Picture of the day: MIC Sudan shows off its latest future soldier system

A totally unrelated Norinco PR poster, circa 2002

The Chinese X-47 is real.

and it is currently conducting taxiing test.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

SkyBow, China's X-47 like stealth UCAV??

While reviewing old photos of 601 Aircraft Design Institute/Shenyang Aircraft Corporation's F-60/J21/J31 fourth generation fighter, I come to realize that the SAC stealth 'flywing' UCAV, similar to Northrop Grumman's X-47 projects, might be more than just a "college" project.   When models of the Chinese SkyBow stealth UCAV and F-60/J21/J31 first published on the Ordnance Industry Science & Technology Magazine, they were labeled as "college projects" -- it is clear to me now that 601 Aircraft Design Institute indeed  possesses some very influential  "college students".

"College project" models of F-60 and SkyBow stealth UCAV

Not just a model anymore.

Northrop Grumman's X-47B

Scans from the Ordnance Industry Science & Technology Magazine

 scale model at play

FFG 514 (ZhenJiang) decommissioned today.

After 514 is gone; of the original 14 Type053H JiangHu I class built, only 4 are remaining with the PLAN.   

中国海军第1代导弹护卫舰镇江舰退役 服役35年
2013年05月13日 17:14  京江晚报  我有话说(162人参与)


http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/2013-05-13/1714724498.html



　　本报讯  昨天，被中央军委以镇江城市命名的我国第一代导弹护卫舰——“镇江舰”在东海舰队服役35年后，正式退役。

　　市委、市政府及市双拥办相关负责人昨天出席了在上海举行的“镇江舰”退役纪念活动，向舰上官兵赠送了纪念品，表达了镇江人民对“镇江舰”和舰上全体官兵的感激之情。大家表示将永远铭记“镇江舰”35年来创下的辉煌业绩。

　　作为我国海军的主战舰艇、我国第一代导弹护卫舰，“镇江舰”在近海防御上发挥了积极作用，为捍卫国家海洋权益、保卫祖国海防、维护国家主权、支援国家经济建设作出了巨大贡献，同时也培养出多名将军。

　　1953年2月，毛泽东主席曾亲临“镇江舰”的前身“洛阳舰”视察，挥毫写下了“为了反对帝国主义侵略，我们一定要建立强大的海军”的题词，鼓舞了一代又一代“镇江舰”官兵搏风斗浪，卫国戍边，献身祖国的海防事业。

　　“镇江舰”政委倪万群代表“镇江舰”全体新老官兵，衷心感谢镇江市委、市政府以及镇江人民多年来对“镇江舰”的大力支持、关心和帮助。

　　他说，镇江市委、市政府和镇江人民的深情厚谊，将继续激励着我们全体官兵在新的岗位奋勇向前，不畏艰险，继续为祖国的海防事业作出新贡献。(魏华  沈春来)

　　相关链接：光荣“镇江舰”

　 　海军514舰，于1986年8月1日被中央军委命名为“镇江舰”。从此，镇江市欣喜地多了“一块流动的土地”、“一张流动的名片”。“镇江舰”是一艘有 着辉煌成就的战舰，它在捍卫国家权益、保卫海防、维护主权、支援经济建设等各方面都作出巨大贡献，为我国海军建设培养了一大批优秀的人才。

Chinese navy forms 1st carrier-borne jet force

 Chinese navy forms 1st carrier-borne jet force

    Xinhua, May 11, 2013

http://www.china.org.cn/china/2013-05/11/content_28793701.htm

A carrier-borne aviation force has been formally established as part of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, military sources said on Friday.

Workers provide technological guarantee for tests of the carrier-borne J-15 fighters on China's first aircraft carrier the Liaoning.

Workers provide technological guarantee for tests of the carrier-borne J-15 fighters on China's first aircraft carrier the Liaoning.

The forming of the force, approved by the Central Military Commission (CMC), demonstrates that the development of China's aircraft carriers has entered a new phase, the sources said.

The force comprises carrier-borne fighter jets, jet trainers and ship-borne helicopters that operate anti-submarine, rescue and vigilance tasks.

The sources said the carrier-borne force is vital to the strike force of China's aircraft carrier and a vanguard in transforming its navy. It will also play a key role in developing aircraft carrier groups and building a strong navy.

Wu Shengli, a member of the CMC and commander of the PLA Navy, attended the forming event on Friday.

The sources said the personnel of the force are more elite than the aviation forces within the PLA. To be able to fly fighter jets, the pilots should have flown at least five types of aircraft and their flight time must exceed 1,000 hours.

Rich experience in joint drills and major drills is also a prerequisite. The pilots also received training in courses like warship theory, nautical basics, and maritime meteorology.

Currently, China operates one aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, which was refitted based on an unfinished Russian-made carrier and delivered to the Navy on Sept. 25, 2012.

The carrier's original design allows it to carry about 30 fixed-wing aircraft.

The Liaoning has conducted successful take-off and landing tests of its carrier-borne J-15 fighters, the main strike force of China's carrier group.

It is this time of the year.

DOD Report on China Details Military Modernization By Karen Parrish American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, May 6, 2013 – A Defense Department report released today describes China’s military modernization and the Chinese army’s interaction with other forces, including those of the United States, a senior Pentagon official said today. David F. Helvey, deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, briefs reporters about the military and security developments involving China during a news conference at the Pentagon, May 6, 2013. DOD photo by Marine Corps Sgt. Aaron Hostutler    (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The annual report -- titled “2013 Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China” -- went to Congress today and covers China’s security and military strategies; developments in China’s military doctrine, force structure and advanced technologies; the security situation in the Taiwan strait; U.S.–China military-to-military contacts and the U.S. strategy for such engagement; and the nature of China’s cyber activities directed against the Defense Department. David F. Helvey, deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, briefed Pentagon reporters on the report. He noted that the report, which DOD coordinates with other agencies, “reflects broadly the views held across the United States government.” The report is factual and not speculative, he noted. Helvey said the trends in this year’s report show the rising power increasing its rapid military modernization program. “We see a good deal of continuity in terms of the modernization priorities,” Helvey noted, despite the 2012 and 2013 turnover to new leadership, which happens roughly every decade in China. The report notes China launched its first aircraft carrier in 2012 and is sustaining investments in advanced short- and medium-range conventional ballistic missiles, land-attack and anti-ship cruise missiles, counter-space weapons and military cyberspace systems. Helvey noted these technologies all bolster China’s anti-access and area-denial capabilities. “The issue here is not one particular weapons system,” he said. “It's the integration and overlapping nature of these weapons systems into a regime that can potentially impede or restrict free military operations in the Western Pacific. So that's something that we monitor and are concerned about.” Helvey said the report provides a lot of information, but also raises some questions. “What concerns me is the extent to which China’s military modernization occurs in the absence of the kind of openness and transparency that others are certainly asking of China,” he added. That lack of transparency, he noted, has effects on the security calculations of others in the region. “And so it's that uncertainty, I think, that's of greater concern,” he said. Helvey added the report noted China has “increased assertiveness with respect to its maritime territorial claims” over the past year. China disputes sovereignty with Japan over islands in the East China Sea, and has other territorial disputes with regional neighbors in the South China Sea. “With respect to these claims, we encourage all parties to the different disputes or interactions to address their issues peacefully, through diplomatic channels in a manner consistent with international law,” he said. Helvey noted China’s relations with Taiwan have been consistent. “Over the past year, cross-strait relations have improved,” he said. “However, China's military buildup shows no signs of slowing.” China also is building its space and cyberspace capabilities, Helvey said. He noted that in 2012, China conducted 18 space launches and expanded its space-based intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, navigation, meteorological and communication satellite constellations. “At the same time, China continues to invest in a multidimensional program to deny others access to and use of space,” Helvey said. Addressing China’s cyber capabilities, Helvey said the Chinese army continues to develop doctrine, training and exercises that emphasize information technology and operations. “In addition, in 2012, numerous computer systems around the world, including those owned by the United States government, continued to be targeted for intrusions, some of which appear to be attributable directly to [Chinese] government and military organizations,” he added. Helvey noted a positive trend in U.S.-China engagements over the year, including several senior-leader visits culminating in then-Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta’s visit to Beijing in September. The two sides also explored practical areas of cooperation, he said, including the first counterpiracy exercise conducted in September by Chinese and U.S. forces, followed by the U.S. invitation to China to participate in the Rim of the Pacific exercise in 2014. “We'll continue to use military engagement with China as one of several means to expand areas where we can cooperate, discuss, frankly, our differences, and demonstrate the United States' commitment to the security of the Asia-Pacific region,” Helvey said.

Biographies: David F. Helvey Related Sites: 2013 Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China Transcript

Rurmor of the day: The last J-7s.

I suppose this is the end of an era -- the J-7 production line at Chengdu is now being decommissioned after the last 12 F-7BGI  for the  BAF is handed over.   That is an incredible 40-year production run.

 

 

 

Tuesday, July 03, 2012

The Curious Case of J-7

To the surprise of many Chinese plane spotters, who camp-out near Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group’s test airfield, hoping catch a glimpse of J-20 performing aerobatics or J-10B ferrying back and forth to its operation eval unit. What they found today is a batch of J-7G variants fresh off the production line, still sporting their yellow primer.

Gearing for export perhaps? to quote 49er “Wow, where else can you find a factory producing three generations of aircraft?

In the mean while, this once proud J-7E (notice the double-delta wing) is destined for scrap

Saturday, December 10, 2011

J-7 withdrawn from "front line" service.

This should comes as no surprise as the numbers of J-10 and Su-27/J-11 currently in service are sufficient to cover the slack. That said, it will be years before the current fleet of J-7s can be decommissioned. The J-7 is a short legged point-defense fighter, it should be used as such; deploy them in offensive roles against other 3rd and 4th generations fighters around China seems a bit risky.

中国空军歼7系列战斗机正退出一线作战部署


2011年12月09日 11:06
来源：中国航空报


杨维勤摄

临近年底，位于安徽某地的空军某部加大了训练力度，图为该部队装备的歼7E战斗机双机编队起飞训练。

歼7系列战斗机，曾经是我国空军的主力战斗机型，随着部队装备更新换代的加速，歼7系列战斗机正逐渐退出一线作战部署，其主要作战任务也开始转变。杨维勤摄


http://news.ifeng.com/mil/2/detail_2011_12/09/11216346_0.shtml

New J-7smell! Non-smoker. Very clean interior. Shows great! Aluminum wheels. Great tread! Actual miles. Low Mileage. One owner. Interested??

* it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

Photos of the day: Q- 5L trainer of the Myanmar Air Force

The export success of latest the Q-5 two-seater variant is somewhat of a shocker -- people still buy those?

photo courtesy of Myanmar Defense Weapons
http://mmmilitary.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Q-5J twin-seater trainer down in Shangdong.

Q-5j crashed in Shangdong today (6/2/2011), both pilots ejected safely

6月1日一架解放军战斗机在山东维坊坠毁 有图有真相

http://www.chnqiang.com/article/2011/0602/mil_45178_1.shtml

强国网首发：@泉城刘铭 的消息，6月1日14时28分左右，一架飞机坠毁在山东潍坊临朐新寨姚家庄前的麦地.


事发飞机（村民说是“战斗机”）降落在麦田，所幸未造成人员伤亡。

最新消息：飞机上有两名飞行员跳伞逃生。

Previous blog entry:

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Q-5J twin-seater trainer

Q-5J (30093 and 30094) twin-seater trainer of the 82nd Attack Regiment, 28th Attack Division, post for photo after replacing the old JJ-6 that has been in service for more than 30 years.   In addition to a new fleet of "modern" fighters, the PLAAF is also procuring more specialized training assets -- a trend that is ignored by some of the PLA watchers out there.