Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the Chinese military to enhance its combat readiness during the upcoming Spring Festival holidays when he recently inspected an aviation division of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force. Experts said other militaries should… Read More ›

Defence
China-Taiwan tensions rise days into Biden presidency
Chinese air force planes including 12 fighter jets entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone for a second day on Sunday, Taiwan said, as tensions rise near the island just days into US President Joe Biden’s new administration. China views democratically… Read More ›
Taiwan reports large incursion by Chinese air force
Eight Chinese bomber planes and four fighter jets entered the southwestern corner of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone on Saturday, and Taiwan’s air force deployed missiles to “monitor” the incursion, the island’s defense ministry said. China, which claims Taiwan as… Read More ›
China authorises coast guard to fire on foreign vessels if needed
China passed a law on Friday that for the first time explicitly allows its coast guard to fire on foreign vessels, a move that could make the contested waters around China more choppy. China has maritime sovereignty disputes with Japan… Read More ›
China’s Border Villages Are Fuelling Tensions in India
A new set of satellite images have triggered fresh border anxieties between India and China. These images, accessed by VICE World News via American imaging company Planet Labs, are dated Nov. 1, 2020, and show a village made up of… Read More ›
AVIC building twin-seat version of top fighter jet
Aviation Industry Corp of China, the nation’s leading aircraft maker, is poised to develop a twin-seat version of its J-20 stealth fighter jet-China’s most advanced combat plane, according to the State-owned conglomerate. In a video clip recently published on AVIC’s… Read More ›
Invasion killer: Taiwan’s new subs a formidable force
On paper, as they say, China has a distinct advantage when it comes to naval power. Over the past decade, it has aggressively built up its navy to over 300 warships and submarines, making it the largest navy in the… Read More ›
Trump’s spy chief says China working on ‘super soldiers’
In the 1987 movie Robocop, Peter Weller portrays a police officer who is nearly killed by criminals, and whose brain and body are used by scientists to create a cyborg policeman, equipped with super strength. Of course, it all goes… Read More ›
China’s new H-20 stealth bomber could hit Pearl Harbor: analysts
Just when things were not going well for the Pentagon, vis-a-vis China’s rapid military growth, US planners now have to rethink the entire scenario. There’s a new kid on the block, and “he” is terrifying. It involves China’s new H-20… Read More ›
China tests engine for Mach 16 aerospace bomber
SCMP says in its report “Chinese team test jet engine ‘able to reach anywhere on Earth within 2 hours” that China tests a prototype of sodramjet engine in its hypersonic wind tunnel in Beijing. Such enigine can power an aerospaceplane… Read More ›
China looks to create an army of stealth fighter jets with new ‘metamaterial’ element
Scientists in China have reportedly made breakthroughs in an engineered material that is set to enhance the stealth technology used in fighter jets in possession of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Stealth technology is considered to the most advanced technology… Read More ›
PLAAF J-16 fighter pilots seen using new helmet
Footage released on 11 November by the state-owned China Central Television 7 (CCTV 7) channel shows that People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) pilots of J-16 multirole fighter aircraft are using what appears to be a new helmet featuring a… Read More ›
Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning embarks on voyage, sets fighter jet pilot training history
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy aircraft carrier Liaoning has been at sea over the past week, making history by qualifying the first batch of new fighter jet pilots who were directly recruited from high school and trained specifically… Read More ›
China’s new early warning aircraft makes maiden flight
As China builds aircraft carriers, it was expected to develop a carrier-based airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system — and that appears to be happening with the recent progress of the KJ-600. Unverified photos posted on social media show… Read More ›
After stealth J-20, China’s next fighter-jet could be a super F-35 copycat
In its endeavours of achieving the “world-class military” status, China’s military and its defence industry may have taken a significant step in the right direction with the development of its first sixth-generation fighter jet, which experts claim to be a… Read More ›
China unveils its own ‘mother of all bombs’ that is stealth, precision-guided & can drop 240 bombs
China recently unveiled its new 500 kg missile system Tianlei 500 which translates to ‘Sky Thunder’. People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) new munition dispenser and how it can be used to attack targets were featured in a defence programme on state… Read More ›
China unveils two-seater design for stealth plane based on J-20 fighter
China is developing a new generation two-seater stealth warplane, based on its most advanced fighter the J-20, intended as an early-warning aircraft that will serve as a command centre for other weapons such as fighter jets and rocket launchers. Chengdu… Read More ›
Wanted: Chinese navy pilots with the right stuff
The main fear of US fighter pilots in Vietnam, was not being shot down by SAM missiles. It wasn’t even the unreliability of Sidewinder missiles, which often failed after going from the cold confines of 30,000+ feet, down to the… Read More ›
Deception is key to Chinese military strategies
The role of deception in military operations has long been valued by Chinese military leaders and strategists. Despite this long tradition, few studies on Chinese military power touch on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)’s use of deception. China regards deception… Read More ›
Stealth UAVs could give China’s Type-076 assault carrier more firepower
The Chinese Navy is building assault carriers to support amphibious operations, like a possible invasion of Taiwan or landings on disputed islands in the South China Sea. The first two ships, called LHDs (landing helicopter docks) in naval terminology, are… Read More ›
Meet China’s Type 055: Beijing’s very own Zumwalt Stealth Destroyer?
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy is preparing to deploy a new, stealthy, heavily armed high-tech class of Type 055 destroyer intended to offer sea attack, air defenses and wartime support to carriers to carriers and amphibs at war on… Read More ›
Chinese army demonstrates rifle-size railgun prototypes
According to Liu Xuanzun on Global Times, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has miniaturized an electromagnetic railgun and developed pistol- and rifle-sized synchronous induction coilgun prototypes. These weapons’ technical capabilities were recently revealed to the general public for the… Read More ›
Large number of Chinese troops amassed along India’s border
China has deployed large numbers of troops and weapons along a disputed Himalayan border in violation of bilateral agreements, India’s foreign ministry said on Thursday, accusing Beijing of escalating tensions and triggering a deadly clash last week. “At the heart… Read More ›
Chinese navy has commissioned Z-20F/J naval version of Z-20 helicopter
According to pictures released by the China Defense Blog on June 20, 2020, the Chinese Navy has commissioned Z-20F also called Z-20J by other Chinese sources, a naval version of the Chinese-made Harbin Z-20 medium-lift utility helicopter produced by the… Read More ›
China’s global Navy eyeing sea control by 2030, superiority by 2049
I assess that the PLA Navy by 2030 will consist of a surface force of over 450 ships and a submarine force approaching 110 submarines, an almost 10% increase from my 2015 estimate. It may still be a low estimate…. Read More ›
US military ban locks two Chinese universities out of popular software
Two Chinese universities with close ties to the military have been banned from using a US-developed computer software platform amid tensions between China and the United States over technology. The US Department of Commerce added the Harbin Institute of Technology… Read More ›
China’s military has not reached superpower status just yet
Here’s What You Need To Remember: It’s no secret that China has been moving away from a huge, low-tech peasant military to a smaller, more agile and high-tech force. Still, there is plenty in the paper to disturb the West as… Read More ›
China just added two new nuclear missile submarines to its fleet
Here’s What You Need To Remember: What is clear, however, is that the Chinese government is telling the world that the DF-100 is a hypersonic, regional-level anti-ship missile that will impose a new, challenging threat-vector for long-range attacks against large… Read More ›
Chinese PLA Navy Shandong Type 001A aircraft carrier conducts sea trials
During a press conference that was held on Friday May 29, 2020, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, has announced that the Chinese Navy (PLA People’s Liberation Armed Forces) is conducting sea trials for aircraft carrier Type 001A Shandong in… Read More ›
US Navy warns China ‘you don’t want to play laser tag with us’ after a Chinese destroyer fired a military-grade laser at a US aircraft
The US Navy warned China on social media after one of the Asian nation’s warships fired a military-grade laser at a US aircraft, telling them: “You don’t want to play laser tag with us.” US Pacific Fleet said in a… Read More ›
US says Chinese warship fired military laser at US aircraft
The US Navy said Thursday that a Chinese military warship fired a military grade laser at US Navy P-8 surveillance aircraft last week while it was flying over the Pacific Ocean, an action that the US Navy called “unsafe and… Read More ›
Real-Life Iron Man? China is developing military exoskeletons
China has joined the Great Exoskeleton Arms Race. With America and Russia developing exoskeletons—essentially the powered armor suits depicted in science fiction and superhero films like Starship Troopers and Iron Man—it was inevitable that China would follow suit. In October… Read More ›
China paid a big price for stealing a Russian fighter jet design
Remember that Russian carrier-based jet that China copied without permission? Those airplanes are crashing, and Russia doesn’t seem too broken up about it. Though Russia and China are now friends, even holding joint exercises, Russia’s Sputnik News recently trotted out… Read More ›
A dramatic before and after look at China’s first aircraft carrier
A picture of China’s first aircraft carrier before it was eventually completed has surfaced on the Chinese internet. The images showed up on Tencent’s microblog and show a rusty, unfinished hulk. The ship, built for the USSR but never completed,… Read More ›
Make no mistake: China would destroy U.S. cities in a nuclear war
When one reads enough Chinese naval literature, diagrams of multi-axial cruise missile saturation attacks against aircraft carrier groups may begin to seem normal. However, one particular graphic from the October 2015 issue (p. 32) of the naval journal Naval &… Read More ›
China built its J-20 stealth fighter aircraft without any guns
China’s J-20 stealth fighter doesn’t have a gun. That could be a problem for the Chinese air force. Observers of the twin-engine stealth fighter long had speculated that the J-20 lacks a cannon. Photography of J-20s since the type’s first… Read More ›
Pilot shortages could ground China’s plans to develop combat-ready aircraft carrier fleet
A shortage of naval pilots is holding back Beijing’s ambitions to develop a truly combat-ready fleet, military analysts have said. China officially commissioned its second aircraft carrier the Shandong last week, which means it will need at least 70 pilots,… Read More ›
A jungle airstrip stirs suspicions about China’s plans for Cambodia
The Chinese military’s “string of pearls” strategy depends on far-flung regional outposts. Some think Cambodia is becoming one. When completed next year on a remote stretch of shoreline, Dara Sakor International Airport will boast the longest runway in Cambodia, complete… Read More ›
China commissions 2nd aircraft carrier, challenging U.S. dominance
China commissioned its first domestically built aircraft carrier on Tuesday, reaching a new milestone in its ambitions to build a modern navy capable of challenging American dominance of the seas, especially in the Pacific. China’s leader, Xi Jinping, presided over… Read More ›
China is not as strong as it seems
American opinion has moved away from its once-benign view of China. That older view, still favored by many business people, held that a prosperous China would threaten its neighbors less than a poor China, and anyway would offer the United… Read More ›
China’s J-20 stealth fighter is capable, but has some big flaws
Reports say China put its stealth fighter — the J-20 — into service last month. The aircraft, built by the Chengdu Aerospace Corporation, is a twin-engine multi-role fighter that can reach speeds of 2,100 kilometers per hour. It’s believed the… Read More ›
China’s plan to fight a nuclear war against America is to nuke U.S. cities
When one reads enough Chinese naval literature, diagrams of multi-axial cruise missile saturation attacks against aircraft carrier groups may begin to seem normal. However, one particular graphic from the October 2015 issue (p. 32) of the naval journal Naval &… Read More ›
China’s plan for six aircraft carriers just ‘sank’
China reportedly is slowing its plan to acquire two aircraft carriers for each of its regional fleets. Instead of speeding ahead with the development of a six-carrier fleet — two each for the northern, eastern and southern fleets — the… Read More ›
China has a new aircraft carrier, but a lack of fighter jets that can use it
Is China’s newest aircraft carrier half-full or half-empty? That depends on how you look at the vessel’s aircraft capacity. The ship, prosaically named the Type 001A for now, is China’s second carrier and the first built in China. The first… Read More ›
China says aircraft carrier on way to South China Sea after Taiwan passage
China’s first domestically-built aircraft carrier is on its way to the South China Sea for tests and to take part in exercises, the Chinese navy said on Monday, after sailing through the Taiwan Strait in a mission denounced by Taipei… Read More ›
Fire the missiles! The U.S. navy is ready to sink China’s new aircraft carriers
Ah, yes, the “carrier-killer.” China is forever touting the array of guided missiles its weaponeers have devised to pummel U.S. Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (CVNs). Most prominent among them are its DF-21D and DF-26 antiship ballistic missiles (ASBMs), which the… Read More ›
China’s J-20 stealth fighter is built on stolen F-35 technology
Photos of the J-20 provide an up close and personal look at the fuselage of the new interceptor. But the photos also appear to show a sensor system that looks awfully similar to the Lockheed Martin Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS)… Read More ›
Canada needs to plan ways to meet China’s military challenge
Forget for a moment Canada’s grave dispute with China over the extradition proceedings in Vancouver involving a Huawei executive. As the New York Times reminded readers last week, China has even gone after that most Canadian of bears, Winnie the… Read More ›
Is China’s DF-26 missile a real threat to U.S. navy aircraft carriers?
Last year, Chinese state media reported that a new brigade of Beijing’s most advanced intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) has been “activated.” The newly commissioned brigade is armed with the Dong Feng-26 (DF-26) IRBM. According to the Diplomat, “Video footage carried… Read More ›
China’s Communist Party shows military might in 70th anniversary parade
China’s Communist Party celebrated its 70th anniversary in power with a military parade Tuesday that showcased its growing might and strategic ambitions. An honour guard carrying the Chinese flag through Tiananmen Square, the country’s symbolic political heart, before thousands of… Read More ›