Chinese UAV launched from Carrier

Source: The diplomat ; blog By Zachary Keck November 22, 2013
China conducted the maiden test flight for its first stealth combat drone, state media reported on Friday.

The reports said that the Lijian or Sharp Sword took off from an undisclosed location in southwest China on Thursday at 1 PM and flew for about 20 minutes.  Images of a Sharp Sword prototype first appeared online back in May. At the time, state media referred to it as “China’s UFO-like stealth drone.”

China Daily compared the Sharp Sword to the United States’ Northrop Grumman X-47 series and the European nEUROn stealth drones. In this sense, the Sharp Sword may be intended to act as China’s first carrier-borne unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV).

Indeed, China Daily quoted a Chinese military analyst as saying of the Sharp Sword:

“The drone can be used for reconnaissance and an air-to-ground strike, but more importantly, it has a huge potential for aircraft carriers. I think the size and technological capability of the Sharp Sword make it a suitable choice for the navy if it is to select an unmanned combat platform for its aircraft carrier.”

Despite China’s claim that the Sharp Sword is its equivalent of the X-47, Defense Update reported back in May that China’s UCAV has a wingspan of “46 feet (14 meters), smaller than the 62-foot wingspan of the U.S. Navy’s X-47B demonstrator.” It also noted that the “the Lijian’s ordnance payload might not exceed the 2,000-kg (4,400-pound) capacity of the Northrop Grumman X-47B.”

However, that estimation was based on the assumption that the Lijian was powered by the domestically made Shenyang WP7 engine. But the China Daily report on Friday said that the Sharp Sword that was flight tested on Thursday was equipped with the Russian made RD-93 turbofan engine. The RD-93 is traditionally a fighter jet engine (as is the WP7) and is used in China and Pakistan’s joint fighter jet project. This suggests that the Sharp Sword is intended to have an extended flight range.

The inclusion of the Russian made engine would make sense given China’s continued struggles in designing and manufacturing reliable aerospace engines. Still, the use of an RD-93 engine didn’t stop Chinese state media from bragging: “Lijian’s successful test flight has made China become the fourth country, after the United States (X-47B), France (Dassault nEUROn) and Britain (Taranis), to have independently developed a UCAV.” Israel also maintains combat drones and Iran claims to have domestically manufactured combat drones.

The Sharp Sword was jointly developed by the Hongdu Aviation Industry Group and Shenyang Aviation Corporation, both of which share the same mother company. It was supposedly three years in the making.

The first flight was somewhat unexpected. In late August of this year, the People’s Daily Online ran an article speculating that the Sharp Sword’s first flight was still a year’s away. That report also stated that the UCAV would be refitted for use on an aircraft carrier.

In recent years China has been developing its drone industry at a robust pace. It also introduced a drone into its conflict with Japan over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. Japan has declared that it will shoot down foreign drones that enter its airspace, something China has said would constitute an act of war.

UAV Trung Quốc phóng từ tàu sân bay?

Vừa qua Trung Quốc vừa có những thử nghiệm mới trên loại máy bay chiến đấu tàng hình không người lái (stealth combat UAV hay stealth combat drone) - có tên gọi là Lijian.

Những năm gần đây, Trung Quốc đầu tư mạnh vào phát triển máy bay không người lái. Vì thế đã đạt được những bước phát triển đột phá.

Trung Quốc sẽ có thể sớm đưa Lijian gia nhập phi đội thuộc hàng không mẫu hạm Liaoning.

Một vài thực tế về Lijian:
- máy bay có thể sử dụng làm mục đích do thám hoặc đánh phá các mục tiêu dưới đất
- có thể sẽ được biên chế trên hàng không mẫu hạm
- sử dụng động cơ nội địa Shenyang WP7

Việc Trung Quốc sử dụng drone trên vùng đảo tranh chấp với Nhật Bản (Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands) rấy lên mối lo ngại từ Nhật. Nhật Bản tuyên bố sẽ bắn hạ UAV nước ngoài nếu tiếp tục do thám trên vùng đảo này.

Vietnam ordered Sigma corvette

Vietnam’s growing economy, and China’s aggressive stance in the South China Sea, are pushing the country to begin a long-delayed military modernization program. Most of the equipment comes from Vietnam’s traditional Russian sources, but a purchase of Next-Gen DHC-6 Twin Otter maritime patrol aircraft from Canada showed the country’s willingness to consider other suppliers. Now comes word that Vietnam’s new Russian Gepard Class corvettes may be joined by another Western entry: 4 SIGMA ships from the Dutch Schelde shipyard.

SIGMA actually stands for Ship Integrated Geometrical Modularity Approach. Block construction has become almost routine for ships, but block design at this level is unique…

The SIGMA design uses standard, 7.2m sections, separated by bulkheads with watertight doors. That block size allows the ship to meet international requirements for surviving 6m wide damage to the ship. To add capabilities, people, or space, just add blocks to the design, and a base 50m OPV design can morph all the way to a 90m corvette (Indonesia) or even a full-featured 105m – 150m frigate (Morocco). Necessary standardization within compartment interfaces, beams, doors, portals, stairs and other key construction components adds more efficiencies.

Vietnam’s SIGMA 9814 will be somewhere in between, estimated at about 98m in length and 1,950t, with a crew of 91 or so. Thales Smart-S Mk.2 is the standard SIGMA radar, a multi-beam S-band radar with 250+ km range. It’s tied into Thales’ TACTICOS combat system.

SIGMA light frigates typically sport 4 Exocet MM40 Block 3 anti-ship missiles, whose GPS helps with inshore shots, and also gives them some land attack capabilities within their 200 km/ 108 nmi range. Triple torpedo launchers for Eurotorp light torpedoes offer close-in shots.

For defense, a set of 12 vertical launch cells typically carry VL-MICA air defense missiles. An Oto Melara 76mm super-rapid gun offers a combination of naval gunnery and last-ditch missile defense, and a pair of 20mm cannon for close-in work usually rounds out the ship’s armament.

Customers like Vietnam can change that if they want. Compatibility with the Russian weapons on its other naval ships would offer advantages of its own, and Vietnam is license-building Kh-35E anti-ship missiles. Despite these incentives, however, Vietnam seems to have opted for the standard SIGMA electronics and missile array: TACTICOS, SMART-S, Exocet MM40 and VL-MICA. That set alone will make the SIGMA frigates Vietnam’s high-end naval assets. Vietnam certainly has a long history with France, who is interested in resuming some level of defense ties.
If they choose to change other standard SIGMA standard armament, the most likely substitutions involved incorporating a Russian 76.2mm AK-176M naval gun instead of Oto Melara’s 76mm Super Rapid, and 23mm close-in guns instead of 20mm. Reports from Vietnam, however, claim that Vietnam will adopt Oto Melara’s 76mm Super Rapide gun along with its other western equipment, opting for the gun’s higher performance over fleet compatibility. Fortunately for Vietnam, the Super Rapido is arguably the world’s most popular naval gun, whose customer roster of over 55 navies includes all of Vietnam’s seafaring neighbors except Cambodia.

source 

Russia to Develop Light-Class Fighter Jet

Miragec14
Russia will soon start developing a prototype of an advanced lightweight fighter jet to supplement fifth-generation T-50 aircraft.
The new aircraft is expected to be cheaper to produce and easier to maintain, but should also possess combat capabilities and performance characteristics comparable with those of heavy-class aircraft.
Russia is currently developing the heavy-class T-50 multirole fighter aircraft, also known as PAK-FA, which will be the core of the country’s future fighter fleet.
The T-50 is expected to enter service with the Russian air force in 2016.
Russia has always had at least two types of tactical fighters that in general supplemented one another.
The latest example is a MiG-29/Su-27 pair.
It has not been expecified which of Russia’s two main designers of combat jets – MiG or Sukhoi – will be assigned the development of the future light-class fighter.

http://en.ria.ru/military_news/20131211/185462424/Russia-to-Develop-Light-Class-Fighter-Jet.html

Taiwan's BMD Radar Gives Unique Data on China

Chinapost
The MND said in the report that the radar, the first of its kind in Asia, can conduct 360-degree surveillance and has a maximum range of 3,300 kilometers, encompassing almost the whole of East Asia and Western Pacific.

Miragec14
Defensenews

Taiwan’s early warning radar (EWR) on the island’s west coast has gained the respect of just about everyone in the region — except China, because it is the most “powerful radar in the world,” said a Taiwan defense industry source.
Sources debate the potential power of the radar, based on Leshan Mountain near the city of Hsinchu, but all agree it is a multifaceted, ultra high frequency (UHF) radar capable of tracking air-breathing targets — including cruise missiles — and ballistic missiles at 3,000 kilometers, depending on the target.
The requirement for such a powerful surveillance platform came about at China’s instigation. During the 1995-96 Taiwan Strait missile crisis, China launched 10 DF-15 short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) into the waters north and south of the island. The intent was to discourage Taiwan from conducting its first democratic elections, but it failed.
The US responded by sending two aircraft carrier groups to the area as a show of support. At the time, China had approximately 350 DF-11/15 SRBMs, but today that number is about 1,100.
Taiwan responded to the threat by procuring Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) ballistic missile defense systems with three fire units. The units were stationed around the capital city of Taipei, leaving much of the central and southern part of the island unprotected, except for an indigenous air defense missile system, the Tien Kung 2 (Sky Bow).
In 2008, the US released 330 PAC-3 missiles, and in 2010, the US released an additional 114 PAC-3 missiles.
In 2000, the US government approved the sale of ballistic missile detection radar under the Surveillance Radar Program (SRP). Raytheon proposed an advanced UHF long-range EWR based on the AN/FPS-115 Pave Paws, and Lockheed offered the Medium Extended Air Defense System.
Raytheon won the contract in 2004 and began construction in 2009..
In late 2012, shortly after going online, the radar managed to track the launch of a North Korean missile. It is 170 kilometers from China’s coastline and directly across from China’s signal intelligence station at Dongjing Shan. This is significant because the radar reportedly has jamming capabilities.
During a war, China will do whatever it takes to destroy that radar.
“It’s not expected to last an hour during a war with China,” said one US defense industry source.
One US defense industry analyst with close ties to Taiwan’s military said the DSP has access to it.
“The US gave Taiwan free access to DSP satellites for the last 10 years. So this is quid pro quo,” he said.

US plans for Guam missile base seen as countering strength of China

The US is planning to station anti-ballistic-missile systems on the Pacific island of Guam, a move ostensibly to defend against unpredictable North Korea and

to counter China.
Within Washington's defence plans for next year are provisions for siting terminal high-altitude area defence (Thaad) systems on the island territory, combined with the broader realignment of US forces in the Asia-Pacific region.
Under those movements, United States troop numbers on the Japanese island of Okinawa are due to be cut, with troops from the Futenma air station relocated to an enlarged base in the northeast of the prefecture, while others will be reassigned to Guam, South Korea and Australia.
Thaad systems and Patriot interceptor missiles have been stationed on Guam in the past, supplementing warships.
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1377733/us-plans-guam-missile-base-seen-countering-strength-china

New aircraft carriers to be built in Dalian and Shanghai

Mỉagec14
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=1101&MainCatID=11&id=20131211000053

China will construct two conventionally powered aircraft carriers in Dalian and Shanghai between 2014 and 2015.
Under the Commission's Project 048, China aims to establish three carrier battle groups by 2020 so that all three major fleets of the PLA Navy will be able to carry out missions with the full support of an aircraft carrier. The two new Type 001A indigenous carriers will be updated versions of China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning. They will also likely be designed with a ski-jump ramp, according to Duowei.
The General Equipment Department of the PLA has already signed a contract with the Beijing-based China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation to build the two carriers.
China has yet to decide whether its J-31 stealth fighter will replace the J-15 to become the country's next generation carrier-based fighter. The J-31 fighter entered service before the J-15, and is able to land or take off from the flight deck of the Liaoning. Sources said that a decision will only be made after the construction of the nation's second and third aircraft carriers is completed.