State Media Reveals China’s Serious Military Flaw

The government-run China Daily newspaper said in a full page article that China is in desperate need of long range strategic bombers, citing the latest issues of Kanwa Defense Review, a Canada-based defense and weapons technology publication.

The report quoted that China needs to develop its own long-range strategic bomber to strike adversaries farther away from its coast in the event of conflict.

Beijing has been steadily beefing up its military through years of double-digit increases in defense spending, rapidly expanding its naval power, commissioning its first aircraft carrier and adding to its submarine and surface fleets.

The title had previously been reserved for the military’s Second Artillery Corps, which the paper described as China’s “de facto strategic missile force”.

The meeting agreed that a long-range strategic bomber would enable the air force to attack farther out into the Pacific Ocean, the paper quoted Kanwa Defense Review as reporting, as far as the “second island chain”.

China’s increased military posture has come as Beijing asserts its territorial claims in the East and South China Seas, where it has disputes with several Asian neighbors including Japan and the Philippines.

Its moves have raised tensions with the United States, still the region’s top military power.

A capacity to strike the second island chain would hinder foreign militaries from intervening in “an emergency or conflict”, the China Daily said, citing the report.

In May, China’s State Council, or cabinet, said in a white paper that the country would project its military power further beyond its sea borders and more assertively in the air.

The Chinese military defines a long-range strategic bomber as one that can carry more than 10 tons of air-to-ground munitions and with a minimum range of 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles) without refueling, the China Daily said.

Chinese defense technology magazine Aerospace Knowledge said in a series of articles last month that China needs a long-range stealth bomber, China Daily said.

“A medium-range bomber can’t essentially fix the PLA air force’s shortcomings in terms of strategic strike and strategic deterrence,” it cited one of the reports as saying. “Thus the air force does need an intercontinental strategic bomber capable of penetrating an enemy’s air defenses.”

But the China Daily quoted the publication’s deputy editor-in-chief Wang Yanan as saying such an aircraft would require “a state-of-the-art structure and aerodynamic configuration as well as a high-performance turbofan engine”.

“All of these are major problems facing the Chinese aviation industry,” he added. “I don’t think these difficulties can be resolved within a short period of time.”

China vs Japan

Any armed conflict occurs between China and Japan would prompt US to defend its ally, but even without US, China will be deemed shorthanded against its smaller neighbor. Japan’s technology is far superior to China, and the latter’s advantage on total number of manpower will not be a big factor.

Military experts dubbed China and Japan as Asia’s most dangerous military rivalries. Although Japan’s fascist policy did not allow its force to engage in any offensive activities, Japan posses one of the strongest and most advanced-technology militaries in Asia.

According to an analysis published by Businessinsider.com, Japan may have a smaller number of manpower, but its qualitative advantage against China is massive.

“The F-35 (Japan) is Liaoning’s worst nightmare; China’s state-owned Global Times reported based on a Kanwa Asian Defense, which found that the F-35 could strike the Liaoning with hard-to-intercept joint strike missiles from a safe distance of 290km. The F-35 should also be able to locate and engage China’s main aircraft, the J-15, before the F-35 is even detected”, Businessinsider said.

“Japan has the strongest navy and air force in Asia except for the United States,” Dr. Larry M. Wortzel, the president of Asia Strategies and Risks, said in a presentation at  the Institute of World Politics last September. “They’re still restricted by Article 9 of the Constitution, which forever renounces war as a sovereign right of the nation … but you don’t want to mess with them.”

China vs US

A military conflict between US and China is highly unlikely, but if ever happens, China will be obliterated in its own land.

China excels nothing but number of manpower. China has only 1 working aircraft carrier, while US has 20 (including 10 supercariers). You can’t defeat your enemy away from your shores if you don’t have a base in the middle of the ocean.

America has around 14,000 working aircrafts while China has only around 3,000 refurbished aircrafts (of which only around 9000 are perfectly working).

No one wants to go into a war, but China’s aggressive behavior in West Philippine Sea prompt its neighboring countries to prepare for self defense.

The Philippines is planning to have missile systems, frigates, more fighter jets, and submarines from 2018 to 2023 as promised by President Aquino after he approved the 2016 P3 trillion budget.

/GMA/Business Insider/Global Firepower/

Comments

comments