Location of the Chinese Navy Home Ports
Posted on 07/18/2010 12:21:29 AM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
The Chinese Ministry of National Defense announced on June 24 that all vessels would be prohibited from entering areas located east of Zhoushan to Taizhou city in Zhejiang in the East China Sea from June 30 to July 5. During that time period, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) conducted a six-day, live ammunition drill in a move that analysts say may be in response to a planned joint exercise between the United States and Republic of Korea (ROK) navies in the Yellow Sea. In spite of a lack of expert agreement over Chinese intentions, one aspect of the exercise seems clear, the combined arms exercise demonstrates the PLA’s growing integrated war-fighting capabilities.
The live-fire drill was executed by Fast Attack Craft Unit 91765 of the PLA Navy's East China Sea Fleet, reportedly with support from Unit 92910 (China Times, June 29). According to the mouthpiece of the Chinese army, PLA Daily, the naval drill in the East China Sea involved squadrons of minesweepers, landing ships, submarine chasers and frigates. The most advanced among the sophisticated array of weaponry is the indigenously-made Houbei class Type 022 catamaran missile fast attack craft, a high-speed stealth missile boat, which experts say is capable of launching covert, long-range attacks (Global Times, July 1). The Type 022 has the capacity of being armed with eight YJ-83 anti-ship missiles and possesses a data link antenna for receiving target information from sea- or air-based sensors, which enables an 'over-the-horizon' strike capability against surface targets, among others. According to defense experts, these ultra-fast catamarans are designed to fire cruise missiles at carriers in "hit-and-run" attacks.
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The Spratleys
yitbos
Exactly
Chinese fire drills?
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