Posted on 09/14/2005 7:37:34 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Wednesday September 14, 7:30 PM
Chinese Air Force masters midair refueling
(Kyodo) _ A military newspaper said Wednesday the Chinese Air Force had mastered midair refueling, making China the fifth country in the world to accomplish the risky procedure. According to the People's Liberation Army Daily, after trials since the 1990s, three warplanes doing an exercise completed the procedure in mid-August. The paper calls midair refueling risky and difficult.
"Midair refueling is an important mark for balancing capabilities for aerial warfare," the paper said. "It's also an important symbol of a country's national defense strengths."
The paper offers a play-by-play description of the successful midair refueling exercise but does not give details such as where it took place or the number of people involved. Photos with the article show two fueling aircraft trailing meters behind the aircraft getting refueled.
France, Russia, Britain and the United States can also refuel planes in midair.
China has said over the past few years it would modernize the military to compensate for downsizing the number of soldiers. Disarmament over the past 20 years has reduced the number of troops from 4.24 million in 1985 to 2.3 million in 2003.
"again, my question is to the quality of their heavy tech weaponry."
My understanding is that it's not as good as russian stuff, and I'm certain they dont have the kind of integrated command and control we do.
It sure is! Problem is, much of the 20-30 crowd has moved on to bigger and better things in Sendai and Tokyo. But the big holidays are a nice time to go out to the bars here when they're all home.
Hell, even Indonesia has been doing midair refueling for nearly twenty years.
Maybe if they said fifth last country in the world they'd be more accurate.
STEP 1) Collect Underpants
STEP 3) World Domination!
....
What's step 2, Mr. Premier? "Why, midair refueling, of course!"
Australia's new tankers have both and I think the UK also have flying booms.
Not to mention (as of 2001) Argentina (needed it to get the Exocet launchers within range of the Falklands), Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Ukraine, Venezueela.
This "achievement" makes you realize hoe far behind the game the ChicomAF really is.
Quote: Using baby steps China is developing capabilities in every military area.
I'm always amazed the number of posters on this board that see China never as a threat because we currently hold the cards.
This arrogant thinking is going to be our downfall one day.
More like the twenty-fifth.
Five at least (Argentina, Australia, Great Britain, Israel, United States) have done it when it counted - at war.
Taiwan?
Quote: Brazil, Chile, Iran, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Ukraine, Venezueela. This "achievement" makes you realize hoe far behind the game the ChicomAF really is.
Based upon your comments you are saying Peru or Chile could beat china because they could arial refuel before china. Get real.
Also Israel, and Iran (the Shah's legacy force)
Australia, Italy, Japan will get boom equipped tankers within 2-3 years
A lot of folks on FR like to laugh about China's military capabilities, but I'd sure hate to be on the first naval strike force that has to penetrate their air cover. China has between 850 and 1200 front-line fighter-bombers and another 1500 to 1800 older models. Even if they only send one-quarter of these aircraft at one of our carriers, let's look at the numbers. They could send in four hundred older aircraft, followed by two hundred fifty newer models. An American carrier can send up approx. 48 fighters and fighter-bombers to engage these attacking aircraft. If all 48 American aircraft are carrying eight missiles, that means that there are 384 available AAM's. Let's say that the American fighters achieve a 75% kill rate, this means that they have downed 288 enemy aircraft, which means that there are one hundred twelve older model Chinese fighters heading in, followed by the two hundred fifty newer models. The SAM's on the escorting cruisers and destroyers would now engage the enemy aircraft, but most carrier task force's only have one cruiser and two destroyers along as escort. A Ticonderoga-class cruiser can carry 122 SAM's and an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer carries 96 SAM's. This means that there are 314 SAM's on these three ships. Going with the same 75% kill rate as the AAM's, they would only down 235 enemy aircraft, meaning that one hundred twenty-seven enemy aircraft, most likely their most modern models, would blast through the fighter and SAM screen. These fighter-bombers can carry an average of two anti-ship missiles each, meaning that two hundred fifty-four ASM's would be screaming into the American fleet, which would ruin everyone's day.
In an all-out war with the Chinese we would have established bomber bases out in the Pacific to knock out their bases and prevent this scenario from occurring, but if an American carrier force is heading in to support Taiwan from a bunch of Chinese saber rattling and China launches an aerial blitz, they could easily overwhelm one, maybe even two carrier battle groups with their aerial assets, not to mention their submarines.
I believe that the US would be able to defeat the Chinese in a modern conventional war, but it will not be pretty and it will be very bloody and very prolonged.
Makes the news yesterday about NASA scrubbing the nuclear propulsion system they were working on all that much more important in light of your comments.
-ccm
The B-1 sure is a pretty aircraft, by the way. I don't think it lived up to its billing, however.
-ccm
"Why would Israel need mid-air refueling capability? Aren't they in the kind of defensive posture that England was in during the Battle of Britain, relying on short-range fighters like the Spitfire?"
If Israel is attacked by Arab armies which travelled a long ways to get there, they might want attack their supply lines and support facilities at home... also to take out long range rocket facilities in places as far as Iran.
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