The Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) designed by Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics & Sensor Systems (NE&SS) has been fully accepted by the People's Republic of China (PRC) for use in the Qiongzhou Channel between Hainan Island and the southern coast of Mainland China, company officials have announced.
NE&SS-based in Syracuse, N.Y.-- was awarded a $3 million contract for the VTMS from the PRC in 1997 under a teaming arrangement with the PRC's 28th Research Institute. The VTMS includes such advanced technology, company officials said, as "integrated data and sensor processing techniques, open-architecture commercial hardware, and rules-based system software to help manage the safe flow of ship traffic."
The VTMS has been in operation since May 1999 under the jurisdiction of the Hainan Harbor Superintendency Administration, which is responsible under the PRC Ministry of Communications for vessel traffic management in the channel.
"This was the first of what we anticipate will be many more NE&SS-- Syracuse vessel traffic management systems for China and Asia," said NE&SS-Syracuse President Michael A. Smith. "We are the world leader in VTMS and are energetically exploring the many opportunities in the region where these systems can help increase ship traffic safety."
Lockheed Martin Information Systems has been awarded a $300 million Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division contract to provide aircrew training-including simulator operations and maintenance and the production of an estimated 17 simulators-for the Marine Corps. The simulators will be used to train crews for the F/A-18C/D, EA-613, AV-813, KC-130, UH-- 1 N, AH-1 W, CH-46E, and CH-53E aircraft.
SeaArk Marine has been awarded a Naval Sea Systems Command contract to build six 40-foot Dauntless-class patrol boats for the Peruvian Coast Guard. The boats will be used for river patrol and drug interdiction. Each boat will be fitted with twin diesel inboard engines, an extensive electronics suite, berthing for four crew members, a galley, a head with shower, and weapons mounts, company officials said. All six boats are scheduled to be delivered between June and November 2008.
Raytheon has been awarded two new contracts for missiles: (1) a $162 million Air Force contract to provide 439 AIM-120 AMRAAMs (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles--including 90 for the Navy-and associated spare parts and support services; and (2) a $125 million Naval Sea Systems Command contract for engineering and technical support for the Navy's Standard Missile research, development, test, and evaluation programs.
Rockwell Collins has been awarded a $30 million Navy contract for an unspecified number of ARC-210 agile-frequency jam-resistant radios. The contract includes options, worth an additional $85 million, for follow-on orders. The radios, which operate in the very-high frequency and ultrahigh frequency ranges, are capable of clear and secure voice and data communications, including satellite communications. The radios will be installed on both new and existing U.S. naval/military fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.
Monday, 14 April 2008
China Expands Military Ties With Pakistan
Beijing Set To Deliver First Frigate In $800 Million Deal; Islamabad Negotiates Purchase Of Advanced Fighter Planes
China has taken a significant step in meeting Pakistan�s military needs with the completion of a militarily important naval frigate as part of an $800 million deal, which analysts say will further deepen Islamabad�s reliance on Beijing as a key supplier of military hardware.
Senior western diplomats based in Islamabad said China�s interest in expanding its military ties with Pakistan is linked to its overall ambition of emerging as a formidable military and defense power in the Asia-Pacific region, with the capability of eventually reaching out to influencing the oil rich Middle East.
China has supplied arms to Pakistan for more than 40 years. But this relationship which originally began as a largely military hardware supply tie-up has developed into a strategic partnership.
News of the completion of the first of four Chinese frigates designed to be sold to Pakistan comes as the Bush administration weighs its future relations with the newly-elected government of prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani.
Washington�s main worry is prompted from public statements by newly-elected politicians who want to review the way Pakistan would execute its anti-terrorist operations against militants loyal to al Qaeda and the Taliban who operate mainly in a remote region along the Afghan border.
In the past six years, Washington has given direct or indirect assistance worth about $10 billion to the Pakistani government. But Western defense officials say Pakistan continues to maintain a close military relationship with China which is considered a more reliable ally.
In the 1990s, the U.S. slapped sanctions on Islamabad, first in retaliation over reports that Pakistan was preparing to manufacture a nuclear weapon and then after Pakistan�s maiden nuclear tests in 1998. A U.S. agreement with Pakistan to supply the country with a batch of F-16 fighter planes remained suspended in the 1990s, as the most widely visible symbol of the breakdown in the military relationship. U.S. arms sales were resumed only when Pakistan turned its back on Afghanistan's Taliban regime after the New York terrorist attacks, and joined the U.S.-led war on terror.
On Saturday, the China Daily newspaper reported that the formal ceremony to launch the first of four F-22P frigates built by China for Pakistan will take place on Monday in Shanghai, where Admiral Muhammad Afzal Tahir, chief of the Pakistan navy, will also be present. �They (frigates) will be deployed for the defense of our maritime interests and to meet our commitments in other aspects of maritime diplomacy,� wrote China Daily quoting Admiral Tahir.
Another three frigates will be built and delivered in the next five years including one which will be built entirely in Karachi-Pakistan�s coastal southern city. Naval analysts say, this deal involves the eventual transfer of Chinese technology that will help Pakistan eventually improve its naval shipbuilding capability in a way that the country has not been helped by any of its other allies (including the U.S.).
Responding to this news, some warned that ordinary Pakistanis are still skeptical of the relationship with the U.S. in view of that experience. �Across Pakistan, the popular view is that the U.S. is untrustworthy as an ally. China has always stood by Pakistan�s side, so ordinary people trust China as the most reliable friend of Pakistan� said one Western defense official in Islamabad who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity.
Coming off the experience of the suspended F-16 deal in the 1990s, Pakistan began working on a plan with China in 1996 to jointly produce a new fighter plane which it hopes will become the backbone of its air force. Known as the JF-17 "Thunder," Pakistani defense officials claim that the aircraft is comparable to the earlier version of the F-16s produced in the late 1980s and early '90s.
In the past three years, Pakistan has reached an agreement with the U.S. to purchase 18 new F-16 fighter planes and up to 70 used F-16s in a deal estimated to be worth more than $3 billion. But the country has also reached an agreement with China to jointly produce up to 250 of the JF-17 fighter planes in a deal estimated by defense officials to be worth at least $5 billion.
Additionally, Pakistan is currently negotiating the purchase of between 35 to 40 of the J-10 fighter planes which is one of the most advanced fighter planes produced by China. The deal could eventually be worth $1.5 billion, according to estimates by two western defense officials who spoke to CBS News.
China has taken a significant step in meeting Pakistan�s military needs with the completion of a militarily important naval frigate as part of an $800 million deal, which analysts say will further deepen Islamabad�s reliance on Beijing as a key supplier of military hardware.
Senior western diplomats based in Islamabad said China�s interest in expanding its military ties with Pakistan is linked to its overall ambition of emerging as a formidable military and defense power in the Asia-Pacific region, with the capability of eventually reaching out to influencing the oil rich Middle East.
China has supplied arms to Pakistan for more than 40 years. But this relationship which originally began as a largely military hardware supply tie-up has developed into a strategic partnership.
In future, China probably looks at Pakistan as a country that could help it build bridges with the Islamic countries of the Middle East� said a western ambassador in Islamabad who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity.
News of the completion of the first of four Chinese frigates designed to be sold to Pakistan comes as the Bush administration weighs its future relations with the newly-elected government of prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani.
Washington�s main worry is prompted from public statements by newly-elected politicians who want to review the way Pakistan would execute its anti-terrorist operations against militants loyal to al Qaeda and the Taliban who operate mainly in a remote region along the Afghan border.
In the past six years, Washington has given direct or indirect assistance worth about $10 billion to the Pakistani government. But Western defense officials say Pakistan continues to maintain a close military relationship with China which is considered a more reliable ally.
In the 1990s, the U.S. slapped sanctions on Islamabad, first in retaliation over reports that Pakistan was preparing to manufacture a nuclear weapon and then after Pakistan�s maiden nuclear tests in 1998. A U.S. agreement with Pakistan to supply the country with a batch of F-16 fighter planes remained suspended in the 1990s, as the most widely visible symbol of the breakdown in the military relationship. U.S. arms sales were resumed only when Pakistan turned its back on Afghanistan's Taliban regime after the New York terrorist attacks, and joined the U.S.-led war on terror.
On Saturday, the China Daily newspaper reported that the formal ceremony to launch the first of four F-22P frigates built by China for Pakistan will take place on Monday in Shanghai, where Admiral Muhammad Afzal Tahir, chief of the Pakistan navy, will also be present. �They (frigates) will be deployed for the defense of our maritime interests and to meet our commitments in other aspects of maritime diplomacy,� wrote China Daily quoting Admiral Tahir.
Another three frigates will be built and delivered in the next five years including one which will be built entirely in Karachi-Pakistan�s coastal southern city. Naval analysts say, this deal involves the eventual transfer of Chinese technology that will help Pakistan eventually improve its naval shipbuilding capability in a way that the country has not been helped by any of its other allies (including the U.S.).
Responding to this news, some warned that ordinary Pakistanis are still skeptical of the relationship with the U.S. in view of that experience. �Across Pakistan, the popular view is that the U.S. is untrustworthy as an ally. China has always stood by Pakistan�s side, so ordinary people trust China as the most reliable friend of Pakistan� said one Western defense official in Islamabad who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity.
Coming off the experience of the suspended F-16 deal in the 1990s, Pakistan began working on a plan with China in 1996 to jointly produce a new fighter plane which it hopes will become the backbone of its air force. Known as the JF-17 "Thunder," Pakistani defense officials claim that the aircraft is comparable to the earlier version of the F-16s produced in the late 1980s and early '90s.
In the past three years, Pakistan has reached an agreement with the U.S. to purchase 18 new F-16 fighter planes and up to 70 used F-16s in a deal estimated to be worth more than $3 billion. But the country has also reached an agreement with China to jointly produce up to 250 of the JF-17 fighter planes in a deal estimated by defense officials to be worth at least $5 billion.
Additionally, Pakistan is currently negotiating the purchase of between 35 to 40 of the J-10 fighter planes which is one of the most advanced fighter planes produced by China. The deal could eventually be worth $1.5 billion, according to estimates by two western defense officials who spoke to CBS News.
Friday, 11 April 2008
Isreal int predictions
Israel's intelligence community has concluded that the next war would involve missiles and Hizbullah, last at least a month and include Syria.
The intelligence community has drafted a series of scenarios for Israel's emergency services to prepare for future war. The scenarios envisioned the next war as including massive missile and rocket salvos, some of them containing chemical weapons, on Israeli cities.
"The scenarios are based on Arab military capability rather than intentions," an Israeli government source said. "The war in Lebanon was also seen as a taste of what a full-scale war would bring."
The intelligence community has drafted a series of scenarios for Israel's emergency services to prepare for future war. The scenarios envisioned the next war as including massive missile and rocket salvos, some of them containing chemical weapons, on Israeli cities.
"The scenarios are based on Arab military capability rather than intentions," an Israeli government source said. "The war in Lebanon was also seen as a taste of what a full-scale war would bring."
200 Submarines for Imperial China
200 Submarines for Imperial China
Following the humiliating Opium War of the mid-19th century, China faced continual encroachment from Western nations, and total defeat at the hands of the “upstart” Japanese in 1895. The occupation of Beijing by an alliance of powers in 1900 only added insult to injury. China’s profound maritime weakness, however, encouraged surprisingly bold thinking about emerging technologies for undersea warfare. Over the last decades of the 19th century, Chinese leaders attempted vainly to gain the support of foreign powers, particularly Britain and France, for constructing a modern navy. In 1915, a former U.S. naval attaché, CDR Irvin Gillis, arranged for the visit of Vice-Admiral Wei Han and 30 Chinese student officers to Groton, Connecticut to observe submarine building and operations. According to one account, Wei Han “delighted [Electric Boat] officials by announcing that China needed a fleet of 200 submarines.” An initial purchase of 12 vessels was inked, and plans for training Chinese crews were put into place. Unfortunately for China’s navy – and for Electric Boat – these agreements collapsed as the imperial regime gradually gave way to the so-called warlord era.
To current developments;
These efforts are complemented by domestic production. In addition to retaining approximately 30 aging “Romeos” and continuing to build the derivative Ming class – with 20 now in the force – China has begun series production of its indigenously designed and manufactured Song class, the first of which was launched in 1991. The Songs – probably at least five, with eight or more under construction – incorporate advanced foreign technology and can launch anti-ship cruise missiles while submerged. China is also building the Type 093 SSN, with the first already nearing sea trials. Beijing boasts that this submarine will have performance equal to a Los Angeles-class SSN. Also on the ways is the Type 094 SSBN, which analysts expect at sea as early as 2005 with 16 8,000-kilometer nuclear-armed missiles [more on this later - ed.].
PLAN leaders are ambitiously developing the human dimension of their underwater force as well by elevating the status of their professional non-commissioned officers in an effort to enhance and retain their skills. China’s admirals have also acknowledged that they have to compete for skilled labor by increasing the pay of some ranks by 100 percent in 1999-2000 – and the PLAN is aggressively increasing the number of officers holding advanced degrees. Training in the PLAN submarine force is strongly influenced by U.S. capabilities and operations.
UPDATE:
The Washington Times in its Dec 3, 2007 edition reports, China tests ballistic missile submarine.
China's military has launched the first of a new class of ballistic missile submarines in what defense officials view as a major step forward in Beijing's strategic weapons program.
The new 094-class submarine was launched in late July and when fully operational in the next year or two will be the first submarine to carry the underwater-launched version of China's new DF-31 missile, according to defense officials.
"When fully operational, it will represent a more modern, more capable missile platform," said one official familiar with reports of the new submarine.
Following the humiliating Opium War of the mid-19th century, China faced continual encroachment from Western nations, and total defeat at the hands of the “upstart” Japanese in 1895. The occupation of Beijing by an alliance of powers in 1900 only added insult to injury. China’s profound maritime weakness, however, encouraged surprisingly bold thinking about emerging technologies for undersea warfare. Over the last decades of the 19th century, Chinese leaders attempted vainly to gain the support of foreign powers, particularly Britain and France, for constructing a modern navy. In 1915, a former U.S. naval attaché, CDR Irvin Gillis, arranged for the visit of Vice-Admiral Wei Han and 30 Chinese student officers to Groton, Connecticut to observe submarine building and operations. According to one account, Wei Han “delighted [Electric Boat] officials by announcing that China needed a fleet of 200 submarines.” An initial purchase of 12 vessels was inked, and plans for training Chinese crews were put into place. Unfortunately for China’s navy – and for Electric Boat – these agreements collapsed as the imperial regime gradually gave way to the so-called warlord era.
To current developments;
These efforts are complemented by domestic production. In addition to retaining approximately 30 aging “Romeos” and continuing to build the derivative Ming class – with 20 now in the force – China has begun series production of its indigenously designed and manufactured Song class, the first of which was launched in 1991. The Songs – probably at least five, with eight or more under construction – incorporate advanced foreign technology and can launch anti-ship cruise missiles while submerged. China is also building the Type 093 SSN, with the first already nearing sea trials. Beijing boasts that this submarine will have performance equal to a Los Angeles-class SSN. Also on the ways is the Type 094 SSBN, which analysts expect at sea as early as 2005 with 16 8,000-kilometer nuclear-armed missiles [more on this later - ed.].
PLAN leaders are ambitiously developing the human dimension of their underwater force as well by elevating the status of their professional non-commissioned officers in an effort to enhance and retain their skills. China’s admirals have also acknowledged that they have to compete for skilled labor by increasing the pay of some ranks by 100 percent in 1999-2000 – and the PLAN is aggressively increasing the number of officers holding advanced degrees. Training in the PLAN submarine force is strongly influenced by U.S. capabilities and operations.
UPDATE:
The Washington Times in its Dec 3, 2007 edition reports, China tests ballistic missile submarine.
China's military has launched the first of a new class of ballistic missile submarines in what defense officials view as a major step forward in Beijing's strategic weapons program.
The new 094-class submarine was launched in late July and when fully operational in the next year or two will be the first submarine to carry the underwater-launched version of China's new DF-31 missile, according to defense officials.
"When fully operational, it will represent a more modern, more capable missile platform," said one official familiar with reports of the new submarine.
China enhances fleet of modern submarines;
China enhances fleet of modern submarines;
Rapid and secretive work troubles U.S.
For a procession of senior U.S. military commanders who have visited
China in recent years, the complaint has become almost routine.
As part of a sustained military buildup, they say, China is investing
heavily in so-called area-denial weapons without explaining why it
needs them.The term area-denial weapons refers to a combination of armaments,technology and tactics that could be used to dominate a specific areaor keep opposing forces at bay in a conflict. And one of the mostformidable examples U.S. commanders identify is the Chinese Navy'srapidly expanding fleet of nuclear and conventional submarines.
''I would say that the U.S. feels a strong threat from Chinese
submarines,'' said Andrei Chang, an expert on Chinese and Taiwan
military forces and editor in chief of the magazine Kanwa Defence
Review.''China now has more submarines than Russia, and the speed they are building them is amazing,'' Chang said.
U.S. and other Western military analysts estimate that China now has
more than 30 advanced and increasingly stealthy submarines, along with
dozens of older, obsolete types. ''China is capable of serial
production of modern diesel-electric submarines and is moving forward
with new nuclear submarines,'' the Pentagon said last year in its
annual report on the Chinese military.
By the end of the decade, experts say, China will have more submarines
than the United States, although it will still lag in overall
capability.
In a conflict, these Chinese submarines - many armed with state-of-the-
art torpedoes and anti-ship missiles - would sharply increase the
threat to enemy warships approaching the strategically important
waterways of North Asia, according to security experts.
On a visit to China last month, the senior U.S. military commander in
Asia, Admiral Timothy Keating, said the Pentagon was continuing to
monitor the development of China's area-denial weapons, including
submarines.
''Chinese submarines have very impressive capabilities, and their
numbers are increasing,'' Keating told reporters in Beijing. Like
other U.S. commanders, he also called on China to be more open about
its plans.
If China were more transparent about the need for these weapons, it
would improve trust and reduce the danger of crisis or conflict,
Keating said.
''In submarine operations in particular, because of the medium in
which they are conducted, underwater, there is greater potential, in
my opinion, for inadvertent activity that could be misconstrued or
misunderstood,'' he told reporters.
Under pressure from Washington, senior Chinese officers have said that
the buildup is strictly tailored to defending China's interests and
that it poses no threat to any other nation.
''The distance between the Chinese and U.S. militaries is big,'' said
General Chen Bingde, chief of general staff in Beijing of the People's
Liberation Army. ''If you fear China's military buildup, you don't
have much courage.''
While the administration of President George W. Bush continues to
press Beijing for transparency, most foreign security experts,
including senior Pentagon analysts, believe China's unstated
objectives are relatively clear.
They say that China plans to use its submarines and other area-denial
weapons to delay or deter a U.S. intervention in case of conflict over
Taiwan. China regards the self-governing island as part of its
territory and has warned regularly that it would use force to prevent
Taiwan from moving toward formal independence.
Stealthy submarines would pose a direct threat to the deployment of
U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups, almost certainly the first line
of any American response to a Taiwan crisis, according to security
experts.
In conjunction with attacks on military surveillance satellites,
regional U.S. bases and communication networks, the Chinese military
would attempt to keep U.S. forces at a distance while attempting to
overwhelm the island's defenses, they say.
''This is precisely what the submarines are for,'' said Allan Behm, a
security analyst in Canberra and a former senior Australian Defense
Department official. ''They can bottle up and deny an enemy access to
any given area; in this case that means the U.S. Pacific fleet.''
On previous occasions of high tension over Taiwan, Washington has
deployed aircraft carriers to neighboring waters, sending a signal to
China that it should not use force against Taiwan.
But in a clear demonstration of the increasing vulnerability of these
warships, one of China's new Song-class conventional submarines was
able to remain undetected as it shadowed the U.S. carrier Kitty Hawk
off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, in late 2006. It then surfaced well
within torpedo range.
For some China experts in the U.S. military, this was an aggressive
signal to Washington that ranked with China's destruction in January
2007 of one of its own obsolete weather satellites with an
antisatellite missile. In so doing, the Chinese Navy demonstrated that
it could challenge the most powerful surface combatants of the U.S.
Navy in waters around Taiwan. It also gave evidence that Chinese
submarine technology had advanced more rapidly than some experts had
expected.
''The U.S. had no idea it was there,'' said Behm. ''This is the great
capability of very quiet, conventional submarines.''
Submarine construction is clearly a top priority for the Chinese Navy,
and foreign analysts have noted that in recent years it has
concurrently developed four - possibly five - classes of new, locally
designed and built submarines.
Some experts have suggested that China is taking the same path as
Germany and Japan, which once relied heavily on submarines in a bid to
compete with the British and U.S. navies.
The attraction of submarines, the experts say, is that they are
extremely cost-effective weapons compared with surface warships. For a
relatively modest investment, stealthy submarines can threaten much
more valuable military and cargo vessels and attack targets on land
with missiles.
The suspicion alone that a submarine may be in the area can force an
adversary to operate more cautiously, while diverting resources to
expensive and complex detection and tracking.
In further evidence of progress in submarine technology, China
displayed photographs and models of its new Shang-class nuclear-
powered attack submarine at a Beijing exhibition in July celebrating
the 80th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army. The official
People's Daily newspaper reported that two submarines of this class
are now in service.
In October, Hans Kristensen, a nuclear weapons researcher with the
Federation of American Scientists, spotted on a Google Earth satellite
image what appeared to be two of China's Jin-class nuclear powered
ballistic missile submarines. Some military analysts were surprised
that China had built another submarine of this class so soon after the
first, in 2004.
And to put the improvement of its fleet on a fast track, China has
also taken delivery of 12 advanced Kilo-class conventional submarines
from Russia. These submarines are among the quietest and most
difficult to detect, according to veteran submariners.
Experts say the designs of the newest Chinese submarines show evidence
of technical assistance from Russia.
Analysts have also suggested that some of China's conventional
submarines have been fitted with so-called air-independent propulsion
systems. This would allow the submarines to patrol for extended
periods under water without needing to draw in air for the diesel
engines used to charge their batteries.
A number of naval experts have noticed that the growth in China's
submarine power has occurred while U.S. anti-submarine warfare
capability has declined from its peak during the Cold War.
What is more, in case of conflict over Taiwan, Chinese submarines
would have the advantage of operating in a favorable environment for
undersea warfare.
The waters of the East China Sea, South China Sea and Yellow Sea are
of uneven depth, with considerable background noise, complex thermal
behavior and strong currents. These factors make it very difficult, if
not impossible, for surface ships and aircraft to detect stealthy
submarines, even with the most advanced passive sonar and other
sensors.
Rapid and secretive work troubles U.S.
For a procession of senior U.S. military commanders who have visited
China in recent years, the complaint has become almost routine.
As part of a sustained military buildup, they say, China is investing
heavily in so-called area-denial weapons without explaining why it
needs them.The term area-denial weapons refers to a combination of armaments,technology and tactics that could be used to dominate a specific areaor keep opposing forces at bay in a conflict. And one of the mostformidable examples U.S. commanders identify is the Chinese Navy'srapidly expanding fleet of nuclear and conventional submarines.
''I would say that the U.S. feels a strong threat from Chinese
submarines,'' said Andrei Chang, an expert on Chinese and Taiwan
military forces and editor in chief of the magazine Kanwa Defence
Review.''China now has more submarines than Russia, and the speed they are building them is amazing,'' Chang said.
U.S. and other Western military analysts estimate that China now has
more than 30 advanced and increasingly stealthy submarines, along with
dozens of older, obsolete types. ''China is capable of serial
production of modern diesel-electric submarines and is moving forward
with new nuclear submarines,'' the Pentagon said last year in its
annual report on the Chinese military.
By the end of the decade, experts say, China will have more submarines
than the United States, although it will still lag in overall
capability.
In a conflict, these Chinese submarines - many armed with state-of-the-
art torpedoes and anti-ship missiles - would sharply increase the
threat to enemy warships approaching the strategically important
waterways of North Asia, according to security experts.
On a visit to China last month, the senior U.S. military commander in
Asia, Admiral Timothy Keating, said the Pentagon was continuing to
monitor the development of China's area-denial weapons, including
submarines.
''Chinese submarines have very impressive capabilities, and their
numbers are increasing,'' Keating told reporters in Beijing. Like
other U.S. commanders, he also called on China to be more open about
its plans.
If China were more transparent about the need for these weapons, it
would improve trust and reduce the danger of crisis or conflict,
Keating said.
''In submarine operations in particular, because of the medium in
which they are conducted, underwater, there is greater potential, in
my opinion, for inadvertent activity that could be misconstrued or
misunderstood,'' he told reporters.
Under pressure from Washington, senior Chinese officers have said that
the buildup is strictly tailored to defending China's interests and
that it poses no threat to any other nation.
''The distance between the Chinese and U.S. militaries is big,'' said
General Chen Bingde, chief of general staff in Beijing of the People's
Liberation Army. ''If you fear China's military buildup, you don't
have much courage.''
While the administration of President George W. Bush continues to
press Beijing for transparency, most foreign security experts,
including senior Pentagon analysts, believe China's unstated
objectives are relatively clear.
They say that China plans to use its submarines and other area-denial
weapons to delay or deter a U.S. intervention in case of conflict over
Taiwan. China regards the self-governing island as part of its
territory and has warned regularly that it would use force to prevent
Taiwan from moving toward formal independence.
Stealthy submarines would pose a direct threat to the deployment of
U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups, almost certainly the first line
of any American response to a Taiwan crisis, according to security
experts.
In conjunction with attacks on military surveillance satellites,
regional U.S. bases and communication networks, the Chinese military
would attempt to keep U.S. forces at a distance while attempting to
overwhelm the island's defenses, they say.
''This is precisely what the submarines are for,'' said Allan Behm, a
security analyst in Canberra and a former senior Australian Defense
Department official. ''They can bottle up and deny an enemy access to
any given area; in this case that means the U.S. Pacific fleet.''
On previous occasions of high tension over Taiwan, Washington has
deployed aircraft carriers to neighboring waters, sending a signal to
China that it should not use force against Taiwan.
But in a clear demonstration of the increasing vulnerability of these
warships, one of China's new Song-class conventional submarines was
able to remain undetected as it shadowed the U.S. carrier Kitty Hawk
off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, in late 2006. It then surfaced well
within torpedo range.
For some China experts in the U.S. military, this was an aggressive
signal to Washington that ranked with China's destruction in January
2007 of one of its own obsolete weather satellites with an
antisatellite missile. In so doing, the Chinese Navy demonstrated that
it could challenge the most powerful surface combatants of the U.S.
Navy in waters around Taiwan. It also gave evidence that Chinese
submarine technology had advanced more rapidly than some experts had
expected.
''The U.S. had no idea it was there,'' said Behm. ''This is the great
capability of very quiet, conventional submarines.''
Submarine construction is clearly a top priority for the Chinese Navy,
and foreign analysts have noted that in recent years it has
concurrently developed four - possibly five - classes of new, locally
designed and built submarines.
Some experts have suggested that China is taking the same path as
Germany and Japan, which once relied heavily on submarines in a bid to
compete with the British and U.S. navies.
The attraction of submarines, the experts say, is that they are
extremely cost-effective weapons compared with surface warships. For a
relatively modest investment, stealthy submarines can threaten much
more valuable military and cargo vessels and attack targets on land
with missiles.
The suspicion alone that a submarine may be in the area can force an
adversary to operate more cautiously, while diverting resources to
expensive and complex detection and tracking.
In further evidence of progress in submarine technology, China
displayed photographs and models of its new Shang-class nuclear-
powered attack submarine at a Beijing exhibition in July celebrating
the 80th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army. The official
People's Daily newspaper reported that two submarines of this class
are now in service.
In October, Hans Kristensen, a nuclear weapons researcher with the
Federation of American Scientists, spotted on a Google Earth satellite
image what appeared to be two of China's Jin-class nuclear powered
ballistic missile submarines. Some military analysts were surprised
that China had built another submarine of this class so soon after the
first, in 2004.
And to put the improvement of its fleet on a fast track, China has
also taken delivery of 12 advanced Kilo-class conventional submarines
from Russia. These submarines are among the quietest and most
difficult to detect, according to veteran submariners.
Experts say the designs of the newest Chinese submarines show evidence
of technical assistance from Russia.
Analysts have also suggested that some of China's conventional
submarines have been fitted with so-called air-independent propulsion
systems. This would allow the submarines to patrol for extended
periods under water without needing to draw in air for the diesel
engines used to charge their batteries.
A number of naval experts have noticed that the growth in China's
submarine power has occurred while U.S. anti-submarine warfare
capability has declined from its peak during the Cold War.
What is more, in case of conflict over Taiwan, Chinese submarines
would have the advantage of operating in a favorable environment for
undersea warfare.
The waters of the East China Sea, South China Sea and Yellow Sea are
of uneven depth, with considerable background noise, complex thermal
behavior and strong currents. These factors make it very difficult, if
not impossible, for surface ships and aircraft to detect stealthy
submarines, even with the most advanced passive sonar and other
sensors.
Tuesday, 8 April 2008
China's first submarine power cable to be laid this year
China's first submarine power cable, also billed to be longest of its kind in the world, would be laid through the Qiongzhou Straits this year.
The cable, which would connect the provincial grids of Guangdong and the southernmost Hainan Island, is expected to be completed in the first half of next year, a China Southern Power Grid (CSG) spokesman said.
The initial construction of the cable began early last year but the substantial part would be implemented this year, he said.
A 34.7-km benthal cable and a 144-km trolley wire would be laid to link Guangdong's Zhanjiang city and Hainan's Chengmai county, official Xinhua news agency said.
The state-owned China Southern Power Grid with a transmission capacity of 600,000 kws, would service about 230 million people in the southern provinces of Guangdong, Yunnan, Guizhou and Hainan and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, it added.
The cable, which would connect the provincial grids of Guangdong and the southernmost Hainan Island, is expected to be completed in the first half of next year, a China Southern Power Grid (CSG) spokesman said.
The initial construction of the cable began early last year but the substantial part would be implemented this year, he said.
A 34.7-km benthal cable and a 144-km trolley wire would be laid to link Guangdong's Zhanjiang city and Hainan's Chengmai county, official Xinhua news agency said.
The state-owned China Southern Power Grid with a transmission capacity of 600,000 kws, would service about 230 million people in the southern provinces of Guangdong, Yunnan, Guizhou and Hainan and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, it added.
XIAMEN TO BUILD CHINA'S FIRST SUBMARINE TUNNEL BY 2009
Xiamen, a city in Southeastern China's Fujian Province, plans to build the country's first submarine tunnel with a total investment of CNY 3.2 billion.The tunnel project is also the first of this kind designed independently by domestic experts and will become the third path to link Xiamen and the mainland Fujian Province.China Railway Construction Bureaus Group 18th has singed a contract with the municipal government to fulfill the project.According to Zheng Shanjie, director of the Xiamen municipal development and reform commission, the city is expected to begin construction of the country's first submarine tunnel this May after years of preparation. Known as the Eastern Passage, the submarine tunnel will be the third passage linking Xiamen Island with the mainland.
Earlier in February, a feasibility study report was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission. Initial project examination and approval has been completed while preliminary design as well as public utilities construction and site formation work are underway. About Rmb3.06 billion is required for the project, of which Rmb2.6 billion comes from a syndicated loan provided by the Bank of China comprising the Agricultural Bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank and China Development Bank.
In addition to being the first submarine tunnel in China, the Eastern Passage is also the first of its kind designed by domestic experts. Situated in the east of Xiamen Island, the tunnel will connect with two roads, namely Xianyue and Huandao currently under construction on the island, and go under water off Xiamen's northeastern coast. It will then extend under water to the west of Xiangan district, joining the Xiangan thoroughfare now under construction and the planned highway along the eastern coast. The tunnel will be about 9 km long with 6 km under the sea.
Upon completion, the tunnel will join Xiamen Bridge and Haicang Bridge respectively in the north and west of the island to form a road network connecting with the mainland. This will, to a large extent, optimise Xiamen Islands traffic and improve its road network along with that of Fujian province, creating more development space for Xiamen and fostering cross-Strait exchange.
Earlier in February, a feasibility study report was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission. Initial project examination and approval has been completed while preliminary design as well as public utilities construction and site formation work are underway. About Rmb3.06 billion is required for the project, of which Rmb2.6 billion comes from a syndicated loan provided by the Bank of China comprising the Agricultural Bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank and China Development Bank.
In addition to being the first submarine tunnel in China, the Eastern Passage is also the first of its kind designed by domestic experts. Situated in the east of Xiamen Island, the tunnel will connect with two roads, namely Xianyue and Huandao currently under construction on the island, and go under water off Xiamen's northeastern coast. It will then extend under water to the west of Xiangan district, joining the Xiangan thoroughfare now under construction and the planned highway along the eastern coast. The tunnel will be about 9 km long with 6 km under the sea.
Upon completion, the tunnel will join Xiamen Bridge and Haicang Bridge respectively in the north and west of the island to form a road network connecting with the mainland. This will, to a large extent, optimise Xiamen Islands traffic and improve its road network along with that of Fujian province, creating more development space for Xiamen and fostering cross-Strait exchange.
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