Posted on 02/18/2016 5:32:04 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Citing civilian satellite imagery, US broadcaster Fox News reported on February 16 that the Chinese military has deployed an advanced surface-to-air missile system to one of its contested islands in the South China Sea. The report, which was based on pictures from ImageSat International, said the missiles appeared to be the HQ-9 air defense system.
US officials and Taiwan's defense ministry were later quoted as saying that the missile batteries had been set up on Woody Island in the Paracels. China has controlled all of the Paracels, which are also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan, since the mid-1970s and the end of the Vietnam War.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi sought to downplay the reports, accusing the media of hyping the issue. But Admiral Harry Harris, commander of the US Pacific Command, told reporters such a move would represent "a militarization" of the disputed waters in ways that Chinese President Xi Jinping said he would not do.
(Excerpt) Read more at dw.com ...
It depends on the ability to pick up targets.
One of the problems with totalitarian regimes is they hate the idea of failing. That means they don’t “overly test” things. They usually just punish the people who made it.
As another poster said, “Nice of China to put their advanced stuff out on those islands where the SEALs can get a good look at them.”
Seawolf mission coming
This system has parts and pieces from the Russian S-300PMU2 Favorit and the US’s Patriot. I’m sure it was well tested ... and nobody noticed ...
10% of the Soviets celebrated MIG-15 fighters were lost to fuel tank implosions, a direct result of failure to test.The Russians had great designs that just didn’t work well in combat. I suspect China will be the same.
-—What Is China’s HQ-9 Air Defense System Capable of?, -—
embarrassing Barack Obama and showing him for an irrelevant fool
Ping
The Soviets never had the benefit of (cyber)stealing/trading/learning Western technology that the Chinese now have. While transposing excellence in small commercial goods to high-end military systems will take time, it puts the Chinese in a different league compared with the Soviets.
I don’t remember having one Soviet-built product ever in my house, do you remember if you had any? Now, most of the electronics I use have something Chinese about them — whether I like it or not. And their quality is also improving.
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