-range air interdiction. Moreover, it can be deployed to other environments in the event of horizontal escalation or low- to medium-tier conflicts, providing global firepower reach against smaller, maligned nation-states while still providing key capabilities in the high-end fight. Furthermore, the lack of stealth allows the F-15EX the ability to carry highly specialized pods that stealth assets simply can’t, or won’t, carry. Advanced pods can provide many warfighting-enhancing capabilities, from communications to sensing, electronic warfare, network redundancy, and edge computing.

A US Air Force F-15C Eagle carrying an infrared search and track (IRST) pod. This is one of many specialized podded capabilities members of the F-15 family, including the F-15EX, can carry. USAF

Finally, an F-15EX WSO can oversee the employment of groups of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) or swarms of other drones.

CCAs, AI, and Command and Control

Both the USAF and PLAAF view CCAs as a way of generating cost-effective mass. The intent is to augment attack formations with low-cost, AI-infused robotic wingmen to increase capabilities in the realm of firepower, sensing, electronic warfare, communications, and other capabilities that manned aircraft bring to the fight. Though both air forces promote heavy reliance on AI in CCAs, AI currently lacks intuition and the ability to infer information in a complex CDO-L combat environment that it is not accustomed to and lacks the ability to break from its given prescribed parameters to adapt. It is therefore expected that some level of human-to-machine interaction between manned aircraft and CCAs will be required to make decisions in a combat environment for some time. Due to the anticipated human interaction with CCAs, the PLAAF foresees multi-seat fighter platforms as an operational requirement.

In a document titled “Study on the Combined Manned Aircraft/UAV in Air Operations,” published around 2021 by Wang Danjing and Liu Ying of the Department of Combined Tactics Air Force Command College in Beijing, the discussion of command and control of CCAs described the task intensive nature of managing combat operations and CCAs simultaneously. When deciding the optimal manned-to-unmanned mixed formation characteristics, task management and cognitive performance were at the forefront of the author’s conclusion that the ideal formation to employ CCAs consists of pairing a two-seat aircraft with a single-seat aircraft.

Wang and Liu note that “U.S. scientists show that there is a nonlinear relationship between a person’s workload and work performance,” suggesting that adding management of CCAs to a pilot’s tasks could impact performance. The authors conclude that “the manned aircraft formation scope is better as a two-aircraft formation, with one being a two-seat aircraft tasked with tactical control of the UAVs, while the other is a single-seat aircraft tasked with executing the task of standing guard and attacking.”

While USAF tactics will almost definitely differ from the PLAAF’s regarding CCAs, utilizing an extra body in the backseat of the F-15EX can enhance the employment of CCAs, allowing the front-seat pilot to focus on other tasks or coordinate various functions in a combat setting.

Moreover, it is expected that CCAs will not always launch with their manned platforms to conduct missions in an Agile Combat Employment (ACE) scheme of maneuver or disparate basing environment like in the Pacific. Positioned between forward assets and bases, an F-15EX could take command of CCAs and transfer to forward fighter platforms or launch or recovery locations.

Take Aways

Although the U.S. military typically does not examine adversary strategy, operations, and tactics with the intention of replicating them, it is crucial to recognize the strengths of developing adversary capabilities and evaluate how they align with U.S. military operational principles.

Given the information provided above, it is imperative for the USAF to recognize and address the limitations of human cognition in future information-intensive environments and consider deploying additional operators to process the vast data available and manage new cognitive demands and new responsibilities like CCAs in a high-tech warzone. The PLAAF’s ambitious approach to utilizing its two-seat J-16 and J-20S platforms in complex, high-end combat environments may provide insights into how to maximize the F-15EX’s enhanced capabilities by incorporating a back-seater.

Similar to how the PLAAF intends to use the J-16 to cooperate with other fighter platforms, C2ISR platforms, and its kill-web to employ its outsized weapons, the F-15EX provides the range, payload, and sensors to do the same for the USAF. Additionally, with its fully missionized rear cockpit and large-area display, the F-15EX is capable of doing everything the multi-seat F-15E can do, and more.

The F-15EX’s fully missionized rear cockpit allows a WSO to conduct a multitude of mission-related functions, freeing the pilot to focus on other tasks at hand. Incorporating a WSO in the F-15EX would thus harness the intended capabilities the F-15EX is designed for. With no one in the rear cockpit, however, the F-15EX’s potential expansion of roles and responsibilities and overall effectiveness cannot be realized, leaving the Air Force unable to capitalize on the investment that is already paid for with each aircraft rolling off the line.

With every new set of roles, responsibilities, and mission expansion, however, comes new training requirements. For the F-15EX to adopt similar roles and responsibilities of the AMCO, the F-15E training pipeline can leverage existing training plans either by restructuring F-15E training flights that develop these specific tasks or by creating a new AMCO training pipeline in concert with the F-15EX syllabus being constructed to prepare future Eagle II pilots. Taking qualified F-15E WSO instructors into an AMCO pipeline that runs in concert with the F-15EX syllabus, the Air Force can fully realize a cohesive multi-seat aircraft ready for the high-end environment.

Unfortunately, however, the USAF has chosen to focus the utilization of the F-15EX on a single mission: long-range air-to-air. While capable of conducting close air support (CAS), combat search and rescue (CSAR), long- and medium-range air interdiction, maritime air interdiction, defensive counter-air, suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD), and more, leaving the rear cockpit empty in this high-tech piece of machinery and conducting only long-range air-to-air engagements leaves all this potential capability on the table.

USAF

Equipped with outsized, long-range weapons and specialized pods, and the ability to command CCAs and swarms of other drones while directing combat fires and disseminating multi-platform intelligence from a multi-crew platform, the F-15EX offers a broader spectrum of capabilities beyond solely engaging in long-range air-to-air combat. Additionally, much of the necessary technology for these functions is already integrated into the aircraft.

For these reasons, it is imperative that the Air Force not let preconceived notions of traditional roles and responsibilities obstruct decision-making concerning the future of air warfare and the potential evolution of roles and responsibilities.

The character of warfare is evolving, necessitating the utilization of both machinery and personnel in innovative ways that align with the changing environment. The multi-operator platform direction currently pursued by the PLAAF yields operational insights worthy of consideration by USAF planners for the near- and mid-term, even as the USAF continues to develop advanced AI solutions for the long term.

Major Joshua “Soup” Campbell is an F-15E Weapon System Officer (WSO) and graduate of the distinguished USAF Weapon School with 1,500 hours in the F-15E which includes 630 combat hours. He spent the last year as a Fellow at the USAF’s China Aerospace Studies Institute with a strategic and operational focus. He is currently attending Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies through the Department of Defense’s Strategic Thinker’s Program. He has worked in a variety of capacities at both the squadron level and MAJCOM staff positions.

[monkeyssalad-blog]

427 Nanchang CJ 6A (1958-on) CT 180 by Robert Knight Via Flickr: Nanchang CJ 6A (1958-on) Engine Huosai HS-6 Country of Origin China Serial Number G-BXZT Alternative Number CT 180 Production 3000 + Markings Sri Lanka Air Force AIRCRAFT ALBUM www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/albums/72157626970256152 The Nanchung CJ6 was designed as a basic trainer, its predecessor, the Nanchang CJ-5, was a licence-built version of the Yak-18., but the CJ-6 is an all-original Chinese design that is commonly mistaken for a Yak-18A. The aircraft was designed in 1958 by the Nanchang Aircraft Factory by a design team of around 20 designers. The design they delivered featured an aluminium semi-monocoque fuselage, flush-riveted throughout, and introduced a modified Clark airfoil wing design with pronounced dihedral in the outer sections. The dihedral and an angular vertical tail distinguish it externally from the otherwise vaguely similar Yak-18A. Power for the prototype was provided by a Czech-built horizontally-opposed piston engine, but flight testing revealed the need for more power, so a locally manufactured version of the Soviet AI-14P 260 hp radial, the Huosai HS-6 was substitutes along with a matching propeller In 1965 the HS-6 engine was upgraded to 285 hp and redesignated the HS-6A, and the aircraft equipped with the new power plant were designated the CJ-6A. A total production run estimated at more than 3,000 aircraft supplied CJ-6 aircraft for PLAAF training, as well as for export (as the PT-6) to countries including Albania, Bangladesh, Cambodia, North Korea, Tanzania, and Sri Lanka. Diolch am 89,103,703 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pob un yn cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr. Thanks for 89,103,703 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated. Shot 10.10.2021 at Bicester Scramble, Bicester, Oxon. Ref. 122-427

[xtruss]

Those Pesky Sino-Russians! Russian and Chinese Combat Air Trends: Current Capabilities and Future Threat Outlook

China Has Edged Ahead of Russia in Air vs Air Capabilities (With Russian Help). The Chinese are amazing at tech

— Justin Bronk | Rusi.Org

This Whitehall Report examines Russian and Chinese combat air trends, and looks specifically at fast jets and their weapons systems and capabilities.

1– The Soviet Union, and latterly Russia, have been the source of both aerial and ground-based pacing threats to Western airpower since the end of the Second World War. However, from a position of dependency on Russian aircraft and weapons, China has developed an advanced indigenous combat aircraft, sensor and weapons industry that is outstripping Russia’s. As a result, for the first time since 1945, the likely source of the most significant aerial threats to Western air capabilities is shifting.

2– Modern air combat is primarily decided by the balance of advantage in situational awareness. Given broadly comparable numbers, the force which can provide its aircrew with superior awareness of enemy position, track and identity will have a major advantage in any clash. In scenarios where situational awareness is relatively equal, missile reach and seeker performance, crew experience, aircraft performance, electronic warfare (EW) and countermeasures systems all contribute to the likely outcome.

3– Russia and China currently field superficially similar combat aircraft fleets. Both rely heavily on the Su-27/30 ‘Flanker’ family of combat aircraft and their various derivatives. They have also both pursued a fighter with low-observable (LO) – also known as stealthy – features, alongside increased multirole capability for their main fighter fleets. However, a clear Chinese lead is now emerging over Russia in most technical aspects of combat aircraft development.

4– The Flanker family of combat aircraft share: a large radar, optical and heat signature; potent kinematic performance; a relatively long range on internal fuel; and the ability to carry heavy ordinance loads of air-to-air or air-to-ground weapons. This makes them comparatively easy to detect and, in the case of Russian Flanker types, the lack of a modern active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar restricts them to relatively ‘brute force’ tactics using powerful but easy-to-detect radars and missiles which are outranged by their Western counterparts.

5– China has developed J-11 and J-16 series Flanker derivatives featuring AESA radars, new datalinks, improved EW systems and increased use of composites, which give them a superior level of overall combat capability to the latest Russian Flanker, the Su-35S.

6– This advantage is increased by Chinese advances in both within-visual-range (WVR) and beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missiles. Unlike the latest Russian R-73M, the PL-10 features an imaging infrared seeker, improving resistance to countermeasures. More significantly, the PL-15 features a miniature AESA seeker head and outranges the US-made AIM-120C/D AMRAAM series. China is also testing a very-long-range air-to-air missile, known as PL-X or PL-17, which has a 400-km class range, multimode seeker and appears to have been designed to attack US big-wing ISTAR and tanker aircraft.

7– China has developed and introduced into service the first credible non-US-made LO, or fifth-generation, fighter in the form of the J-20A ‘Mighty Dragon’. Subsequent developments are likely to increase its LO characteristics and sensor capabilities, as well as engine performance, with construction of the first production prototypes of the J-20B having begun in 2020.

8– Overall, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and People’s Liberation Army Navy are rapidly improving their combat air capabilities, including a focus on the sensors, platforms, network connectivity and weapons needed to compete with the US in cutting-edge, predominantly passive-sensor air combat tactics.

9– The Russian Su-57 Felon is assessed as not yet having matured into a credible frontline weapons system, and as lacking the basic design features required for true LO signature. However, it does offer the potential to correct many of the Flanker family weaknesses with greatly reduced signature and an AESA radar, while improving the already superb agility and performance of the Flanker series.

10– The Russian Air Force (VKS) does not currently field targeting pods for its ground-attack and multirole fleets. This limits the ground-attack aircraft to internal equivalents with inferior field of view and tactical flexibility, and the multirole fighters to reliance on either pre-briefed GPS/GLONASS target coordinates, radar-guided weapons or target acquisition using fixed seekers on the weapons themselves. This limits VKS fixed-wing capabilities against dynamic battlefield targets compared to Western or Chinese equivalents.

11– China is actively pursuing unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) designs with multiple programmes at various stages of development. Detailed assessment is hindered by tight control of information leaks by the Chinese Communist Party. Of those known to be in development, the GJ-11 subsonic attack UCAV appears the most advanced.

12– Russia is also pursuing UCAV-style technologies and has produced the Su-70 ‘Okhotnik-B’ technology demonstrator. However, it is not yet clear what degree of practical operational capability the Russian aircraft industry will be able to develop through the Su-70, especially given the demands for significant levels of in-flight autonomy inherent in UCAVs designed for state-on-state warfare in heavy EW conditions.

13– China’s advanced and efficient Flanker derivatives, as well as lightweight multirole fighters in the shape of the J-10B/C series and potentially a developmental FC-31 LO fighter programme, are likely to provide the leading source of non-Western combat aircraft from the mid-2020s onwards. Likewise, their air-launched munitions will increasingly outcompete Russian equivalents on the export market. As such, the development of Chinese capabilities should be closely monitored even by air forces which do not include the PLAAF in their direct threat assessments.

14– The possibility of technology transfer from China to Russia in the combat air domain could potentially increase the threat level posed to NATO by Russian airpower in the longer term, should such a dynamic emerge.

— Source: The Royal United Services Institute

Russian and Chinese Air Threat Nature and Trajectories in Perspective

RUSSIA AND CHINA currently field combat air fleets that are similar in many ways, at least at face value. Both rely heavily on the Flanker family of combat aircraft and their various derivatives; both have attempted to develop a fighter with LO features; and both have sought increasing multirole capability for their fighter fleets as a whole. However, China has started to build a clear technical lead over Russia in most aspects of combat aircraft development. Moreover, Russian industry is unlikely to be able to regain areas of competitive advantage once lost, due to deep structural industrial and budgetary disadvantages compared to the Chinese sector.

The effects of this trend can be seen in the fact that even in the case of the archetypal Russian fighter line, the Flanker, the most capable variant currently in service is Chinese. Compared to Russian equivalents, the J-16 features a more modern cockpit layout, more advanced use of structural composites, access to more advanced and longer-ranged missiles, an AESA radar and operational targeting pods for more efficient and flexible employment of modern PGMs. The only area where Russia retains a lead in Flanker development terms is in engines, with the AL-41F series powering the Su-35S still providing superior thrust and reliability compared to the WS-10B series. In terms of cheaper and lighter multirole fighter types, the J-10C is significantly more efficient and flexible than the ageing Russian Mig-29/35 series. In contrast to the troubled Russian Su-57, with its limited LO features and production prospects, the Chinese J-20A is an operational LO fighter already in squadron service with the PLAAF. It also continues to rapidly mature and improve with the production of the J-20B variant having reportedly begun in 2020. The J-20 family will be produced in the hundreds over the coming decade, constituting the foremost existing aerial threat to Western air superiority types.

Beyond simple comparisons of individual aircraft categories, there is a noticeable difference between the developmental focus for Russian and Chinese combat air concepts of operation and tactics. In broad terms, Russia continues to try and field more powerful fighter radars and develop longer-range air-to-air missiles to redress its current shortcomings in relation to existing non-VLO opponents, while counting largely on long-range ground-based sensors and missile systems to provide a measure of national defensive capability against VLO threats, including some distance beyond its own borders. By contrast, China is prioritising the development of aerial sensors and networks to allow its combat aircraft to compete directly with the US in engagements beyond its own borders that are dominated by passive-sensor tactics and cooperative engagement capabilities. The PLAAF is being rapidly configured for power-projection capabilities at scale, with ground-based and maritime IADS elements serving as an important but not dominant component in the country’s approach to airpower. Above all else, the pace of iterative improvement visible in PLAAF equipment – from aircraft and weapons systems to increasingly realistic training and exercises – is striking. Aside from the PL-15 (and PL-X/PL-17) very-long-range air-to-air missile, there are few areas of capability where the PLAAF is yet directly able to compete one-to-one with the best that the US and European air forces can field. However, if China can continue the level of investment, production and iteration demonstrated over the last decade, then existing capability gaps will close significantly, and more areas of outright Chinese advantage will emerge during the 2020s.

For the US and its Indo-Pacific allies, this is a serious military challenge, but it also has significant implications for air forces around the world that are unlikely to have to directly confront the PLAAF or PLANAF. As the superiority of Chinese weapons systems and airframe manufacturing capacity over Russian equivalents becomes increasingly obvious, countries with political alignments or budgets that preclude relying on Western aircraft will look increasingly to Beijing rather than Moscow for equipment, especially as Soviet-era fleets continue to age out. In other words, the high-end aerial pacing threats for Western air forces in a near-peer conflict or expeditionary intervention context are likely to be Chinese by the end of the 2020s. Of course, much like Western and Russian types, Chinese combat aircraft and weapons will usually be supplied to most third countries in slightly degraded export configurations, especially with regard to EW, encrypted communications, radar and seeker performance.

In technical terms, PLAAF and PLANAF combat aircraft are also operating alongside an increasingly diverse and capable set of ISTAR enablers, including three different traditional AEW&C platforms, multiple classes of UAVs, maritime and ground-based sensor arrays, and orbital constellations. Modern Link 16-style datalinks are also increasingly standard on Chinese fourth- and fifth-generation combat aircraft and supporting enabler platforms. However, this potential force multiplying advantage is currently limited by a lack of operational experience and inflexible internal structures, but the pace of Chinese improvement is rapid in these areas. If being operated by smaller states, many of these enablers would not be available, or at least would be far less extensive, rendering Chinese fast jets correspondingly less impressive compared to Russian types and less of a threat to well-supported Western fast jets as part of a coalition. They would nonetheless significantly increase the risk profile and capability requirements for an intervention compared to Soviet-era capabilities, especially if operated in conjunction with increasingly widely proliferating Chinese or Russian ground-based air defences and EW systems.

The PLA itself currently struggles to conduct genuinely joint operations, as the PLAAF and broader PLA remain highly stovepiped and procedural organisations compared to their Western counterparts. For example, combat air training is still predominantly conducted according to rigidly pre-briefed manoeuvre sequences under direct control of a ground- or AEW&C aircraft-based commanding officer, with lessons or tactical innovations having to go through a lengthy bureaucratic process to be formally incorporated. The PLA also remains unable to operate joint engagement zones, which are required to enable SAMs and combat aircraft to engage targets in the same airspace simultaneously. Nonetheless, there is significant evidence of rapid improvements to the realism of training, including increasing prevalence of unscripted air combat engagements during the ‘Golden Helmet’ competition and Red Sword and Blue Sword exercises since 2011, as well as recent joint training exercises with other air forces including those of Russia, Pakistan and Thailand. The result is rapidly improving operational competence within each of the Chinese air arms, and a slow but steady improvement in the PLA’s ability to conduct joint warfighting as a whole. Chinese airpower may be less impressive in practical warfighting capacity than its equipment would suggest on paper, but the ingredients for continued rapid capability growth are all in place, and at a scale that few competitors will be able to keep pace with. The implications are serious enough for the US Air Force and US Navy, which have traditionally relied on a significant level of qualitative overmatch to offset Chinese numerical superiority in the Pacific theatre. They have even more significant implications for China’s less militarily capable neighbours looking to maintain an ability to defend their territorial integrity in the face of Chinese pressure.

By contrast, Russia’s combat aircraft development has failed to keep pace with the cutting edge of Western or Chinese capabilities since the end of the Cold War. Annual flying hours for VKS pilots also remain low, with the average of 120 flown by the elite aggressors of the 116 UTsBPr IA representing the highest of any unit by a considerable margin, meaning advanced situational awareness building, sensor and weapon employment skills will be lacking compared to most potential NATO opponents. Despite impressive work to squeeze the maximum performance out of the Su-27 Flanker airframe across multiple mission sets within the bounds of Russia’s financial and technological means, Russian frontline fighters remain likely to be out-detected and outranged by the latest Western and Chinese competitors. The Su-57 is neither sufficiently LO nor sufficiently mature in terms of sensor package to be considered a major threat to the West’s qualitative advantage in the air superiority domain at this point. However, it could still present a serious potential threat to older fourth-generation fighters if introduced into service in significant numbers. Russia’s primary means to defend its own airspace and project contested airspace into its near abroad remains its ground-based IADS. The VKS’s primary tactical missions in the case of a conflict with NATO are likely to be defensive patrols contributing overhead radar information and potentially missile shots to the broader IADS, alongside strike missions against enemy ground and maritime targets within or close to the coverage of mobile ground-based SAMs using standoff munitions wherever possible. In that strike mission, however, the majority of VKS pilots have fairly recent combat experience in a relatively complex semi-permissive environment thanks to regular unit and personnel rotations to Syria since 2015.

Without having first significantly degraded Russia’s IADS, NATO air forces would likely struggle to exploit many of the areas of technical advantage their platforms have against Russian aircraft operating close to their own airspace. As such, the VKS poses a potent threat against any NATO static ground-based assets not protected by layered ground-based air defences or friendly defensive counter-air patrols. Against dynamic battlefield targets such as moving vehicles, however, the lack of operational targeting pods in Russia’s multirole fighter fleets would limit their effectiveness, leaving the VKS to rely on its Su-25, Su-24M and Su-34 fleets alongside rotary wing aviation and substantial ground forces firepower for this task. Despite being outclassed by the latest Western and Chinese types, the Russian Flanker series remains a potent air-to-air threat against any combat aircraft lacking up-to-date active and passive sensor suites and either VLO characteristics or missiles capable of outranging the R-77-1 series.

One contingency worth considering is the possibility that, at some point during the 2020s, Russia begins to import Chinese missile or sensor technology for use by the VKS. For this to occur, the Russian government would have to overcome considerable levels of distrust between Russia and China in military terms, as well as deep-seated Russian pride and attachment to their sovereign aerospace industry. However, the increasing superiority of Chinese radars, AAMs and targeting pods may prove sufficient motivation, especially in the face of a new generation of Western combat aircraft development programmes. Full-scale Russian manufacture of Chinese indigenous designs such as the J-20 or J-10 would likely be too bitter a pill to swallow, but the integration of Chinese sensors and weapons on Russian Flankers or even as part of efforts to mature the Su-57 and/or Su-70 would undoubtedly improve their combat capabilities. Whether China would agree to exports or technology transfer of this level to Russia is another question entirely, and one which is difficult to answer. However, if tensions between China and the West continue to rise and Russia remains confrontational towards NATO in Europe and the Arctic, then the CCP may decide that subsidising Russian military capabilities is in its interests.

[thisdaynews]

BREAKING:Chinese Air Force Sends Another 56 Warplanes Toward Taiwan

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/breakingchinese-air-force-sends-another-56-warplanes-toward-taiwan/

BREAKING:Chinese Air Force Sends Another 56 Warplanes Toward Taiwan

That is the number of warplanes the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force sent, in two waves, into Taiwan’s southwestern air-guard ID zone on Monday.

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That is more planes, by a wide margin, than China at any point has sortied for a test of Taiwan’s protections. The record flood comes just following a three-day air-power gorge that saw 93 PLAAF planes fly through Taiwan’s ADIZ, which lies right external the country’s public air space.

In four days, China has sent a bigger number of planes toward Taiwan than it regularly sends in a whole little while. Something is occurring, however it’s not satisfactory what.

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“This phenomenally provocative Chinese air movement appears to have appeared unexpectedly,” said Ian Easton, an examiner with the Project 2049 Institute in Virginia

The setting for this airpower flood is equivalent to consistently. “Reunifying” Taiwan with China is the focal principle of the People’s Republic of China’s international strategy. Flying tests of Taiwan’s ADIZ twofold as terrorizing and groundwork for war.

The circumstance likewise is intriguing. Friday was National Day—the commemoration of the establishing of the PRC.

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Yet, it was three days after National Day that an influx of 52 planes, trailed by a second rush of four planes, flew into the southwest ADIZ.

The principal wave was made out of 34 J-16 contenders, two Su-30 warriors, two Y-9 watch planes, two KJ-500 radar early-cautioning planes and 12 H-6 atomic fit aircraft. The subsequent wave was minuscule in correlation—only four J-16s.

In the event that China and Taiwan were at war, the H-6s alone could’ve dispatched 72 voyage rockets at Taiwanese powers.

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The gigantic number of H-6s engaged with Monday’s activity is especially upsetting, Easton said. “That demonstrates something important is going on.”

It’s possible that the end of the week fights could’ve gone on without the obvious endorsement of top Chinese Communist Party authorities. Indeed, even in a concentrated state like China, military officers have a ton of independence to coordinate preparing works out—even exceptionally provocative ones.

However, Monday’s enormous mission, which conveyed more battle airplane than numerous nations have in their whole flying corps, is an obvious indicator that the CCP’s political initiative, including President Xi Jinping, is behind the airpower flood.

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“The massed warplane trips in the Taiwan Strait have now proceeded with four days straight, which shows that Xi Jinping himself has very likely marked the orders,” Easton said.

Taiwan isn’t frail to oppose Chinese terrorizing. Taipei’s flying corps followed the Chinese planes and dispatched planes of its own to shadow a portion of the gatecrashers. Be that as it may, the whole Republic of China Air Force has about 300 cutting edge contenders. The PLAAF has almost 2,000.

At whatever point it picks, the Chinese flying corps can overpower the Taiwanese aviation based armed forces.

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A quick, severe battle for control of the air over Taiwan would be the primary stage in a Chinese intrusion. Beijing may start a flying fight intentionally. On the other hand, it may very well send a lot of planes into the Taiwanese ADIZ and expectation for some pilot to scratch an irritated trigger finger.

A solitary rocket or gun round, traded between the multitudes of Chinese and Taiwanese planes over the Taiwan Strait, could be the sparkle that touches off a conflict. “Military moves on this scale could go crazy and result in a significant emergency,” Easton said.

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Taiwan’s partners were close by when those 56 planes tested the ADIZ. An amazing maritime arrangement fixated on the U.S. Naval force plane carrying warships USS Carl Vinson and USS Ronald Reagan, the Royal Navy flattop HMS Queen Elizabeth and the Japanese helicopter transporter JS Ise was south of Taiwan this end of the week.

On Monday, no less than three American observation airplane—an Air Force RC-135 and a P-8 and EP-3 having a place with the Navy—were in a similar region, simple miles from the Chinese arrangement. An Air Force KC-135 big hauler upheld the observation planes.

The U.S. State Department denounced the new Chinese forays as “weakening.” But it’s hazy whether American and associated powers would retaliate if—when?— China assaults Taiwan.

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In any case, imagining an assault is progressively reasonable, and impending, isn’t a choice. “This unexpected occurrence should fill in as a reminder for Washington, Taipei and similar governments all over the place,” Easton said. “Discouragement could be flopping as of now”

[usafphantom2]

China offered its Y-20 transport plane to Nigeria

The air transport plane was placed on the international market in November, when it was shown to the head of Nigeria's defense.

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 01/13/2024 - 19:00 in Military

China is trying to sell its Y-20 Kunpeng transport plane to foreign buyers, with its manufacturer expanding production capacity in preparation, according to media reports.

The strategic military transport aircraft was placed on the international market in November, when the Y-20BE model was shown to Nigeria's Defense Minister Mohammed Badaru Abubakar in Beijing, the military magazine Ordnance Industry Science Technology reported last week.

The heavy transport plane, nicknamed the 'chubby girl' (chubby girl) for its large fuselage, is comparable to the Soviet Ilyushin Il-76 and the American Boeing C-17.

According to the report, it will be an opportunity for China to “establish deeper strategic relations and cooperation with countries as soon as they have the Y-20”.

Although Nigeria currently depends on the C-130 Hercules as its main tactical air transport aircraft, military experts say the Y-20E would provide the country with genuine strategic air transport capabilities.

The aircraft manufacturer, XAIC, operates assembly lines for mass production, according to the Chinese state broadcaster.

Its manufacturer, the state-owned Xian Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAIC), has been operating assembly lines for mass production to increase efficiency and expand capacity, the state broadcaster CCTV reported in November.

Instead of mounting the aircraft on a fixed workstation, its parts are moved along a "pulse line" as the work steps are completed - similar to the way cars are produced. These assembly lines are used to build some of the most advanced aircraft in the world, including the Lockheed Martin F-35 and the Boeing 787.

More than 90 percent of the parts of the Y-20 are manufactured by a digitized system, according to the CCTV report, which showed images from the XAIC factory of robotic arms, remotely controlled maneuvers and laser-assisted high-precision assembly work.

The broadcaster's report said that the production capacity of the plant could meet the demand of both the Chinese air force and international customers.

"The production speed of the Y-20 is the fastest in the world in this type," he said.

The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has received almost 100 planes so far, half of them in the last two years.

The plane, which is 47 meters long and 50 meters wide, has become the flagship of the People's Liberation Army since it entered service in 2016. It can transport up to 66 tons.

XAIC has delivered almost 100 planes to the PLA Air Force so far - about half of them in the last two years. It also changed from Russian-made Soloviev D-30KP-2 engines to the most powerful Chinese-made Shenyang WS-20 turbofan engines.

Variants were also developed, the Y-20U tank plane and the Y-20AEW airborne alert and early control aircraft.

Tags: Military AviationChinaNAF - Nigerian Air Force/Nigerian Air ForceXian Y-20

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[mhsn033]

US arrests three Chinese nationals for visa fraud

Represent copyright Getty Photos

Represent caption The US and China have clashed again and again in recent months, over commerce, coronavirus and Hong Kong

The US has charged four Chinese nationals with visa fraud for allegedly mendacity about their membership of China’s army.

Three are beneath arrest whereas the FBI is looking out for to arrest the fourth, who’s acknowledged to be in China’s San Francisco consulate.

FBI brokers have also interviewed other folks in 25 US cities who’ve an “undeclared affiliation” with China’s defense power.

Prosecutors declare it’s allotment of a Chinese concept to send army scientists to the US.

Contributors of the Other folks’s Liberation Navy (PLA) utilized for analysis visas whereas hiding their “gleaming affiliation” with the defense power, US justice department attorney John C Demers acknowledged in a observation.

“Right here’s one other allotment of the Chinese Communist Occasion’s concept to judge relieve of our start society and exploit tutorial establishments.”

The arrests approach after the US launched a Chinese scientist had taken refuge in the San Francisco consulate, and the day after US officers ordered the closure of China’s mission in Houston, pronouncing it used to be animated about stealing intellectual property.

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Media captionMales were filmed performing suspiciously at China’s consulate in Houston on Tuesday

On Thursday – sooner than the arrests were launched – Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin described the US allegations as “malicious slander” and acknowledged China “must originate a necessary response and safeguard its legit rights”.

US President Donald Trump has again and again clashed with China in recent months, over commerce, the coronavirus pandemic and the recent Hong Kong security regulation.

What are the payments?

The four other folks charged with visa fraud are Wang Xin, Song Chen, Zhao Kaikai and Tang Juan. Ms Tang is regarded as in the San Francisco consulate.

The total Chinese nationals are acknowledged to have lied about their provider in the PLA, either bringing up they’d by no formula served in the defense power or now not served.

Wang Xin used to be arrested on 7 June after questioning by Customs and Border Safety brokers at Los Angeles World Airport. He disclosed that he remains a PLA member, and works at a defense power college lab, the justice department free up acknowledged, having acknowledged on his visa that he had left the defense power in 2016.

Represent copyright Getty Photos

Represent caption All four of the charged Chinese nationals are allegedly at speak serving in China’s army

Song Chen and Zhao Kaikai in the interim were both arrested on 18 July.

Prosecutors inform that Ms Song claimed to be a neurologist who had left the army nevertheless in point of fact used to be peaceable affiliated with PLA Air Force (PLAAF) hospitals in China, whereas Zhao Kaikai claimed by no formula to have served in the defense power nevertheless surely used to be a member of a top PLA analysis institution.

Ms Tang is regarded as a member of the PLAAF. An agent found photos of her in defense power uniform and evidence that she labored at an air power medical college.

She also allegedly wrote on her visa application that she had by no formula been in the defense power.

What’s taking place at China’s consulates?

The arrests approach two days after China’s consulate in Houston came beneath scrutiny.

Footage confirmed other folks throwing what looked as if it could perhaps perhaps well be paper into flaming boxes. Emergency providers and products were known as to the building nevertheless Houston police declare they weren’t granted catch entry to.

On Wednesday, the administration gave China 72 hours to shut the consulate “to protect American intellectual property and American citizens’ inner most files”.

Represent copyright Getty Photos

Represent caption US Secretary of Utter Mike Pompeo acknowledged the US would “judge actions that protect the American other folks”

Secretary of Utter Mike Pompeo acknowledged: “We’re environment out obvious expectations for how the Chinese Communist Occasion is going to behave. And after they invent not, we are going to judge actions that protect the American other folks, protect… our national security, and likewise protect our economy and jobs.”

The consulate is one in every of five in the US, not counting the embassy in Washington. China described the closure as a “political provocation”.

What’s stoking tensions between China and the US?

There are a range of flashpoints between Beijing and Washington. Some of doubtlessly the most serious are:

Coronavirus: President Trump has again and again referred to Covid-19 as the “China virus”. and alleged it originated from a Chinese laboratory, despite his occupy intelligence officers pronouncing it “used to be not manmade”. In response, Chinese officers have in point of fact helpful, with out evidence, that Covid-19 could wish originated in the US

Replace: Mr Trump has prolonged accused China of unfair trading practices and intellectual property theft. The US and China have engaged in a tit-for-tat tariff warfare since 2018 on yarn of the dispute

Hong Kong: China’s imposition of a sweeping recent national security regulation in Hong Kong in June led the US to revoke the sphere’s preferential economic treatment. Beijing has accused the US of “snide interference” in its home affairs, promising it will retaliate

South China Sea: The two nations have also clashed over Beijing’s pursuit of offshore resources in disputed waters, with Mr Pompeo calling it a “advertising campaign of bullying”.

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[marlaluster]

Emptying the cliptray on the new phone. ....

1. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/04/01/asia/china-japan-taiwan-jets-intl/index.html 2. https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/memories 3. https://www.instagram.com/p/BvsIpXEjtLi/?hl=en 4. 2,899,116 views chrishemsworth Avengers press tour let’s roll!! #avengersendgame @robertdowneyjr @azzagrist @avminaircharter belabcruz @leonfutparodias PARA DE DAR EM CIMA DELE CARA!!! @dayanayad da um jeito aqui prfv dannyqdc #WeLoveAaronToo! johacaro2 Your voice😍 25mdr 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 sagmae23 Hi, I love you!!! Can’t wait!!! 😍😍😍🎉🎉🎉👏👏👏👏 deisyra Chicos guapos!! Los amoo😘😍❤️👌 moccaboiii @xxlucyrichardsxx lmao😂 hollandertehila Come to israelllllll🇮🇱🇮🇱 a_kimble31 Have a great time! Should cone to Philadelphia! sildemarco15 😘 ayudian_jegek 😍😍😍 miriamrwalsh @kimsweeney sploosh city 😳😍 chloeinnature @kimmytam 😍😍😍😍 badpoolx 👌👌 hi_lary.m Ireland? pamorgan0105 @alexiat14 YOSEEEEE AHHH xxlucyrichardsxx @moccaboiii 😂😂 puravalva That's not rdj puravalva Heck doesn't even sound like him jkjchoudhary Jkj😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😍😍😮😮🙌👏👏🙌👏👏😮 _cas.in.the.impala_ Why do you never go to other european countries ahhhh violetmoonshadow I missed your when you come to wa wow next time i hope senooy9 Come to JAPAN, please❤️ _kayteex3 @jfigueroa0130 18 HOURS AGO ABOUT USSUPPORTPRESSAPI 5. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/04/01/asia/china-japan-taiwan-jets-intl/index.html 6. Taiwan scrambles jets to confront Chinese fighters after rare incursion By Ben Westcott, CNN Updated 3:13 AM EDT, Mon April 01, 2019 Hong Kong (CNN) Taiwan has accused China of "reckless and provocative" action, after two Chinese air force jets crossed a maritime border separating the island from the mainland. The island's military scrambled fighter planes after it said two Chinese J-11 fighter jets crossed the border within the waters of the Taiwan Strait, known as the median line, at about 11 a.m. on Sunday. "Two PLAAF J-11 jets violated the long-held tacit agreement by crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait. It was an intentional, reckless and provocative action. We've informed regional partners and condemn China for such behavior," the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement If confirmed as intentional, the Chinese incursion would be the first of its kind in years, said Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at the center of Center for Strategic and International Studies. "Chinese jets flew across the center line frequently in 1999," Glaser said. "Since then, there have been occasions when PRC jets flew toward the center line and then veered off. They haven't crossed it in a long time. By some accounts 20 years." She said there was one instance in 2011 when Chinese planes accidentally crossed the line. According to local Taiwan media, the Sunday incident triggered a 10-minute standoff between jets from the two sides. China and Taiwan have been separately governed since the end of a brutal civil war in 1949. Beijing views the self-governed island as part of its territory. Weekend activities On Saturday, the Japanese Self-Defense Force announced it had also scrambled fighters after the Chinese air force flew between Japan's islands of Okinawa and Miyako. 7. TOP STORIES Taiwan scrambles jets to confront Chinese fighters after rare incursion CNN.com - 9 hours ago China to curb all types of fentanyl, following US demands BBC - 2 hours ago The Guardian China cracks down on fentanyl after US pleads Beijing for action on opioids 1 hour ago The New York Times Company China Purchases Could Undercut Trump’s Larger Trade Goal 7 hours ago CNBC Apple slashes iPhone prices in China 2 hours ago Wall Street Journal China’s Entrepreneurs Are Left High and Dry Despite a Flood of Credit 7 hours ago South China Morning Post ‘Worst recession in recent Chinese history’ could follow US trade war 6 hours ago The Washington Post After China’s deadly chemical disaster, a shattered region weighs cost of the rush to ‘get rich’ 21 hours ago BBC News China bouncy castle: Dust devil kills two children and injures 20 people 1 hour ago Reuters China's Xi says West has long-term economic, military superiority 10 hours ago MarketWatch Dow jumps back above 26,000 as China data eases global growth worries 1 hour ago The Motley Fool Why Investors Should Cheer as China Slashes Electric Vehicle Subsidies 3 hours ago PEOPLE ALSO SEARCH FOR Jacinda Ardern in China US China trade China March PMI More 8. https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKCN1RD1EK 9. Reuters MON APR 1, 2019 / 1:59 AM EDT China's Xi says West has long-term economic, military superiority Photo FILE PHOTO - Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a news conference after a meeting with French President at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France March 25, 2019. Yoan Valat/Pool via REUTERS (Reuters) - Developed Western nations have long-term economic, technological and military advantages over China and the Communist Party has to realize that some people will use the West's strong points to criticize socialism's failings, President Xi Jinping said. Since assuming power in China more than six years ago, Xi has ramped up efforts to ensure total party loyalty and discipline, including a sweeping crackdown on corruption, warning the party's very survival is at stake. This year, which is marked by a series of sensitive anniversaries including three decades since the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in and around Tiananmen Square, has seen a further increase in calls for party loyalty. ADVERTISEMENT On Monday, leading party theoretical journal Qiushi, which means "Seeking Truth", published lengthy excerpts for the first time from a speech Xi gave in early 2013 shortly after becoming party boss, warning of the dangers 10. But China needs to stick to its landmark economic reforms begun in 1978, without which the party could have fallen, Xi said. The party "may even have faced a serious crisis, like the death of the party and the death of the country encountered by the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries". But China had proved the naysayers wrong, Xi added. "Both history and reality tell us that only socialism can save China. Only socialism with Chinese characteristics can develop China. This is the conclusion of history and the choice of the people." (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Gao Liangping; Editing by Nick Macfie) Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. 11. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-execution/death-row-inmates-not-guaranteed-a-painless-death-supreme-court-rules-idUSKCN1RD2J5 12. SUPREME COURT APRIL 1, 2019 / 10:13 AM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO Death row inmates not guaranteed a 'painless death,' Supreme Court rules Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court made it clear on Monday that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee a prisoner sentenced to capital punishment “a painless death,” paving the way for the execution of a convicted murderer who sought to die by lethal gas rather than lethal injection because of a rare medical condition. 13. Russell Bucklew, 50, had argued that lethal injection might inflict undue agony by rupturing blood-filled tumors on his body caused by a congenital condition called cavernous hemangioma in violation of the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment, which bars cruel and unusual punishment. In a decision written by conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch, the court ruled 5-4 that Bucklew had failed to present enough evidence for them to let him ask a lower court to allow him to be executed by lethal gas. The court’s five conservatives were in the majority and its four liberals dissented. Referencing the history of capital punishment, Gorsuch wrote that “the Eighth Amendment does not guarantee a prisoner 14. Referencing the history of capital punishment, Gorsuch wrote that “the Eighth Amendment does not guarantee a prisoner a painless death - something that, of course, isn’t guaranteed to many people, including most victims of capital crimes.” Monday’s ruling 15. enquiry@immd.gov.hk 16. https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard 17. THE DEVIL GOING TOTALLY PSYCHO AS FUCK ATTACKING, ITS ACTING LIKE ITS SUPPOSED TO BE PRETTY N PRISSY!!!!!!! IT JUST MADE A PAIN IN MY ABDOMEN!!!!! BUT PLEASE THINGS THAT CAN HELP ME PLEASE HELP ME TO GET OUT OF HERE, IT IS SO HORRIBLE N DISGUSTING HERE, IT IS HELL HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!!!! 18. TOP STORIES Taiwan scrambles jets to confront Chinese fighters after rare incursion CNN.com - 5 hours ago ‘Worst recession in recent Chinese history’ could follow US trade war South China Morning Post - 2 hours ago MarketWatch Treasury yields rise after improved China data stirs global stock-market rally 38 mins ago The New York Times Company China Bans All Types of Fentanyl, Fulfilling Pledge to Trump 3 hours ago Economic Times China mulls to buy Russia's Su-57 stealth fighter jet 1 hour ago BBC News Chinese firefighters die as blaze sweeps forest in Sichuan 1 hour ago Reuters China's Xi says West has long-term economic, military superiority 6 hours ago The New York Times Company China Purchases Could Undercut Trump’s Larger Trade Goal 3 hours ago CNN China's factories power on; EasyJet warning; US retail sales 3 hours ago Wall Street Journal China’s Entrepreneurs Are Left High and Dry Despite a Flood of Credit 3 hours ago CNBC China's $13 trillion bond market marks a milestone today. Here's what it means 5 hours ago The Washington Post After China’s deadly chemical disaster, a shattered region weighs cost of the rush to ‘get rich’ 17 hours ago PEOPLE ALSO SEARCH FOR Jacinda Ardern in China Trump and China China March PMI More News Web results China - Wikipedia Wikipedia › wiki › China 19. TOP STORIES Taiwan scrambles jets to confront Chinese fighters after rare incursion CNN.com - 5 hours ago ‘Worst recession in recent Chinese history’ could follow US trade war South China Morning Post - 2 hours ago MarketWatch Treasury yields rise after improved China data stirs global stock-market rally 38 mins ago The New York Times Company China Bans All Types of Fentanyl, Fulfilling Pledge to Trump 3 hours ago Economic Times China mulls to buy Russia's Su-57 stealth fighter jet 1 hour ago BBC News Chinese firefighters die as blaze sweeps forest in Sichuan 1 hour ago Reuters China's Xi says West has long-term economic, military superiority 6 hours ago The New York Times Company China Purchases Could Undercut Trump’s Larger Trade Goal 3 hours ago CNN China's factories power on; EasyJet warning; US retail sales 3 hours ago Wall Street Journal China’s Entrepreneurs Are Left High and Dry Despite a Flood of Credit 3 hours ago CNBC China's $13 trillion bond market marks a milestone today. Here's what it means 5 hours ago The Washington Post After China’s deadly chemical disaster, a shattered region weighs cost of the rush to ‘get rich’ 17 hours ago PEOPLE ALSO SEARCH FOR Jacinda Ardern in China Trump and China China March PMI More News Web results China - Wikipedia Wikipedia › wiki › ChinaIt was pressing i was supposed to have dulled senses. Its obsessing w my vagina n making a sensw something happening to my vagina!!!!!!!!!! It was doing some other irritation also that i dont remember but i was folding some clothes n it was starting to attack n insane!!!!!! I just wrote the headline. But the devil was pressing a white girl in my awareness. It just took my thought again of what it was doing to attack a moment ago -- a break here. Its messing w my memory again but i think it was just prominently pressing a persona n that was what it was doing a moment ago. It keeps -- a break here. But the devil keeps obsessing w my vagina n making a sense of something happening to my vagina. Its been obsessing w my face. Its been going insane attacking!!!! Please help, please help!!!!! 20. 404 Not Found openresty

[ebenpink]

Is China Really Building Two Stealth Bombers? http://bit.ly/2sL3nQc

A CCTV news program offered a glimpse of what is believed to be a prototype of the H-20 bomber. Photo: CCTV screen grab

Sebastien Roblin, National Interest: Is China Really Building Two Stealth Bombers? Could it be true? In January 2018, two sentences in an annual report by the DIA on Chinese military power sent a minor shockwave rippling across the defense-related internet: “The PLAAF is developing new medium- and long-range stealth bombers to strike regional and global targets. Stealth technology continues to play a key role in the development of these new bombers, which probably will reach initial operational capability no sooner than 2025.” Bombers, plural . In a separate chart, an un-designated next-generation “Tactical Bomber” is listed, denoted as being equipped with a high-resolution Active Electronically Scanned Array radar, precision-guided bombs and long-range air-to-air missiles. Read more .... WNU Editor: The answer is maybe .... China Is Developing Two Stealth Bombers (January 18, 2019). from War News Updates http://bit.ly/2B4rZYW via IFTTT

[political-affairs]

The 60th anniversary of the Second Taiwan Straits Crisis

Scenes from the Kinmen islands, which lie in a bay across from the Chinese city of Xiamen, ahead of the 60th anniversary of the Second Taiwan Straits Crisis. The Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, also called the 1958 Taiwan Strait Crisis, was a conflict that took place between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC) in which the PRC shelled the islands of Kinmen and the nearby Matsu Islands along the east coast of the PRC (in the Taiwan Strait) to "liberate" Taiwan from the Chinese Nationalist Party, also called Kuomintang (KMT), and probe the extent of the United States defense of Taiwan's territory.

The crisis started with the 823 Artillery Bombardment at 5:30 pm on 23 August 1958, when the PRC's People's Liberation Army (PLA) began an intense artillery bombardment against Quemoy (Kinmen). The ROC troops on Kinmen dug in and then returned fire. In the heavy exchange of fire, roughly 440 ROC soldiers and 460 PRC soldiers were killed. This conflict was a continuation of the First Taiwan Strait Crisis, which had begun immediately after the Korean War ended. The Nationalist Chinese had begun to build on the island of Kinmen and the nearby Matsu archipelago. During 1954, the PLA began firing artillery at both Kinmen and some of the nearby Matsu islands.

The American Eisenhower Administration responded to the request for aid from the ROC according to its obligations in the mutual defense treaty that had been ratified in 1954. President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the reinforcement of the U.S. Navy Seventh Fleet in the area, and he ordered American naval vessels to help the Nationalist Chinese government to protect the supply lines to the islands. In addition, the U.S. Air Force deployed F-100D Super Sabres, F-101C Voodoos, F-104A Starfighters, and B-57B Canberras to Taiwan to demonstrate support for the republic. The F-104s were disassembled and airlifted to Taiwan in C-124 Globemaster II transport aircraft, the first time such a method was used to move fighter aircraft over a long distance.

 Also, under a secret effort called "Operation Black Magic", the U.S. Navy modified some of the F-86 Sabre fighters of the Nationalist Chinese Air Force with its newly developed AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles (early models). These missiles gave the Nationalist Chinese pilots a decisive edge over the Soviet-made MiG-15 and MiG-17 fighters in the skies over the Matsu Islands and the Taiwan Strait. The Nationalist Chinese pilots used the Sidewinder missiles to score numerous kills on PLAAF MiG aircraft. The US Army's contribution was to reinforce the strategic air defense capability of the Nationalist China. A provisional Nike battalion was organized at Fort Bliss, TX, and sent via USMTS USS General J. C. Breckinridge (AP-176) to Nationalist China. The 2nd Missile Battalion was augmented with detachments of signal, ordnance and engineers, totaling some 704 personnel. Recent research from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration also indicates that the U.S. Air Force was prepared for nuclear warfare against the PRC.

Twelve long-range 203 mm (8-inch) M115 howitzer artillery pieces and numerous 155 mm howitzers were transferred from the U.S. Marine Corps to the Army of the Nationalist China. These were sent west to Kinmen Island to gain superiority in the artillery duel back and forth over the straits there. The impact of these powerful (but conventional) artillery pieces led some members of the PLA to believe that American artillerymen had begun to use nuclear weapons against them. Soon, the Soviet Union dispatched its foreign minister, Andrei Gromyko, to Beijing to discuss the actions of the PLA and the Communist Chinese Air Force (PLAAF), with advice of caution to the Communist Chinese.  

Afterwards, both sides continued to bombard each other with shells containing propaganda leaflets on alternate days of the week. This strange informal arrangement continued until the normalization of diplomatic relations between the United States and the Communist China in 1979. The timed shelling eventually created little damage and casualties, it was mainly aimed at military compounds and artillery pieces. It was also a way to expend expired ammunition and train new artillery crews for the Communist China in what eventually became one-way shelling from Communist China to Nationalist China. The question of "Matsu and Quemoy (Kinmen)" became an issue in the 1960 U.S. presidential election when Richard Nixon accused John F. Kennedy of being unwilling to commit to using nuclear weapons if the Communist China invaded the Nationalist China outposts. The spent shell casings and fragments have become a recyclable resource for steel for the local economy. Since the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, Kinmen has become famous for its production of meat cleavers made from bombshells.

[brajeshupadhyay]

'Completely untrue': Taiwan dismisses reports of shooting down Chinese Sukhoi fighter jet

After reports began circulating on social media platforms on Friday that Taiwan had downed a Chinese fighter jet, Taipei, amid escalating tensions with Beijing, issued a press release denying that such an incident had occurred and calling such speculation "completely untrue".

Unverified videos, purportedly of a Chinese SU-35 aircraft being shot down in Guanxi, an autonomous coastal region in southern China and bordering Vietnam, were picked up and reported by various media outlets on Friday.

The press release, issued by the Taiwan's Air Force Command, stated "The Air Force Command solemnly refuted this day that this is false information, and completely untrue. The Air Force Command pointed out that it strongly condemns such malicious acts by deliberately creating and disseminating false and false information on the Internet in an attempt to confuse the audience."

In response to rumors online that claim a Chinese Su-35 fighter jet had been shot down by Taiwan air defense systems, #ROCAirForce would like to categorically state this is fake news. We urge netizens to not spread it and strongly condemn this malicious act.

— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. (@MoNDefense) September 4, 2020

// <![CDATA[ <script> // ]]>

The press release was circulated by Niocola Smith, the Taiwan correspondent of the UK's Daily Telegraph newspaper. She attributed it to Air Force Spokesperson Lieutenant General Chen Guohua.

Below is the original press statement from Taiwan's ministry of defence. Only in Chinese for now, but says it "solemnly refutes" the internet reports that Taiwan shot down a PLAAF SU-35 and "strongly condemns" the dissemination of fake information 1/

— Nicola Smith (@niccijsmith) September 4, 2020

// <![CDATA[ <script> // ]]>

The Su-35 is the most advanced export fighter in China's air force. It is the newest derivative of the Su-27 fighter and is more agile than the Su-30 fighter, reported The Week.

China had purchased 24 Su-35 fighters from Russia.

The rumours and speculation come amid growing tension between China and Taiwan, the self-governing island which Beijing claims as its own territory.  On Thursday, China described a meeting between Czech Senate president and Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen as an “open provocation".

Beijing, furious about the Czech delegation's visit, summoned the Czech Republic's ambassador to lodge stern representations and saying the trip amounted to “flagrant support of Taiwan independence.”

On Wednesday, Taiwan announced plans to issue new passports emphasising its independent identity and downgrading connections with China.

The foreign ministry on Wednesday released images of the new document that features “Taiwan” in large capital letters on its cover and minimises the English wording “Republic of China”, the island's official name according to its Constitution.

There was no immediate reaction from Beijing on the new passport design.

Beijing responded angrily when Taiwan was added to the cover of the Taiwanese passport more than a decade ago and has increasingly lashed out at assertions of the island''s political independence.

China does not recognise Taiwanese passports and requires citizens of the island travelling to the mainland to use a Chinese-issued document.

The change in passport design, to take effect in January, aims to prevent confusion between travellers from Taiwan and those from China, Taiwanese foreign minister Joseph Wu told reporters.

He said the ministry has informed the International Air Transport Association, foreign governments, airports, airlines and immigration authorities about the change and provided them with samples of the new design.

The passport redesign was mandated in a resolution passed by the legislature in July, which also called for a change in the logo of Taiwan's government-owned China Airlines, sometimes confused with Chinese flag carrier Air China.

Taiwan was handed over from Japanese to Chinese rule in 1945. Four years later, Chiang Kai-shek relocated the Republic of China and its institutions to the island as Mao Zedong's Communist Party swept to power in the Chinese Civil War.

Taiwan has since shrugged off political connections with China as part of its transition to full democracy. However, it has retained Republic of China as its official name, along with the constitution, flag and state institutions brought from China.

With inputs from PTI

via Blogger https://ift.tt/2QVyqVo

[courtneytincher]

Can Russia's Su-35 Really Beat American F-15s, F-22s, and Even the F-35s in Combat?

The Su-35 may be the best jet-age dogfighter ever made and a capable missile delivery platform—but whether that will suffice for an air-superiority fighter in the era of stealth technology remains to be seen.The Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E is the top Russian air-superiority fighter in service today, and represents the pinnacle of fourth-generation jet fighter design. It will remain so until Russia succeeds in bringing its fifth-generation PAK-FA stealth fighter into production.Distinguished by its unrivaled maneuverability, most of the Su-35’s electronics and weapons capabilities have caught up with those of Western equivalents, like the F-15 Eagle. But while it may be a deadly adversary to F-15s, Eurofighters and Rafales, the big question mark remains how effectively it can contend with fifth-generation stealth fighters such as the F-22 and F-35.(This first appeared several years ago.)HistoryThe Su-35 is an evolution of the Su-27 Flanker, a late Cold War design intended to match the F-15 in concept: a heavy twin-engine multirole fighter combining excellent speed and weapons loadout with dogfighting agility.An Su-27 stunned the audience of the Paris Air Show in 1989 when it demonstrated Pugachev’s Cobra, a maneuver in which the fighter rears its nose up to 120-degree vertical—but continues to soar forward along the plane’s original attitude.Widely exported, the Flanker has yet to clash with Western fighters, but did see air-to-air combat in Ethiopian service during a border war with Eritrea, scoring four kills against MiG-29s for no loss. It has also been employed on ground attack missions.Recommended: We Went Aboard the Most Powerful Aircraft Carrier Ever BuiltRecommended: This Is How China Would Invade Taiwan (And How to Stop It)Recommended: North Korea’s Most Lethal Weapon Isn’t NukesThe development history of the Su-35 is a bit complicated. An upgraded Flanker with canards (additional small wings on the forward fuselage) called the Su-35 first appeared way back in 1989, but is not the same plane as the current model; only fifteen were produced. Another upgraded Flanker, the two-seat Su-30, has been produced in significant quantities, and its variants exported to nearly a dozen countries.The current model in question, without canards, is properly called the Su-35S and is the most advanced type of the Flanker family. It began development in 2003 under the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association (KnAAPO), a subcontractor of Sukhoi. The first prototypes rolled out in 2007 and production began in 2009.Airframe and EnginesThe Flanker family of aircraft is supermaneuverable—meaning it is engineered to perform controlled maneuvers that are impossible through regular aerodynamic mechanisms. In the Su-35, this is in part achieved through use of thrust-vectoring engines: the nozzles of its Saturn AL-41F1S turbofans can independently point in different directions in flight to assist the aircraft in rolling and yawing. Only one operational Western fighter, the F-22 Raptor, has similar technology.This also allows the Su-35 to achieve very high angles-of-attack—in other words, the plane can be moving in one direction while its nose is pointed in another. A high angle of attack allows an aircraft to more easily train its weapons on an evading target and execute tight maneuvers.Such maneuvers may be useful for evading missiles or dogfighting at close ranges—though they leave any aircraft in a low-energy state.The Flanker-E can achieve a maximum speed of Mach 2.25 at high altitude (equal to the F-22 and faster than the F-35 or F-16) and has excellent acceleration. However, contrary to initial reports, it appears it may not be able to supercruise—perform sustained supersonic flight without using afterburners—while loaded for combat. Its service ceiling is sixty thousand feet, on par with F-15s and F-22s, and ten thousand feet higher than Super Hornets, Rafales and F-35s.The Su-35 has expanded fuel capacity, giving it a range of 2,200 miles on internal fuel, or 2,800 miles with two external fuel tanks. Both the lighter titanium airframe and the engines have significantly longer life expectancies than their predecessors, at six thousand and 4,500 flight hours, respectively. (For comparison, the F-22 and F-35 are rated at eight thousand hours).The Flanker airframe is not particularly stealthy. However, adjustments to the engine inlets and canopy, and the use of radar-absorbent material, supposedly halve the Su-35’s radar cross-section; one article claims it may be down to between one and three meters. This could reduce the range it can be detected and targeted, but the Su-35 is still not a “stealth fighter.”WeaponryThe Su-35 has twelve to fourteen weapons hardpoints, giving it an excellent loadout compared to the eight hardpoints on the F-15C and F-22, or the four internally stowed missiles on the F-35.At long range, the Su-35 can use K-77M radar-guided missiles (known by NATO as the AA-12 Adder), which are claimed to have range of over 120 miles.For shorter-range engagements, the R-74 (NATO designation: AA-11 Archer) infrared-guided missile is capable of targeting “off boresight”—simply by looking through a helmet-mounted optical sight, the pilot can target an enemy plane up sixty degrees away from where his plane is pointed. The R-74 has a range of over twenty-five miles, and also uses thrust-vectoring technology.The medium-range R-27 missile and the extra long-range R-37 (aka the AA-13 Arrow, for use against AWACs, EW and tanker aircraft) complete the Su-35’s air-to-air missile selection.Additionally, the Su-35 is armed with a thirty-millimeter cannon with 150 rounds for strafing or dogfighting.The Flanker-E can also carry up to seventeen thousand pounds of air-to-ground munitions. Historically, Russia has made only limited use of precision-guided munitions (PGMs) compared to Western air forces. However, the capability for large-scale use of such weapons is there, if doctrine and munition stocks accommodate it.Sensors and AvionicsThe Su-35’s most critical improvements over its predecessors may be in hardware. It is equipped with a powerful L175M Khibiny electronic countermeasure system intended to distort radar waves and misdirect hostile missiles. This could significantly degrade attempts to target and hit the Flanker-E.The Su-35’s IRBIS-E passive electronically scanned array (PESA) radar is hoped to provide better performance against stealth aircraft. It is claimed to able to track up to thirty airborne targets with a Radar-cross section of three meters up to 250 miles away—and targets with cross-sections as small 0.1 meters over fifty miles away. However, PESA radars are easier to detect and to jam than the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars now used by Western fighters. The IRBIS also has an air-to ground mode that can designate up to four surface targets at time for PGMs.Supplementing the radar is an OLS-35 targeting system that includes an Infra-Red Search and Track (IRST) system said to have a fifty-mile range—potentially a significant threat to stealth fighters.More mundane but vital systems—such as pilot multi-function displays and fly-by-wire avionics—have also been significantly updated.Operational Units and Future CustomersCurrently, the Russian Air Force operates only forty-eight Su-35s. Another fifty were ordered in January 2016, and will be produced at a rate of ten per year. Four Su-35s were deployed to Syria this January after a Russian Su-24 was shot down by a Turkish F-16. Prominently armed with air-to-air missiles, the Su-35s were intended to send a message that the Russians could pose an aerial threat if attacked.China has ordered twenty-four Su-35s at a cost of $2 billion, but is thought unlikely to purchase more. Beijing’s interest is believed to lie mostly in copying the Su-35’s thrust-vector engines for use in its own designs. The Chinese PLAAF already operates the Shenyang J-11, a copy of the Su-27.Attempts to market the Su-35 abroad, especially to India and Brazil, have mostly foundered. Recently, however, Indonesia has indicated it wishes to purchase eight this year, though the contract signing has been repeatedly delayed. Algeria is reportedly considering acquiring ten for $900 million. Egypt, Venezuela and Vietnam are also potential customers.Cost estimates for the Su-35 have run between $40 million and $65 million; however, the exports contracts have been at prices above $80 million per unit.Against the Fifth GenerationThe Su-35 is at least equal—if not superior—to the very best Western fourth-generation fighters. The big question, is how well can it perform against a fifth-generation stealth plane such as the F-22 or F-35?The maneuverability of the Su-35 makes it an unsurpassed dogfighter. However, future aerial clashes using the latest missiles (R-77s, Meteors, AIM-120s) could potentially take place over enormous ranges, while even short-range combat may involve all-aspect missiles like the AIM-9X and R-74 that don’t require pointing the aircraft at the target. Nonetheless, the Su-35’s speed (which contributes to a missile’s velocity) and large load-carrying abilities mean it can hold its own in beyond-visual-range combat. Meanwhile, the Flanker-E’s agility and electronic countermeasures may help it evade opposing missiles.The more serious issue, though, is that we don’t know how effective stealth technology will be against a high-tech opponent. An F-35 stealth fighter that gets in a short-range duel with a Flanker-E will be in big trouble—but how good a chance does the faster, more-maneuverable Russian fighter have of detecting that F-35 and getting close to it in the first place?As the U.S. Air Force would have it, stealth fighters will be able to unleash a hail of missiles up to one hundred miles away without the enemy having any way to return fire until they close to a (short) distance, where visual and IR scanning come into play. Proponents of the Russian fighter argue that it will be able to rely upon ground-based low-bandwidth radars, and on-board IRST sensors and PESA radar, to detect stealth planes. Keep in mind, however, that the former two technologies are imprecise and can’t be used to target weapons in most cases.Both parties obviously have huge economic and political incentives to advance their claims. While it is worthwhile examining the technical merits of these schools of thought in detail, the question will likely only be resolved by testing under combat conditions. Furthermore, other factors such as supporting assets, mission profile, pilot training and numbers play a large a role in determining the outcomes of aerial engagements.The Su-35 may be the best jet-age dogfighter ever made and a capable missile delivery platform—but whether that will suffice for an air-superiority fighter in the era of stealth technology remains to be seen.Sébastien Roblin holds a Master’s Degree in Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University and served as a university instructor for the Peace Corps in China. He has also worked in education, editing, and refugee resettlement in France and the United States. He currently writes on security and military history for War Is Boring.Image: Reuters.(This article first appeared several years ago and is being republished due to reader interest.)

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines

The Su-35 may be the best jet-age dogfighter ever made and a capable missile delivery platform—but whether that will suffice for an air-superiority fighter in the era of stealth technology remains to be seen.The Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E is the top Russian air-superiority fighter in service today, and represents the pinnacle of fourth-generation jet fighter design. It will remain so until Russia succeeds in bringing its fifth-generation PAK-FA stealth fighter into production.Distinguished by its unrivaled maneuverability, most of the Su-35’s electronics and weapons capabilities have caught up with those of Western equivalents, like the F-15 Eagle. But while it may be a deadly adversary to F-15s, Eurofighters and Rafales, the big question mark remains how effectively it can contend with fifth-generation stealth fighters such as the F-22 and F-35.(This first appeared several years ago.)HistoryThe Su-35 is an evolution of the Su-27 Flanker, a late Cold War design intended to match the F-15 in concept: a heavy twin-engine multirole fighter combining excellent speed and weapons loadout with dogfighting agility.An Su-27 stunned the audience of the Paris Air Show in 1989 when it demonstrated Pugachev’s Cobra, a maneuver in which the fighter rears its nose up to 120-degree vertical—but continues to soar forward along the plane’s original attitude.Widely exported, the Flanker has yet to clash with Western fighters, but did see air-to-air combat in Ethiopian service during a border war with Eritrea, scoring four kills against MiG-29s for no loss. It has also been employed on ground attack missions.Recommended: We Went Aboard the Most Powerful Aircraft Carrier Ever BuiltRecommended: This Is How China Would Invade Taiwan (And How to Stop It)Recommended: North Korea’s Most Lethal Weapon Isn’t NukesThe development history of the Su-35 is a bit complicated. An upgraded Flanker with canards (additional small wings on the forward fuselage) called the Su-35 first appeared way back in 1989, but is not the same plane as the current model; only fifteen were produced. Another upgraded Flanker, the two-seat Su-30, has been produced in significant quantities, and its variants exported to nearly a dozen countries.The current model in question, without canards, is properly called the Su-35S and is the most advanced type of the Flanker family. It began development in 2003 under the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association (KnAAPO), a subcontractor of Sukhoi. The first prototypes rolled out in 2007 and production began in 2009.Airframe and EnginesThe Flanker family of aircraft is supermaneuverable—meaning it is engineered to perform controlled maneuvers that are impossible through regular aerodynamic mechanisms. In the Su-35, this is in part achieved through use of thrust-vectoring engines: the nozzles of its Saturn AL-41F1S turbofans can independently point in different directions in flight to assist the aircraft in rolling and yawing. Only one operational Western fighter, the F-22 Raptor, has similar technology.This also allows the Su-35 to achieve very high angles-of-attack—in other words, the plane can be moving in one direction while its nose is pointed in another. A high angle of attack allows an aircraft to more easily train its weapons on an evading target and execute tight maneuvers.Such maneuvers may be useful for evading missiles or dogfighting at close ranges—though they leave any aircraft in a low-energy state.The Flanker-E can achieve a maximum speed of Mach 2.25 at high altitude (equal to the F-22 and faster than the F-35 or F-16) and has excellent acceleration. However, contrary to initial reports, it appears it may not be able to supercruise—perform sustained supersonic flight without using afterburners—while loaded for combat. Its service ceiling is sixty thousand feet, on par with F-15s and F-22s, and ten thousand feet higher than Super Hornets, Rafales and F-35s.The Su-35 has expanded fuel capacity, giving it a range of 2,200 miles on internal fuel, or 2,800 miles with two external fuel tanks. Both the lighter titanium airframe and the engines have significantly longer life expectancies than their predecessors, at six thousand and 4,500 flight hours, respectively. (For comparison, the F-22 and F-35 are rated at eight thousand hours).The Flanker airframe is not particularly stealthy. However, adjustments to the engine inlets and canopy, and the use of radar-absorbent material, supposedly halve the Su-35’s radar cross-section; one article claims it may be down to between one and three meters. This could reduce the range it can be detected and targeted, but the Su-35 is still not a “stealth fighter.”WeaponryThe Su-35 has twelve to fourteen weapons hardpoints, giving it an excellent loadout compared to the eight hardpoints on the F-15C and F-22, or the four internally stowed missiles on the F-35.At long range, the Su-35 can use K-77M radar-guided missiles (known by NATO as the AA-12 Adder), which are claimed to have range of over 120 miles.For shorter-range engagements, the R-74 (NATO designation: AA-11 Archer) infrared-guided missile is capable of targeting “off boresight”—simply by looking through a helmet-mounted optical sight, the pilot can target an enemy plane up sixty degrees away from where his plane is pointed. The R-74 has a range of over twenty-five miles, and also uses thrust-vectoring technology.The medium-range R-27 missile and the extra long-range R-37 (aka the AA-13 Arrow, for use against AWACs, EW and tanker aircraft) complete the Su-35’s air-to-air missile selection.Additionally, the Su-35 is armed with a thirty-millimeter cannon with 150 rounds for strafing or dogfighting.The Flanker-E can also carry up to seventeen thousand pounds of air-to-ground munitions. Historically, Russia has made only limited use of precision-guided munitions (PGMs) compared to Western air forces. However, the capability for large-scale use of such weapons is there, if doctrine and munition stocks accommodate it.Sensors and AvionicsThe Su-35’s most critical improvements over its predecessors may be in hardware. It is equipped with a powerful L175M Khibiny electronic countermeasure system intended to distort radar waves and misdirect hostile missiles. This could significantly degrade attempts to target and hit the Flanker-E.The Su-35’s IRBIS-E passive electronically scanned array (PESA) radar is hoped to provide better performance against stealth aircraft. It is claimed to able to track up to thirty airborne targets with a Radar-cross section of three meters up to 250 miles away—and targets with cross-sections as small 0.1 meters over fifty miles away. However, PESA radars are easier to detect and to jam than the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars now used by Western fighters. The IRBIS also has an air-to ground mode that can designate up to four surface targets at time for PGMs.Supplementing the radar is an OLS-35 targeting system that includes an Infra-Red Search and Track (IRST) system said to have a fifty-mile range—potentially a significant threat to stealth fighters.More mundane but vital systems—such as pilot multi-function displays and fly-by-wire avionics—have also been significantly updated.Operational Units and Future CustomersCurrently, the Russian Air Force operates only forty-eight Su-35s. Another fifty were ordered in January 2016, and will be produced at a rate of ten per year. Four Su-35s were deployed to Syria this January after a Russian Su-24 was shot down by a Turkish F-16. Prominently armed with air-to-air missiles, the Su-35s were intended to send a message that the Russians could pose an aerial threat if attacked.China has ordered twenty-four Su-35s at a cost of $2 billion, but is thought unlikely to purchase more. Beijing’s interest is believed to lie mostly in copying the Su-35’s thrust-vector engines for use in its own designs. The Chinese PLAAF already operates the Shenyang J-11, a copy of the Su-27.Attempts to market the Su-35 abroad, especially to India and Brazil, have mostly foundered. Recently, however, Indonesia has indicated it wishes to purchase eight this year, though the contract signing has been repeatedly delayed. Algeria is reportedly considering acquiring ten for $900 million. Egypt, Venezuela and Vietnam are also potential customers.Cost estimates for the Su-35 have run between $40 million and $65 million; however, the exports contracts have been at prices above $80 million per unit.Against the Fifth GenerationThe Su-35 is at least equal—if not superior—to the very best Western fourth-generation fighters. The big question, is how well can it perform against a fifth-generation stealth plane such as the F-22 or F-35?The maneuverability of the Su-35 makes it an unsurpassed dogfighter. However, future aerial clashes using the latest missiles (R-77s, Meteors, AIM-120s) could potentially take place over enormous ranges, while even short-range combat may involve all-aspect missiles like the AIM-9X and R-74 that don’t require pointing the aircraft at the target. Nonetheless, the Su-35’s speed (which contributes to a missile’s velocity) and large load-carrying abilities mean it can hold its own in beyond-visual-range combat. Meanwhile, the Flanker-E’s agility and electronic countermeasures may help it evade opposing missiles.The more serious issue, though, is that we don’t know how effective stealth technology will be against a high-tech opponent. An F-35 stealth fighter that gets in a short-range duel with a Flanker-E will be in big trouble—but how good a chance does the faster, more-maneuverable Russian fighter have of detecting that F-35 and getting close to it in the first place?As the U.S. Air Force would have it, stealth fighters will be able to unleash a hail of missiles up to one hundred miles away without the enemy having any way to return fire until they close to a (short) distance, where visual and IR scanning come into play. Proponents of the Russian fighter argue that it will be able to rely upon ground-based low-bandwidth radars, and on-board IRST sensors and PESA radar, to detect stealth planes. Keep in mind, however, that the former two technologies are imprecise and can’t be used to target weapons in most cases.Both parties obviously have huge economic and political incentives to advance their claims. While it is worthwhile examining the technical merits of these schools of thought in detail, the question will likely only be resolved by testing under combat conditions. Furthermore, other factors such as supporting assets, mission profile, pilot training and numbers play a large a role in determining the outcomes of aerial engagements.The Su-35 may be the best jet-age dogfighter ever made and a capable missile delivery platform—but whether that will suffice for an air-superiority fighter in the era of stealth technology remains to be seen.Sébastien Roblin holds a Master’s Degree in Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University and served as a university instructor for the Peace Corps in China. He has also worked in education, editing, and refugee resettlement in France and the United States. He currently writes on security and military history for War Is Boring.Image: Reuters.(This article first appeared several years ago and is being republished due to reader interest.)

September 02, 2019 at 03:00AM via IFTTT

[whittlebaggett8]

Japan Scrambles Fighter Jets in Response to Chinese Spy Plane Over Miyako Strait

For the initially time in over a thirty day period, Japan’s Ministry of Defense has publicized the interception of a overseas military plane.

Pursuing a 6-week hiatus, Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) has for the very first time unveiled the interception of a international army plane by the Japan Air Self Defense Pressure (JASDF). The assistance scrambled fighter jets to intercept a People’s Liberation Military Navy Air Pressure (PLANAF) Shaanxi Y-9JB (GX-8) electronic warfare and surveillance plane in the East China Sea crossing the Miyako Strait on June 16, the MoD explained in a recent statement.

Japanese airspace was not violated, according to the MoD.

The plane was escorted traveling by way of intercontinental airspace involving the Japanese islands of Okinawa and Miyako. Intercepts of People’s Liberation Army Air Pressure (PLAAF) and PLANAF plane principally get place in airspace shut to Okinawa and Miyako in the East China Sea. The Miyako Strait is one of the principal entryway for Chinese air forces and the People’s Liberation Military Navy (System) into the Pacific Ocean and frequently holds extended-array exercises in its vicinity and bordering place.

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The final described intercept of two Y-9JB (GX-8) electronic warfare and surveillance aircraft flying about the East China Sea took place in March. The PLAAF and PLANAF normally rely on Y-9JBs, an upgraded variant of China’s 1st-technology Y-8DZ and Y-8G digital reconnaissance aircraft, to carry out surveillance missions in shut proximity to Japanese islands and airspace. As I observed somewhere else, the Y-9JB was retrofitted a pair of a long time back again:

In 2015, the Y-9JB was reportedly upgraded with a 5,000-horsepower 6C turboprop motor with six-blade composite propellers to enhance its selection and stamina. Additionally, the aircraft was retrofitted with enhanced cabin pressurization for missions in bigger altitudes. It purportedly has also been equipped with upgraded electronic units, including new fairings and antennas.

Given the PLANAF aircraft’s pennant quantity, the plane that was tracked by Japanese aircraft on June 16 most most likely belongs to the 4th Air Regiment of the 2nd PLANAF “specialized” Division dependent at Laiyang in Shangdong Province. The division is element of the PLAN’s North Sea Fleet. It principal missions are anti-submarine warfare, digital indicators intelligence, and electronic warfare operations.

Japan’s MoD usually publishes scrambles from Y-9JB aerial patrols at an approximate four-week interval. It is unclear no matter whether the new reporting split has been owing to a reduction in PLANAF/PLAAF exercise, or no matter whether the MoD is more selectively earning these intercepts public.

The JASDF scrambled its fighter jets 999 instances against overseas armed forces plane in fiscal calendar year 2018. In 2018, 64 p.c of the overall, or 638 scrambles had been against PLAAF/PLANAF plane, up from 500 in 2017.

“The JASDF is confronted by a pending shortage of fighter plane as the service has doubled the quantity of fighters dispatched for each intercept of overseas navy planes from two to 4 in 2016,” I wrote in Could. “The JASDF makes use of Mitsubishi F-15J/Kai all-climate air superiority fighters, F-2 multirole fighter jets, a Mitsubishi license-created variant of Lockheed Martin’s F-16, and F-4EJ/RF-4 Phantom II fighter plane to carry out scrambles.”

Earlier this month, the Plan aircraft provider Liaoning was also noticed by the JASDF and Japan Maritime Self Defense Power (JMSDF) transiting the Miyako Strait from the East China Sea into the Pacific.

The post Japan Scrambles Fighter Jets in Response to Chinese Spy Plane Over Miyako Strait appeared first on Defence Online.

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[usafphantom2]

China would be working on updates for its best poaching and manned/unmanned teams

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 10/25/2023 - 08:59am Military

The China People's Liberation Army (PLAAF) Air Force is updating the Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon fighter, China's response to the Lockheed Martin F-22, and is experimenting with concepts of manned and unmanned team-building, in the same way that the U.S. Air Force is doing, according to the Pentagon's latest assessment of Chinese military power.

In the Annual Report of China's Military Power, released in mid-October, the Pentagon reports that the PLAAF "is preparing updates for the J-20, which may include an increase in the number of air-to-air (AAM) missiles that the fighter can carry" in its low observation configuration, installing engine nozzles with thrust vectoring and adding super cruising capacity by installing national WS-15 engines with higher thrust."

The two-seat J-20S was also presented, and experts speculate that this version is being evaluated for possible control of autonomous escort aircraft.

As the J-20 already has the capacity to launch a series of missiles equivalent to the F-22, upgrading the aircraft in stealth mode would give the J-20 a distinct advantage over the F-22; particularly because the J-20 can carry the PL-15, which is the Chinese equivalent of the U.S. medium-range advanced air-to-air missile AIM-120. Although the range of the PL-15 is speculative and the range of the latest version of AMRAAM is rated, senior USAF officials said that the range of the PL-15 exceeds that of AMRAAM, giving the Chinese stealth fighter a potential first vision/first shooting ability against the American fighter.

The U.S. Air Force has been developing the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM), built by Lockheed Martin, since mid-2017, but the program is highly confidential. When it was first revealed at an industry conference in 2019, USAF ammunition leaders said the weapon would be operational in 2022, but no announcement has been made indicating that this has happened, and the USAF has refused to answer any questions about the missile since then.

Although the report does not indicate how many J-20 China built, industry experts said that, in early 2023, Chengdu had manufactured between 180-220 J-20, eclipsing the 187 F-22 built by the US. China is building J-20 at a rate of 40-50 per year. However, these analyses are based on serial markings seen on aircraft at air and trade fairs, and China may have painted misleading serial markings on its aircraft to suggest a larger inventory than it actually has at hand.

Most J-20s are deployed in the interior of China or near the Indian border, making it difficult for Western analysts, without access to national satellite images, to make a reliable count.

China's report remained largely silent about PLAAF and the F-35 People's Liberation Army (PLAN) Navy counterpart, known in China as FC-31/J-31.

"The development continues in the smallest FC-31/J-31 for export or as a future naval fighter for the next class of PLANE aircraft carrier," the report said, without commenting on the progress of the jet.

The first versions of the J-31 appeared to be almost clones of the F-35, but more recent images show a more elongated overall shape, with larger tail surfaces, perhaps more suggestive of the F-22. Unlike the F-35, the J-31 has two engines.

The report indicated that about 1,300 of China's 1,900 fighters are fourth generation or higher. The J-20 and FC-31/J-31 are considered fifth generation types.

The Pentagon's assessment offered little new information about China's H-20 stealth bomber program, supposedly a near-twin of the U.S. Air Force B-2 bomber, except to say that the Chinese state media reported “that this new stealth bomber will have a nuclear mission capability,” in addition to fulfilling conventional functions.

China is upgrading its existing H-6 Badgers, based on the Tu-16 bombers of the 1950s, built under license from Russia. The H-6 serves both PLAAF and PLAN, and these aircraft have been equipped in recent years with long-range ground attack missiles, “t giving the PLA a long-range precision attack capability that can hit targets in the Second Chain of Islands from airfields in mainland China,” the Pentagon said.

The navalized H-6N can carry "a ballistic missile launched from the air," the report noted, which "may have nuclear capability".

In addition to having more mature air combat capabilities, China is developing a series of unmanned aerial vehicles, ranging from portable units to large aircraft of the US RQ-4 Global Hawk class.

“Air and commercial fairs are exhibiting a growing number of autonomous and team systems, including for combat applications,” the report said. "In these concepts, Chinese developers are showing interest in further growth beyond [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] and EW (electronic warfare) in air-to-air and air-to-ground combat, with a substantial amount of development exhibiting efforts to produce drone swarm capacity for operational applications."

China has exhibited large stealth-looking jet drones in military parades and has several drones in the U.S. MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper class, which is also making available for export, the report noted.

Source: Air Force & Space Magazine

Tags: Military AviationChengdu J-20 'Mighty Dragon'PLAAF - China Air Force

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has work published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[infotainmentplus-blog]

Indian Air Force (IAF) Sukhoi SU-30 MKI jet vs China`s People`s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter, via Zee News :India National : India and China are the two major military powers in Asia and they have procured and developed some of the best weapons platforms available today for their defence forces. China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) deployed its latest fighter Chengdu J-20 in February 2018 claiming it has stealth and is the most advanced fighter plane in all of Asia. However, the Indian Air Force topline fighter Sukhoi Su-30 MKI has been able to "see" the Chengdu J-20 flying over Tibet despite the latter using stealth technology. http://bit.ly/2kf2SJS

[thisdaynews]

China tests bombers on South China Sea island

New Post has been published on https://www.thisdaynews.net/2018/05/21/china-tests-bombers-on-south-china-sea-island/

China tests bombers on South China Sea island

China tests bombers on South China Sea island-

China says it has landed long-range bombers for the first time on an island in the South China Sea, the latest in a series of maneuvers putting Beijing at odds with its neighbors and Washington over China’s growing military presence around disputed islands.

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) announced on Friday it successfully organized the takeoff and landing of several bombers, including the nuclear-capable H-6K, on an unspecified island. The PLA claimed the mission was a part of China’s aim to achieve a broader regional reach, quicker mobilization, and greater strike capabilities.

A military expert, Wang Mingliang, was quoted in the statement as saying the training will hone the Chinese air force’s war-preparation skills and its ability to respond to various security threats in the region, where China claims large swathes of territory.

The South China Sea is one of the most contested regions in the world, with overlapping territorial claims by multiple countries including the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam.

Over the past few years China has been rapidly transforming various reefs and inlets into artificial islands to install military infrastructure. Some experts have called them “unsinkable aircraft carriers.”

A Twitter post by the Chinese Communist Party’s official newspaper, People’s Daily, shows video of a long-range bomber taking off, flying, and landing on one of the islands. Analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Asia Maritime Transparency Inititative (AMTI) said it was thought to be Woody Island, China’s largest base in the Paracel Islands and the only one with an airstrip long enough to allow bomber landings

Chinese bombers including the H-6K conduct takeoff and landing training on an island reef at a southern sea area pic.twitter.com/ASY9tGhfAU

— People's Daily,China (@PDChina) May 18, 2018

The move is a strategic accomplishment for China to further reinforce its military and political power in the disputed waters.

Upgrading capabilities

The H-6K is a considerable upgrade from the fighter jets believed to have previously landed on the islands. China’s top-of-the-line bomber is capable of reaching a nearly 1,900-nautical-mile (3,500-kilometer) radius. Flying the twin-engine bombers out of Woody Island would mean the entirety of Southeast Asia is within combat flight range, experts say.

“The H-6K is significant because it provides Beijing with longer-ranging bomber capabilities that can drop precision-guided munitions on both ground and sea targets,” Rand Corp. defense analyst Derek Grossman said in an email to CNN.

“Moreover, landing the bomber on Woody Island provides an opportunity for Chinese pilots to train under realistic circumstances,” Grossman said.

While Woody Island sits in the central South China Sea, the AMTI says satellite imagery indicates China has built near identical operational runways at its three main outposts in the Spratly Islands known as Mischief, Subi and Fiery Cross Reef, which sit near the southern extent of the sea.

China for the first time landed bomber aircraft, including H-6Ks, on Woody Island in the #SouthChinaSea. AMTI shows the bombers' range, why it matters, and the likelihood of more showing up on the Spratlys https://t.co/doqM4stwZE pic.twitter.com/bl0IUdNOiu

— AMTI (@AsiaMTI) May 20, 2018

Should Beijing soon pursue deployments from the Spratlys, as predicted, they could potentially reach northern Australia and US defense facilities on Guam, according to the AMTI.

Military activities

This comes just weeks after reports that the Chinese military installed radar jamming equipment and deployed their first missiles in their Spratly holdings.

And in mid-April, China conducted its largest-ever naval parade in the South China Sea, which came after the aircraft carrier Liaoning led a flotilla of 48 naval vessels plus 76 fighter jets in two-days of combat drills.

In a 2015 visit to Washington, Chinese President Xi Jinping assured then-US President Barack Obama, “China does not intend to pursue militarization.” But US military officials say China’s recent military activities belie that promise.

Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Logan told CNN, “the United States remains committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” he adds, “China’s continued militarization of disputed features in the South China Sea only serves to raise tensions and destabilize the region.”

At the US Navy Pacific Fleet’s change of command ceremony in Hawaii on Friday, outgoing commander Adm. Scott Swift called what is happening in the South China Sea an example of “using might to make it right … a creeping genesis of a new rules-based order formed on the basis of military power, not international consensus.”

Earlier this month, the Trump administration warned China’s growing militarization would provoke “near-term and long-term consequences,” according to White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.

But experts, and one key US military commander, say China has put itself in a very strong position in the South China Sea.

While the US Navy regularly conducts freedom of navigation operations through the area, the PLA’s maneuvers and deployments there suggest the operations have done little to slow the process.

“The Chinese don’t fear they are provoking a crisis,” said Bonnie Glaser, the director of the China Power Project at Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “China has many more tools that it can use against its neighbors in peacetime and the US doesn’t have sufficient capability to shape events.”

“China has advantages in the “gray zone,” she said. “As long as China builds up its military forces, but doesn’t employ those forces, the US is not likely to use military force.”

US Adm. Phillip Davidson, nominated to head the US Pacific Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation last month, “China is now capable of controlling the South China Sea in all scenarios short of war with the United States.”

‘Small steps’ in a larger plan

Experts say Beijing has no intention of backing off any time soon.

“South China Sea exercises are inevitable, though the precise timing may depend on the extent to which Beijing assesses that it needs to deter counter-claimant activities and freedom of navigation operations by the US and its allies,” Grossman said.

Exercises around the South China Sea islands are “small steps that incrementally change the status quo in China’s favor without provoking a military response from the United States,” said Glaser.

But they still give Washington plenty to worry about.

“We know they have runways, they have cannons, they have — everything in there is military. And it’s really pretty scary,” Republican US Sen. James Inhofe said at Adm. Davidson’s confirmation hearing.