China's KJ-500 AEW&C Platform Enters Service With PLAAF

Chinese military issue websites indicate the Kongjing 500 (KJ-500) airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft has started to enter service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).

While images of the KJ-500 in the PLAAF paint scheme first appeared in late 2014, the first image of one with an official serial number (30471), confirming its service entry, did not appear until 18 March.

First seen in early 2013, the KJ-500 is based on the Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation (SAC) Y-9 four-turboprop transport combined with a fixed phased-array radar developed by the Nanjing Research Institute of Electronic Technology (NRIET, or 14th Institute).

Chinese internet sources suggest that while the KJ-500 is smaller in size, electronic advances enable its radar to be as capable as NRIET's fixed array for the KJ-2000 AEW&C system that is fitted to an Ilyushin Il-76 platform. In January 2013 Chinese television reported this radar could track 60 to 100 targets simultaneously out to 470 km.

KJ-500

The KJ-500 radar's three arrays are apparently the same size and contained in a saucer-shaped dome with an apparent satellite communications antenna in the middle. Other imagery indicates SAC considered but rejected a teardrop-shaped dome that would have allowed for larger side-looking arrays. The KJ-500 also features two passive electronic intelligence arrays.

China Finally Accepts it has an Army of Hackers

Well, something very unexpected has happened today. The fact that China is having an army of hackers isn’t surprising; instead, acceptance of this fact by China is shocking. United States, India and many other countries have been suspecting this communist nation for a long time for carrying out cyber attacks. But, the every instance and complaint made was denied by China in the past.

Now, China has decided to unveil the curtain covering this mystery. The latest edition of The Science of Military Strategy, which is a respected analysis of Chinese military actions and thinking, has written about China’s cyber-warfare army.

A Chinese military strategy expert at the Center for Intelligence Research and Analysis, Joe McReynolds told the Daily Beast that China has accepted the fact that it uses hackers and cyber-warfare units. He called this release as a “once in a generation” document. For the first time, China has said, “Yes, we do in fact have network attack forces, and we have teams on both the military and civilian government sides.”

Back in the year 2013, Mandiant, an American security agency, published a sixty-page report with information about the Chinese hacking group Unit 61398. This mischievous group was suspected of doing damages to American companies and government via its headquarters located in Shanghai.

China's Hacking Army

In 2014, U.S. filed criminal charges against five Chinese military officials: Gu Chunhui, Wang Dong, Wen Xinyu, Huang Zhenyu, and Sun Kailiang. They were accused of hacking and are the FBI’s most wanted Chinese hackers.

China’s Electromagnetic Catapult More Advanced than US

China’s catapult for takeoff of carrier-based aircrafts is entirely problem free in technology. It is even better than that of the US.

Outsiders are very much interested whether China’s first homegrown aircraft carrier will adopt ski-jump takeoff like that of the Liaoning or the most advanced electromagnetic catapult assisted takeoff. If the catapult is used, a carrier-based fighter jet may have much longer range and carry much more weapons.

Major General Ma Weiming, the inventor of China’s electromagnetic catapult, pointed out that lots of practices have proved that there were no problems at all in China’s catapult technology. He is confident that the catapult can be used.

General Ma has won quite a few National Science and Technology Progress Awards first class and is regarded by outsiders as a “national treasure” in military technology.

At reporters’ repeated questions whether China’s homegrown aircraft carrier will use electromagnetic catapult, he pointed at the one star on his uniform and said with a smile that he was only a technical general in charge of research and development of the technology that can be used. Only PLA top management can decide which technology should be used.

China’s Next Generation of Carrier-Based Fighter to Emerge before 2020

China’s international radio station Voice of Strait says in its report on March 11 that Sun Cong, a CPPCC (Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, China’s top advisory body) member who is chief designer of J-15 carrier-based fighter jet, disclosed to the station’s reporters in an interview that China’s next generation of carrier-based fighter jet may emerge before 2020.

J-15 carrier-based fighter jet

J-15 is China’s first generation of carrier-based fighter jet. It is a heavy fighter jet with twin engines. It emerged on China’s aircraft carrier the Liaoning on November 25, 2012, much earlier than predicted by experts abroad. Sun says China is now training pilots for J-15. The major task for J-15 now is to obtain combat capabilities.

In Sun’s view, for national revival, China has to be strong in both economy and national defense. There has to be strength of national defense to protect and escort China’s peaceful development.

France Secretly Provides China with Top Radar, Air-to-air Missile

According to Britain’s Jane’s Defense weekly, China may get through Pakistan the the technology in Franch MICA air-to-air missile and RC-400 radar, which the EU bans sales to China. Such technology may constitute a threat to the Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets that Taiwan has got from France.

Pakistan is to get the above-mentioned missiles and radar from France for its JF-17 fighter jets. As JF-17 is jointly developed by Pakistan and China, when Pakistan has got the missile and radar, it is quite possible that China will get the technologies in the missile and radar.

MICA is as good as US advanced AMRAAM air-to-air missile. It is well-known for its accuracy and controllability. China may obtain its technology through reverse engineering from a MICA missile provided by Pakistan.

JF-17 with CM-400AKG

In developing its J-10 fighter jet, China has reference to the technologies in American F-16 fighter jet as it was able to study in details an F-16 provided by Pakistan.

To prevent China from obtaining French weapon technologies with similar approach, the US will strongly oppose French sales of the weapons to Pakistan. For the same reason India, a major buyer of French weapons, will also oppose.

China to Build Mach 3.6 Super Strategic Nuclear Bomber

According to huanqiu.com’s report, on December 30, 2014, China’s high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear fuel component with sole Chinese intellectual property passed international test in Patten, Netherlands.

The component is a key part of high temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor. Its high quality ensures the safe operation of the reactor, which is so far one the safest nuclear reactors in the world.

In book Space Era Technology: The Way China Beats The U.S., there is description of Russian media Voice of Russia’s speculation on China developing large strategic bombers. 

Foreign media have much speculation about China’s plan to build its stealth strategic bomber. Due to China’s habit to keep its weapon development confidential, the speculation is often groundless guessing as information about such top secret is utterly unavailable.

However, as China has been conducting discussions with Russia on joint development of large aircrafts, Chinese officials taking part in the discussions may have said something about large strategic bomber to draw out some information from Russian experts on large aircrafts, but has thus also revealed China’s interest in large strategic bombers. Therefore, I believe Russian sources are more reliable.

On October 17, 2013, in an interview with people.com.cn, Senior Colonel Wu Guohui, associate professor of National Defense University and a super pilot, said that previously it was believed that as the US and Russia are interested in developing long-range strategic bombers, in the future, China would also develop such bomber.

However, as Wu was not an insider to China’s top secret plan on such a bomber, he could not be a reliable source.

China’s qianzhan.com said in its report on October 29, 2013 That according to Russian media, China was developing a nuclear powered strategic bomber as China had made breakthrough in reducing the size of its high temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor. China’s huge strategic bomber will use such a reactor.

PLA expert says China will not be a military rival to US

When a US expert predicted that China’s military will surpass the US by 2025, well-known Chinese military expert Major General Yin Zhuo said that China’s military strength will not be a rival to the US even 50 years from now, let alone 5 or 10 years.

Why?

The US will keep its huge navy to fight wars all over the world and remain world leader for 100 years as has been claimed by US president Obama. It will maintain a huge navy with 11 aircraft carriers, 14 ballistic missile nuclear submarines and 50 plus attack nuclear submarines.

China, on the other hand, has no intention whatsoever to become world leader or seek world hegemony. What interest will China have in maintaining an equal navy? Therefore, China will be no match to the US even in 50 years time.

Therefore, if the US maintains such a huge navy to be world leader for 100 years, China will never surpass the US.

In an interview, former PLA navy (PLAN) political commissar Admiral Liu Xiaogang said China would build six homegrown aircraft carriers. Current PLAN deputy political commissar Rear Admiral Ding Haichun, however, said nothing about that in the same interview.

PLAN, in its own interest, certainly wants to grow as huge as possible, but does China really need such a huge navy?

I believe that China has no intention to be world leader as the leadership means only a heavy burden without any benefit.

However, will China grow militarily stronger through its current arms race with the US?

Certainly, China will, as is detailed in Chan Kai Yee’s book “Space Era Strategy: The Way China Beats the US.”

However, China began the arms race to surpass the US because of the US pivot to Asia aiming at joining Japan or rival South China Sea claimants in China’s maritime territorial disputes.

Hu Jintao had a strategy for wiping out the enemy at sea. Due to that strategy, China will soon acquire the capabilities to wipe out its enemy at sea by achieving air supremacy with its stealth fighter jets and saturation attack on an enemy navy with anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles.

Hu Jintao’s strategy is good, but China will be defeated by the US even if it wipes out the part of the US navy near its coast, because the US can easily cut China’s trade lifelines due to its navy’s dominance of the oceans.

What is the next strategy developed by Xi Jinping for China?

It is the strategy to build up China’s capabilities to defend China’s trade lifelines. For that Xi has urged the Chinese air force to acquire integrated space and air capabilities for both attack and defence. With such capabilities, China will be able to attack US fleets at high sea to prevent them from cutting China’s trade lifelines.

Russia, China May Coordinate On Nuclear-Powered Destroyer

Russia is very likely to start construction on the world's third nuclear-powered destroyer with the assistance of China, according to the Sputnik News based in Moscow.

Admiral Igor Kasatonov, retired deputy commander of the Russian Navy, said the construction of the 10,000-ton Leader-class guided-missile destroyer would begin in 2017. Vasily Kashin, a military expert from the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies based in Moscow, said the project provides a new opportunity for China and Russia to deepen defense cooperation.

The Leader-class destroyer would be the world's third nuclear-powered destroyer after the USS Truxtun (DLGN-35) and USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25) of the United States. Since both American vessels were later redesignated cruisers, the Leader-class would in fact be the only nuclear-powered destroyer in the world. Kashin said that the Leader-class is larger than the two American ships.

Russia’s Su-30 Fighters Upgraded To Carry Supersonic Cruise Missiles

Russian Sukhoi Su-30 (Flanker-C) multirole fighter jets are getting an upgrade to carry supersonic cruise missiles. The planes will be modernized both for the Russian Air Force and the Indian military aviation.

India has started flight tests of the first Su-30MKI multirole fighter modified by Russian and Indian specialists to carry BrahMos-A supersonic cruise missiles, BrahMos Aerospace Russian-Indian Joint Venture Head Sudhir Mishra told TASS on Thursday at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA’2015) in Malaysia.

The work on the second Su-30MKI fighter jet is continuing and the aircraft "will be ready this year," Mishra said.

The BrahMos Aerospace head said the flight tests for the Su-30 fighter jets would be over this year.

India has allocated $1.1 billion to purchase 200 BrahMos-A missiles to be installed on Indian Air Force Su-30MKI fighter jets. A total of 42 Su-30 fighters will be modernized at the production facilities of India’s HAL corporation to carry supersonic cruise missiles.

In Russia, military aircraft, including Su-30SM fighters, will be modernized at the Irkut aircraft corporation to carry supersonic cruise missiles, Irkut CEO Oleg Demchenko said at the LIMA’2015 air show.

Russia To Develop 5th-Generation Submarines

The Russian Navy gave the defenсe industry an assignment to develop 5th-generation submarines, Navy Chief Viktor Chirkov said on Thursday.

"We have formulated the task for the defenсe and industrial sector to develop fifth-generation submarines. This work is ongoing. There will be no pauses in the development and designing of new submarines," the Russian Navy commander-in-chief said on occasion of Submariner Day Russia is celebrating on Thursday.

The need for the development of such submarines is prompted by the "objective timeframe and the cyclical nature of the use of ships and submarines, and also the swift advance of ship-building technologies and scientific and technical progress in the field of submarine-building," the Navy chief said.

Russia should look far ahead in the development of its nuclear submarine fleet to avoid any stagnation, he said.

"Designing strategic submarines the design bureaus and enterprises take into account our strict requirements aimed at making new generation submarines stealthier," said Chirkov. "Newest target indicator, communications and control equipment will be introduced in the submarine building design in accordance with our requirements. Submarines already now are equipped with new automated reconnaissance and alert equipment."

India To Receive First Upgraded Mirage-2000 Fighters From France

India will get its first upgraded Mirage 2000 later this month from France under a Rs 10,000 crore deal.

French defence major Dassault Aviation, the original manufacturer of the fighter jet, will hand over two upgraded aircraft to India on March 25 at the Istres Dassault Aviation Flight Test Center.

India had in 2011 signed an upgrade programme worth over Rs 10,000 crore with Dassault Aviation for upgrading the fleet of its Mirage 2000 aircraft totalling 51.

However, at least three aircraft have been lost in crashes since then.

Mirage 2000

The firm, which is negotiating a multi-billion dollar deal for supplying 126 Rafale combat aircraft to India, has said that after the successful completion of this phase, the rest of the fleet will be upgraded in India by state-run HAL with help from Dassault and Thales, another French firm.

The IAF had started procuring the Mirage 2000 in the early 80s and the upgrade is likely to expand its life span by around 10-15 years.

Russia's New 4th Generation Lada Submarine To Nullify USA's Naval Power

The new Russian submarine, Lada, will end the era of USA's reign at sea. Washington will lose the main instrument of "power projection" to remote regions and may finally lose its global geopolitical role as well.

Anti-Russian militaristic hysteria has been snowballing in the West lately. Having noticed the revival of the traditionalist, imperial Russia that the deceitful Western Sodom has been humiliating and insulting for decades, the "free" European and American media filled their reports and pages with alarmist headlines about Moscow's "military preparations."

Should the Russians launch a rocket from the Plesetsk cosmodrome or from a submarine in the Barents Sea, or send its strategic aircraft flying along European borders, countless Western publications explode in accusations of "militarism and imperialism," "nuclear weapons rattling" "intimidation of the international community," and so on and so forth. Meanwhile, important news reports that are directly related to a change in the military-strategic balance of power in Eurasia, often pass unnoticed.

The message did not receive any attention of the general public. Even military observers paid no proper attention to it. Yet, the news marked a real revolution in the field of military submarine making.For example, on October 13, 2014, RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing a source at the military-industrial complex of the Russian Federation that Russia decided to launch serial production of air-independent propulsion power plants that would be used for future Project 677 "Lada" submarines."

Russia's New 4th Generation Lada Submarine

Advantages and disadvantages of underwater hunters

Today, all submarines are divided into two groups by the type of power plants: submarines with a nuclear power plant (nuclear reactor) and diesel-electric submarines that move on the surface with the help of a diesel engine, and use battery-powered electric motors when navigating under the water. 

Nuclear submarines appeared in the Soviet Navy in the late 1950s. The first nuclear submarine of Project 627 called the Leninsky Komsomol was put into operation in 1957. Since then and to this day, nuclear submarines constitute the main striking force of the Russian navy. They carry a wide range of most formidable weapons in the world - from strategic intercontinental missiles and tactical nuclear torpedoes to high-precision long-range cruise missiles - the core of the Russian strategic forces of non-nuclear deterrence.

Nuclear submarines possess a number of outstanding advantages. A nuclear sub can stay under the water for a practically unlimited period of time; it has high underwater speed, impressive submersion depth and an ability to carry a huge number of various weapons and equipment. Modern large displacement nuclear subs can be equipped not only with weapons, but also with highly efficient sonars, systems of communications, electronic reconnaissance and navigation.

At the same time, the main advantage of a nuclear power plant - its power - is the source of the main drawback of nuclear submarines. This drawback is noisiness. The presence of a nuclear reactor (and sometimes two) on board the submarine along with a whole range of other systems and mechanisms (turbines, generators, pumps, refrigeration units, fans, etc.) inevitably produces a variety of frequency oscillations and vibrations. Therefore, a nuclear submarine requires sophisticated technology to reduce the noise level.

Yet, a diesel-electric submarine is almost silent under water. Battery-powered electric motors do not require turbines and other noisy equipment. However, a diesel sub can stay under water for a relatively short period of time - just a few days. In addition, a diesel submarine is slow. The shortage of power, in turn, imposes serious constraints on displacement, weapons, and other key characteristics of diesel-electric submarines. In fact, these subs can hardly be referred to as "underwater" vessels. "Diving" would be a better word as they stay on the surface most of the time on deployment routes. In combat patrol areas, diesel-electric submarines have to ascend regularly and start diesel engines to recharge batteries.

For example, Russia's state-of-the-art diesel-electric submarine of Project 636.3 has only 400 miles of undersea navigation. In addition, the submarine moves under water at the speed of 3 knots, i.e. 5.4 km/h. Thus, such a submarine is unable to pursue an underwater target. The sub relies on intelligence information first and foremost. Hence, the main technique to use diesel-electric submarines in combat action is known as "veil" when submarines are deployed in a line perpendicular to the probable movement of the target, at specific distances from each other. The entire group of submarines receives commands from an external command post, which creates extra telltale factors and reduces the stability of underwater combat groups.

It has long been a dream for many navy engineers to create a submarine with a fundamentally new power plant that would combine the advantages of nuclear and diesel-electric submarines: power and stealth, longer autonomous diving and low noisiness. 

Images suggest upgrades to China's early series J-11s

Images have emerged on Chinese military web forums suggesting sensor upgrades to Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) J-11A combat aircraft, with reports noting that two regiments have received these modifications so far.

Upgraded J-11As appear to have four new missile approach warning systems (MAWS), two just aft the cockpit facing forward and two pointing aft on the vertical stabilisers. Similar systems have previously been fitted to the H-6M and H-6K strategic bombers.

Chinese reports also indicate that cockpit displays have been upgraded and that an upgraded fire control system allows the fighter to use Russian Vympel R-77 or Chinese Luoyang PL-10 medium-range air-to-air missiles. Available imagery cannot confirm these upgrades.

There is little to indicate that the J-11A's radar has also been upgraded. However, China's development of new active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar for the Chengdu J-10B and J-20 fighters indicates that radar upgrades are possible for older SAC J-11s.

J-11A

A potential radar upgrade may also see the inclusion of new helmet mounted display (HMD) systems, mirroring a modification path undertaken by several Western fourth-generation fighters.

SAC's J-11A fighters stem from its initial 1998 contract with Russia's Sukhoi Aircraft Corporation to co-produce 200 Su-27SK fighters from kits made at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association (KnAAPO).

Initial co-produced units proved inadequate to the point of requiring Russian-assisted rebuilding, and Sukhoi officials later told IHS Jane's that SAC's production finish for J-11As exceeded that of Sukhoi's Su-27s.

PLAN Expands Its Type 093 Midget Submarine Line

Beijing has revealed a version of the Type 093 midget submarine, known as the 093T, suggesting that more vessels in this class may be produced, reports news website Cankao Xiaoxi.

The 093B midget submarine reportedly has a vertical launch system that can launch 16 missiles, including the supersonic anti-ship YJ-18 and the DH-10 cruise missile.

Such a submarine can carry up to nine special ops members and is ideal for covert transportation and surprise attack. It can also launch laser-guided missiles or sneak combat divers into military ports to perform recon or destroy high-value targets such as aircraft carriers or nuclear submarines.

        Type 093 midget submarine

The United States was developing a midget version of its Ohio-class submarines but reportedly stopped development after a fire in 2008. The submarines used a dry-deck shelter system which allows the midget submarine to dock completely inside of its larger cousin. The 093T submarine adapts a wet-deck shelter system, which means only two thirds of the submarine are secured to the mother submarine and the rest is exposed to water.

Russia to Develop 5th-Generation Attack Helicopter by 2017

Mi-28NM

It could take Russia about three years to complete the development of a fifth-generation attack helicopter and start testing its prototype, a defense industry official said Wednesday. The Mi-28NM, a modernized version of the Mi-28N Night Hunter attack helicopter that is being upgraded to standards of a fifth-generation aircraft, has been in development since 2008. “I think we will need no more than three years to develop a new modernized version of the Mi-28N helicopter,” said Andrei Shibitov, chief executive officer of the Russian Helicopters company.


Shibitov did not specify the characteristics of the future combat helicopter, but he was quoted earlier by the Russian media as saying that the criteria for a fifth-generation attack helicopter must include low radar signature, an extended flying range, an advanced weapons control system, the capability to combat fighter jets and have a speed of up to 600 kilometers (370 miles) per hour.

JF-17 Block 2 makes first flight ahead of Block 3 improvements

The first Block 2 JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft made its maiden flight from the Pakistan Aeronautical Company (PAC) facility at Kamra on 9 February.

The aircraft (serial number 2P01) made three more successful flights before being taken to the paint shop in mid-February. The test flights came as a boost as PAC continues to look for a first export customer for its platform.

Air Commodore Ahsan Rafiq, Deputy Chief Project Director (Operations) JF-17 and a former commanding officer of the JF-17 Test and Evaluation Unit, described the Block 2 version as "an upgraded Block 1 with an air-to-air refuelling (AAR) probe, enhanced oxygen system [to allow the pilot to stay in the air longer], and improved electronic countermeasures system (ECS)".

JF-17 Block  2

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has a contract for 50 Block 2 JF-17s but as Air Cdre Ahsan pointed out, "the full AAR system will not appear until the 29th jet, which should fly later this year [at Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) in China]."

In a further development that sends a clear signal that PAC and Chinese marketing partner CATIC intend business in the international arena, the Block 2 JF-17 will also have a two-seater version, which is now being developed at Chengdu according to the PAF's requirements.

Pakistan Successfully Tests Indigenous Burraq Armed Drone Technology

Pakistan's indigenously developed Armed drone Burraq can fly in all weather conditions, launch Barq laser-guided missiles.Pakistan Becomes One of 8th countries in the world that have indigenous Laser-guided, armed drone technology.

Pakistan Tests Shaheen-III Missile That Could Carry Nuclear War To Every Part OF India

Pakistan has test-fired a ballistic missile that is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to every part of India, another escalation in Islamabad's effort to keep pace with its neighbouring rival's formidable military advances.

Pakistani military leaders said the Shaheen-III missile has a range of up to  2700 kilometres, which could enable it to reach deep into the Middle East, including Israel.

After the missile was fired into the Arabian Sea on Monday, the head of the military unit that oversees Pakistan's nuclear program congratulated scientists and engineers for "achieving yet another milestone of historic significance".

The medium-range Shaheen-III is an updated version of the indigenously produced Shaheen-I and Shaheen-II, which had shorter ranges. "The test launch was aimed at validating various design and technical parameters of the weapon system at maximum range," the military said in a statement.

Pakistani military leaders are trying to maintain a "credible deterrence" as arch-rival India rapidly invests in military hardware.

In recent years, India has moved toward the creation of a missile defence system and is upgrading its air force and submarine fleet. In 2012, India test-launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile, which it said has a range of more than  5000 kilometres.

AVIC Plans Firm to Focus on Engine Design and Production

State-backed aircraft manufacturer Aviation Industry Corp. of China (AVIC) will set up an independent company to focus on designing and making airplane engines, sources with knowledge of the matter say.

The company will consist of the AVIC's engine design and manufacturing companies, one of the sources said. Its name will be Aero Engine Corp. of China, and it will be formed by the end of the year.

AVIC has 23 listed companies, including three in Hong Kong, and its total market value is 200 billion yuan. It is the first military company in the country to enter Fortune magazine's list of the world's top 500 companies by revenue.

AVIC has three listed companies involved in engine design, manufacturing and control system research. They are Xi'an Aero-Engine Plc., Sichuan Chengfa Aero Science & Technology Co. Ltd. and AVIC Aero-Engine Controls Co. Ltd.

AVIC also set up unlisted AVIC Commercial Aircraft Engine Co. Ltd in 2009 to handle the designing and manufacture of turbofan engines for large passenger planes.

The move is aimed at fixing a bottleneck facing the country's development of large passenger and cargo planes, the source said.

Lin Zuoming, the president of AVIC, will stay in his post, even though his expertise is in engine manufacturing, a separate source with knowledge of the matter said.

Lin has said in the past that his company will invest 10 billion yuan in the engine industry from 2011 to 2015.

Chen Rui, the Communist Party chief of AVIC's engine sector, said in July that a unified system of design and manufacturing should be set up to replace the current model.

Only a few countries, such as the United States, Britain, Russia and France, can independently develop and manufacture airplane engines.

China's engine sector has limited its aviation industry, experts say. Both civilian planes and military planes rely on imports, although some of the military's are copies.

In 2007, the government launched a program to develop a large passenger plane with a takeoff weight of more than 100 tons. The fuselage of the jet, called the C919, was completed on September 19. Its engine is being developed by companies in the United States and France.

China Close To Producing Good Fighter Engines

WS-10 Taihang

Bradley Perrett, Asia-Pacific bureau chief of the Washington-based Aviation Week & Space Technology says that Chinese demand for rare metal - Rhenium reveals improved Chinese combat aircraft engines.
China needs large supplies of rhenium — a rare metal that increases the temperature-resistance of turbine blades — to design and produce an engine that can handle higher internal temperatures, increasing performance and durability. Perrett claims that China is actually following the global pattern of rhenium consumption because around 80% of the figure is used to produce aviation turbines. The use of rhenium can imply two upward steps in turbine metallurgy, the expert said. It can be used to improve nickel-based superalloys, while those alloys can be formed as single-crystal blades.

India Turns To FGFA As Rafale Deal Falters

India is now exploring as an alternative the stealth fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) from Russia as negotiations on Rafale fighter jet deal have run into rough weather recently, leading to delay in finalisation of the contract for supply of 126 fighter planes. 
The main issue concerns the pricing, which is basically the production cost in India, and Dassault's reluctance to stand guarantee for the 108 fighters to be built by state-run HAL. Rafale was selected for the deal in 2012 but the final contract is yet to be signed. 

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian held talks in Febraury with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar to salvage the multi-billion Rafale contract even as a deadlock continues to hold up the deal. 

The IAF which currently operates 34 fighter squadrons as opposed to the required 44 squadrons is in urgent need of new aircrafts to replace it's aging fleet of Mig-21 and Mig-27. 

A source quoted in Times of India said, "We have agreed to a lesser work-share for a realistic contract, with the initial lot of the FGFA being imported and the rest being made here under technology transfer." 

The FGFA is the biggest ever bilateral Indo-Russian defence cooperation project. The preliminary design agreement on FGFA was signed in 2010 between HAL and Russian Sukhoi Design Bureau to build the jet for use by both countries with India investing 50 per cent of the cost of the multi-billion dollar programme. 

The aircraft is based on the Russian Air Force's Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA platform and the Indian version is expected to carry more advanced features. The project is seen as giving a boost to India's indigenous capabilities to develop advanced fighter aircraft. 

Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Inducts Chinese-built Karakoram Eagle Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS)

Karakoram Eagle  AWACS

In a bid to improve the country’s defence capabilities, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) inducted on Thursday a Chinese-built ‘Karakoram Eagle’ Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS)
The new aircraft, introduced at a ceremony held at an operational PAF base in Karachi, is capable of detecting hostile aerial and sea surface targets far before ground-based radars regardless of their height. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was the chief guest at the ceremony.
The aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces announced that the new aircraft will be a part of the No4 Squadron.

PAF proudly said that the country’s air defence is now able to look deeper in enemy territory, be it land or sea.

Is J-31 is Stealthier than F-35?

The Chinese J-31 has a thin straight wing root. "Thin" means a small surface area for reflecting radar waves. "Straight" conforms with facet design to minimize reflection direction.

The American F-35 has a thick wing root. Thick means more surface area for radar reflection. Also, the F-35 wing root is roundish. Round is terrible for stealth. It means multiple directions for radar reflections. [Note: "Continuous curvature" is like a duck bill and not related to round.]

J-31 thin wing root

All three F-35 versions share a common airframe. The STOVL version (or F-35B) requires a lift-fan and leads to an unstealthy thick wing root and angled bay doors.

A fundamental problem with the F-35 design is the specification to accommodate a vertical-takeoff lift-fan for the F-35B STOVL version. Since all three versions of the F-35 must have the same basic airframe, we see the same unstealthy characteristics on all F-35 versions.

F-35 Unstealthy

Due to the F-35 airframe that can support a lift-fan (whether it is actually present on the A and C versions is not relevant), all F-35s have a thick wing root. The thick wing root is not stealthy. The J-31 has a much thinner wing root and it is stealthier.

Also, the middle of the F-35 bottom fuselage is reserved for the lift-fan exhaust. This means the F-35 bay doors have to be skewed. This is bad aerodynamics (due to increased air resistance) and lead to much heavier hydraulics on the doors to push/keep it open at high speed. The increased weight leads to degraded F-35 acceleration and maneuverability performance.

F-35 Versions

Finally, due to the lack of room, the F-35 weapon bays bulge outward. There is a lack of space, because the center fuselage is reserved for the lift-fan and exhaust duct. The bulging F-35 weapon bays are not stealthy. It degrades the imperative of facet-shaping stealth.

In conclusion, the Chinese J-31 stealth fighter design is superior to the American F-35. The F-35 is less stealthy, because its specification requires a fuselage to accommodate a lift-fan.

Russian Sevmash To Build New Multirole Nuclear Submarine

Russia's Sevmash enterprise is expected to launch the construction of a next generation Project Yasen-M multirole nuclear submarine of on March 16, the plant's press service reported on Friday.

"Navy Commander Admiral Viktor Chirkov has ordered that the submarine be named Arkhangelsk. This missile carrier will become the fifth Yasen Project multirole nuclear submarine, developed by St. Petersburg's Malakhit naval design bureau," it said.

The project uses a lot of cutting-edge technological solutions, the press service said.

The flagship of Project Yasen, the Severodvinsk nuclear submarine, built by Sevmash, was transferred to the Russian Navy on June 17, 2014. The updated Project Yasen-M envisages the construction of the multirole nuclear submarines Kazan, Novosibirsk and Krasnoyarsk. The vessels will be equipped exclusively with Russian-made electronic warfare systems and other elements.

Project 885 Yasen Class Submarine

PLA Budget Necessary To Upgrade Obsolete Hardware: Russian expert

China's government decided during this year's annual meetings of the National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference to increase the country's military budget by 10.1% under the justification of needing to purchase more advanced weapon systems to replace old hardware left over from the Mao Zedong era, writes Vassily Kashin of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies in Moscow's Sputnik News.

In the 1980s and '90s, the Chinese government focused most of its resources on economic reforms rather than defense under Deng Xiaoping's open door policy following the economic disaster of the Cultural Revolution. It was a similar situation to what Russia would later face after the collapse of Soviet Union in 1991, Kashin said. The People's Liberation Army received very limited funding to buy new arms to replace its hardware from the 1950s and '60s.

During the 1980s, hardware like the Type 88 tank, Type 89 armored personnel carrier, Type 89 120mm tank destroyer and Type 83 152mm self-propelled howitzer were produced but only in very small numbers. They were certainly not enough to replace the obsolete military hardware designed when Chairman Mao was still around (Mao died in 1976).

Bulgaria May Buy JF-17 Thunder Fighter From Pakistan

Bulgaria may be interested in buying the FC-1 Xiaolong or JF-17 Thunder, a multirole fighter designed jointly by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, according to military analyst Gareth Jennings in an article for the UK-based Jane's Defence Weekly.

The Bulgarian air force is looking for a new fighter to replace its obsolete MiG-29 Fulcrum and Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot, purchased from the Soviet Union. The Bulgarian government originally planned to buy a fighter from the US or Europe or commit to a further MiG-29 upgrade. However, the price of a new US fighter such as the Lockheed Martin Block 52 F-16 is estimated to cost around US$282 million. Jennings concluded that the price is almost certainly unaffordable for Bulgaria.

Secondhand jets, including surplus Block 25 F-16s from the US Air National Guard, F-16 midlife upgrade aircraft from Belgium, early tranche Eurofighter Typhoons from the Italian Air Force and surplus Saab Gripens from Sweden, are the options left for the Bulgarian air force to purchase from Europe and the US.

JF-17 Xiaolong Fighter

Pakistan is considering the sale of the single-seater single-engined Xiaolong (as it is known in China) or Thunder (as it is known in Pakistan) to Bulgaria as an alternative, Jennings said.

China and Pakistan have been pushing for the introduction of their jointly developed fighter to various countries including Argentina, Serbia and Saudi Arabia. However, Beijing and Islamabad have been unable to secure a single buyer for the fighter. The price of a brand new Xiaolong is approximately US$30 million, which is only half of the price of the other alternatives.

Brazil May Buy China's J-15 Flying Shark

China was probably trying to interest Brazil in its first first generation carrier-based fighter, the J-15, during the Zhuhai Air Show held in November last year, according to a March 6 report in Kanwa Defense Review, a Chinese-language military magazine based in Canada.

The model of the J-15 fighter displayed at the air show was equipped with a WS10A Taihang turbofan engine designed by Shenyang Liming Aircraft Engine Company. While China equips most of its fighters with Russian engines, the designer of the Taihang said that the engine will be reliable enough for export. J-15 fighters could be operated from the flight deck of the Brazilian Navy's Clemenceau-class aircraft carrier, the Sao Paulo.

J-15 Flying Shark

A military cooperation agreement may be signed to enhance the relationship between the People's Liberation Army Navy and the Brazilian Navy. As Brazil is still constructing its first nuclear-powered submarine, the SNB Alvaro Alberto and China may assist in training the crew. China could also benefit from the experience of the Brazilian Navy in operating an aircraft carrier and carrier-based aircraft.

Chinese Dongfeng 31B Multi-Warhead Strategic Missiles

Chinese Dongfeng 31B Multi-Warhead Strategic Missiles

Chinese Dongfeng 31B Multi-Warhead Strategic Missiles