36
lssue Number 42
BRAHMOS MUTII.ROTEMtsstLE '; '
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KANWA ASIAN DEFENCE
PHOTO NEWS:
INDIAN DEFEXPO 2OO8
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4 snnHN/os MULTI ROLE N4rssrLE
5 rruorn's Dor\rESTrc TN,4D sYSTET\4
6 rune nrurr rnruK N,4rss LE sYSTEM
SINGAPORE AIR SHOW7 rrosLocKsz & Fr5sG &BoN x l rFV
8 Lropnno rrna H,rar
DIGEST NEWS
worning rodor?
I0 Voloysio nrmy develops UAVs
I 0 Beoruslntroduces neworborne
ECM combot sy$em
11 Russicn exper lo ks cn Su3OMKK repo r ssue
AIR FORCE NEWS
l2 CH no imiiotes Russlcn SU2iSK Fighter
13 Oeptoymentof Jl0Aot PLA
Air Force No.2 Div sion
l4 Lotest develcpment on RDg3 lssue
I 5 veZsN uses RD3353 e^gires
l* suloH,rrv deliverecl to Moloysio
I $ So -"r $rcteg es of M G29MI FC1 vs, export
prospect of Rus on ond Chinese ighters n
the 3rd world countries
53OO SAN{
NAVY NEWS
22 caozn ssN,l oppeor ng n more countr es
23 uotoys o', procurement plcrn
ARMY NEWS
?4 Rru o bidd ng for Mcrloysion ormy project
NUCLEAR WEAPON ISSUE
25 pLn', nucleor worheods $ockplle ncrecsing
MILITARY POLITICAL ISSUE
2& Communist Porty ond the PLA: $l I tight y boncled
bui reforms on the horlzon
TAIWAN ISSUE
'38 Ci.r no'r snow$orm diso$ers cnd To wcn's
referendum
INTERVIEW
3 I Exclus ve Interview w ih Mo oysion
Air Chief Generc Sri Azzon
9 Did Ukroine he p Ch no des gn oirborne eorller ?il Frogi e "Tion Kong" positlons ond mob le
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E-Moil: [email protected] / [email protected]
All Photos by Konwo
lltBrAlr BIrIltP0 2008Arjun MBT is lndio's indigenous MBT which hos oroused substoniiqlcontroversies. The lndion Army hos ordered o totol of 124 Arjun. Al present, themoin problems of Arjun ore ils expensive cosl ond poor combot copobility.The l,400hp MTU 838 KoSl0diesel engine is rotherexpensive; in oddition,Arjunis very lorge in size wilh o width of 3.864m (3.653m for MlA2 ond 3.7m forLeopord). lts iunet is very similor to lhe eorlier version "Leopord-2" in design'which is believed to hove q poor performonce in ovoiding on-coming shells.
Arjun hos o weight of 58.5 lons, ond ils mobiliiy is inferior lo the Chinese T99
MK2 MBT currently under production.The lotter hos o weight of 52 lons, hovingo plon to use l,500hp engine with o power lo weight rotio of 28.84hp/t. The
lndion Army hos doubt obout lhe strike precision of the l20mm rifled gunproduced by Combot Vehicles Reseorch & Development Estoblishment(CVRDE), occording to q locol press. Arjun is fitted with 39-round FSAPDS ondHE ommunilion, l8 of which ore stored ot the rototing turret. lts firing rote is 68rounds per minule, qnd ils weopon systems weigh l8 tons. Arjun's fire controlcomputer is provided by TATA, while the thermql system is from French SAGEM.
Arjun is olso equipped with eleclro-hydroulic fire control system whosemoximum slewing speed is 4Sdeg/sec. For the ormour protection, it hosKonchon ormour ond SGDs is I2 Nos (6 on either side).
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The EX lonk (Experimentol Tonk) developed by CVRDE. lt uses l,000hp diesel engines ond lheT72 chossis whichodopts torsion bor with hydro-slruts suspension. lt is fitted wilh the some moin gun ond Konchon omour os thql ofArjun. lt con be operoted wiih 4 crew including driver. lts combot weight is 47 tons, power lo weight rotio 2l hp/t,ground pressure 0,94kgf/cm,. Moximum speed on rood is 60 km/h qnd 40 km/h on cross-country. The performoncesore 30" grodieni climbing,2.6m trench crossing,0.85m verticol obstocle climbing, ond l.2m shollow fording. Equippedormqmenl is I20mm rifled gun wilh -l0olo +16.5o depression & elevotion ond 32 rounds (FSAPDS / HESH) ommunitionwhose role of fire is 6 to Srds/min. 7.62mm co-oxiol mqchine gun ond 12.7mm onti-oircrott mochine gun ore olsoinstolled. Fire Control System is directortype while Gun Control System is elecko-hydroulic with digilol bollistic compuler.
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Above: Lond-bosed BRAHNOS missiles ore olreqdy deployedqt the lndion Army. When osked obout lhe lndion medioreport thoi Russio{ndio cooperoiion in the BRAHMOS proiecthqs not been quite smooth, ond thot "Russio would notprovide the engine technologies to lndio", Professor A. Pilloi'Chief Designer of BRAHMOS, told Konwo thot the report wosobsolutely not true. BRAHMOS is o ioint production betweenRussio ond lndio, lndio is not supposed io produce the enginein the first ploce, ond lndio did not osk Russiq to provide themwith engine technology either. The proiect is proceeding inoccordonce with ihe originol ogreement.
Above: BRAHMOS submqrine{o-ship missile unveiled for lhe first
time. lt hos o ronge of 290km, ond the first lounch test is
expected to toke ploce within lhis yeor.
Right: Air-lounched version of BRAHMOS. Notice the protectivehood on top of the worheod, which con outomoticolly foll offofter lounching.
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INDIAS DOMESTICTMD SYSTEMlndio's indigenous TMD system wos unveiled for the first time qt theexhibition. This is on otmospheric intercept system. Severol lounch tests hovebeen conducted ond qll hii the designoted torgets.
Below: The United Stotes is octively promoting PAC3 intercept missiles tolndio. This Us-mqde PAC3 wos put on exhibilion in lndio.
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NAGANTI-TANKMrgsrtESYSTEM
ryY#$ry,FThe NAG ontFionk missile system producedby lndio independently wos put on disployfor the first time. This system odopts lR imogeguidonce system ond hos o moximumronge of 4,000m. tu
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The Singopore Air Force is going to be qrmedwith Fl5 SG very soon, lt is equipped with APG{3(V) 3 AESA rodor. Singopore hos ordered 12+8+4FI5 SGs. Along wiih this purchose, Singopore hosolso ordered JDAM sotellite positioning bombs.They os well os other long+onge lond otiockweopons hove not been mode public up to thepresent. The comprehensive technologicolstondord ond combot power of the SingoporeAir Force's Fl5 SGs ore superior to thot of Jqpqn,Koreq qnd lsroel.
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The upgrqded version BIONIX ll IFV is
now refitted with the 30mm connon.BIONIX I uses 25mm gun, qnd theihermol imoging system hos olsoundergone upgroding. The effectivedistqnce of the iniegroted loser rongefinder is 3km. This IFV is powered byone DDC 6V92TA 450hp diesel engine,mqximum speed 7Okm/h.
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TEOPARDIIA4 MBTThe first Leopord llA4 MBT Singoporehqs received.Ihe Singopore Army hosordered 66 llA4, ond retrofitting wosundertoken in Germony. The totolpurchose is reporiedly lower thonUSS48 million, ond the unit price is
obout US$720,000, which is o very gooddeol. As o city stote, the objective forSingopore to purchose heovy-dutymoin bottle tonks is to deter thepotentiol odversories.
Editor:
Andrei Chang (Pinkov)
Ta wan f4ilitary SeniorAcviser:
BeauWang
Pak stani Correspondent:
Zafar l4alik
Indian Correspondent:
Ranjit B. Rai
Malaysian Correspondent:
Prasun K. Sengupta
Russian Correspondent:
Nikolai Novichkov
Special News Reporl from Beil ng China:
John Chang
Design by
LawrenceWong
Published by
Kanwa Information Center
Address:
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E-Majl: kanwatoronto@hotmail,com
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Copyright
2004 Kanwa Information Center
Photos and articles are the copyrrght of
their respective owners
All rights reserved, No part of this
publication may be copied, reproduced,
stored in any retrieval systems ortransmitted in any form whatsoever
without the written permission of the
publisher and the copyright holders.
<Kanwa NewsAndrei Chang> Military observers based in SouthAsia told Kanwarecently that Ukraine's Kvant Radar Design Bureau was not only involved in designingthe phased array radar fitted on Type 052C DDG, but that it helped China in designingairborne phased array earlier warning radar system. However, this has not beenconfirmed directly by the Ukraine government or Kvant Design Bureau.Anauthoritative source from the Ukraine StateArms lmport/Export Company just toldKanwa that Ukraine indeed helped.China in designing the phased array radar sysremused on 052C DDG.
It is said that KJ2000AWACS uses phased array radar,and KJ200 also uses phased
array radar.lt is not clear to what extent Ukraine has helped China in the design ofairborne earlier warning radar system. Nonetheless, from the tradition of militarycooperation between the two countries, Kvant Design Bureau has very close tieswith China in the development of radar.There is possibility that Ukraine's radarexperts provided some technical consultation service to their Chinese counterparts.Meanwhile, Kanwa's judgment is that China has been deploying rwo rypes of AWACSradar at a very rapid pace. lf China could manufucture the radar on its own in the firstplace,why did it try to importAWACS radar system from lsrael?Thus it is quitepossible that China received assistance from Ukraine. Kvant has had extensiveexperience in designing airborne and ship-borne radar systems since the Soviet Unionyears. I
I
<Kanwa News> Malaysia unveiled a number of UAVs
at LIMA 2007.ALUDRA UAV was first put on display on
the 2007 Malaysian National Day.At LIMA 2007, Unmanned
System Technology SDN BHD revealed further technical
details of this UAV.The technical exPerts told Kanwa that
the company has manufactured 5 prototypes of this UAV
using it to bid for the Malaysian Air Force and Army projects'
This UAV has a take-off weight of 250kg' payload 50kg' and
is equipped with one TV optical camera produced by
THALES with 4 channels of sensors including an oPtical
sensor, aTV sensor, a laser range-finder and a laser pointer'
ALUDRA UAV has a length of l4 feet,wing span l6 feet,
endurance in the air 6 hours, maximum speed 220km/h. lt
is powered by one 50hp twin-cylinder gas engine'The
company has also developed a data tink system for the UAV
which has a functional range of l50km. la taking-off requires
only 250m.The designer of ALUDRA claims that all the
design works were completed by the comPany
independently.At present, flight tests have been basically
completed.
SAPURA has also developed three tyPes of UAVs.The
first one is called Cybershark which has an endurance of 3
<Kanwa News> Belarus 55SAircraft Maintenance Plant
has recently introduced a new airborne ECM pod called
"Satellite" capable of iamming radar guided air-to-air missile
and ground-to-air missiles.This pod can be installed on
MiG29 Su27 and Su30 fighters. lt can also be fitted on lL76
transport aircraft and Su25 attackers.The designer of this
system says that in the number of tests so far conducted,
this ECM pod demonstrated outstanding performances'
hours,a payload of 20kg,equipped with one SONY-developed
optical sensor. So far two PrototyPes have been manufactured.
Cybershark has a flight speed of l50km/h' Another one is
called Cybereye, payload 60kg, endurance time in the air 6
hours, flight altitude up to 20,000 feet. 1
Currently, China has interest to work with the Belarus
comPany.
This kind of iamming system can also perform deceptive
jamming upon the enemy's airborne radar system.The
designer claims that this ECM system can be installed on
civilian commercial aircraft and other transPort aircraft to
jam the attacks of the radar guided AAMs orASMs.l
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<Kanwa News Andrei Chang> ln response to thereports that one Su30MKK fighter of the 9th Regiment
under the PLA Air Force No.3 Division crashed in a
November 2007 training exercise, an authoritative source
from the Russian military industry accepted Kanwa's
interview.The source said that they did not receive such a
report from the Chinese side.The Russian side confirmed
that at least one Su30MKK had crashed in training exercise,
and the Russian side was immediately informed after the
incident, with the Chinese claiming that the crash was caused
by engine trouble.
The same authoritative source also said Russia knew
that China imported a new batch of Su27 maintenance parts
from Ukraine recently, as these parts were much cheaper.
Meanwhile, China and Belarus have also been cooperating
in the maintenance of China's Su serial fighters. The
explanation from the Chinese side is that equivalentproducts from Ukraine and Belarus are much cheaper than
those of Russia and yet have comparable quality, while the
Russia's positions are that these products from Ukraine
and Belarus "are in fact not comparable to Russian products,
but much worse." Under this circumstance, the Russian
Su30MK2
side cannot guarantee the maintenance quality ofthe Su27SK
fighters so far exported to China. "We have tried our best tohelp maintaining and repairing these fighters, but some people
thinl< that Russian parts are too expensive.The fact is, even
after the contracted warranty,we had provided China with a
whole lot of parts free of charge.The applications of all the
parts have to follow strict standards, for instance, the parts
for Al3 lF engines.This engine has undergone a series ofupgrading after 1990s, and Ukraine does not have themaintenance manual and the license to repair these upgraded
engines.As a consequence, we cannot guarantee the overall
quality of the engines and the whole combat aircraft thathave been serviced by a third country," stressed the source.
Regarding the high cost of Russian parts, the Russian side
was also quite surprised. "The problem lied in the drastic
depreciation of the US dollar, and of course you will have topay more US dollars. But China and Malaysia usually buy the
US dollars with their own currencies and then make thepayment, and in fact that should not be such a troublingproblem, because the Chinese and Malaysian currencies have
been appreciated against the US dollars," the source explained.T-
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Chino imitotesRussion SU 27Sl( fighter<Kanwa News Andrei Chang> Based on the Russian Sukhoi
Su27SK fighter, China has copied it as the domestic J I lB multi-
function fighter.Three J I I B prototypes have been manufactured
since 2006 and evaluated at the lst fighter division based in
Ansan after the factory flight test.A Chinese military industry
source confirmed that its pre-production would start from this
year. "We will not need to assemble more Su27SKs, because it
is old technology given from Russia," the same source said'
Compared with Su27SK,J I lB has undergone drastic changes'
A source from Chinese aero industry says that except the Russian-
made engines, 90% of the major sub-systems including the radar
and optical electronic systems are made by China. Moreover, the
weapons will also integrate more indigenous systems' For this
purpose,AVlC I has made plans specifically for the JI I B design
projects, among which the testing of the I 47 4 serial radar systems
has already been completed.A Chinese pilot with more than 20
years of flight experience mentioned about his experience of
flying Su27 fighters.This pilot personally had a very high opinion
of Su27SK, saying it is "very easy to fly". However, as the source
from the Chinese military industry points out,some of the parts
used on Su27SK have very short lifespan,which has led to high
rate of technical accidents. For instance, frequent problems with
36SH- I IRST have largely restricted the regular training of the
combat forces. On this particular issue, Kanwa paid a special visit
to the Ural Optical & Mechanical Complex.A Russian source
said that the Ural signed two contracts with the Chinese
counterpart and would supply them with OLS-3 lE parts, the
upgraded edition of 36SH- | lRSTThe contracts involve a total
value of US$ I million, the execution of which started in 2007'
Kanwa has learned that the R&D of the Chinese made IRST
system to be fitted on Jl lB has already completed.The physical
appearance of this newly devetoped IRST is very close to the
original Russian OLS-3lE so that it still looks like an imitation
edition of the Russian system with some upgrades.The fire
control radar system uses mechanical scanning, integrates more
functions and features a modular design.As a result,the overall
performance of J I lB in fact is now at par with the Russian
edition Su2TSMK.The changes in the fire control system and
the cockpit are also substantial, and Jl lB will be able to fire
China's indigenous PL I 2 air-to-air missiles and a whole series
of other precision guided weapons.The cockpit is composed
of 3 large-size colour multi-functional displays and 2 small-size
colour multi-functional displays. ln recent years, China's pace
of development in airborne equipments has been very fast.The
design of Jl0B cockpit has been somewhat quite precocious,
and the rear cockpit may be composed of 4 multi-functional
colour displays and 2 small-size multi-functional displays.
ln addition,JllB will be fitted with China's indigenous
strapdown inertial navigation system,3-axix data system, power
supply system, emergency power unit, brake system, hydraulic
system, fuel system, environment control system and molecular
sieve oxygen generation systems. Kanwa believes that with
China's producing a larger amount of J I I B parts domestically,
its demand for parts import from Russia is going to decline
dramatically during the second phase of J I I B production, and
some of the subsystems and equipments are comPatible with
those on J I I B,J IOA and Jl0Bfighters. lt is said thatJl lB's flight
control system will also be manufactured in China.This was
the leading reason why Russia could not determine whether
China would continue to produce Su27SK fighters in the next
phase. Su27SK{ I I Russian Chinese joint contracted project
has now been finished by the Chinese side without any
consultation with Russia.ffi
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AIRFORCENEWS::FCIIJF 17 . Official Photo
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<Kanwa News Langl<awiAndrei Chang> Regardingthe latest
report that the Russian Sovernment has approved China's
export of FC I fighters fitted with RD93 engines to Pakistan
and other 6 countries, Kanwa interviewed the vice general
manager, Gennady N. Arl<hipov of Chernyshev Moscow
Machine-building Complex. He first confirmed that the Russian
government did permit the plan to exPort RD93 engines to
China and allow China to resell them to a third country provided
that China discusses the issue with Russia'As for Pakistan and
other 6 countries, Mr.Arkhipov said it depends on the sPecific
situations. Countries like SaudiArabia and Lebanon have never
been the export destinations of Russian fighters or Chinese
fighters. He said that in mid December in2007, the Chinese
delegation would visit Russia and discuss the issue on purchasing
RD93 for 2008.Another source from the Russian military
industry preferred to stay anonymous but claimed that basically
China had been permitted to provide RD93 engines to Pal<istan
and the overhaul service for it will be delivered in China.
Russia has said publicly on a number of occasions that RD93
could only be used for the Chinese Air force and should not be
exported to any third country without Moscow's permission,
and this was writcen in the contract.Why this has been changed?
ln response to this question, Mr.Arkhipov said:"With permission
from Russia, China can of course exPort JF l7 fighters fitted
with RD93 engines.This time China did get permission from
the Russian government.'l
On whether lndia has expressed its attitude on Russia's
new decision, he said, "No.This is because lndia does not have
to worry aboutJF l7.JF l7 is only a single-engine light duty fighter
upgraded from MiG2 I and is no match for the advanced combat
fighters of the lndian Air Force".
lf there is direct competition between JF l7 and M|G29SMT
in the international marl<ets,will Russia continue to exPorc RD93
MiG29 SMT
,ihr-. Ik-
engines to China?To this question,Anexander Payl<in,Technical
Director to Chernyshev Moscow Machine-building Complex,
answered that that would depend on the sPecific situations.
Generally spealcing,JF l7 does not have the capabiliry to comPete
with advanced MiG29SMT and MiG35 fighters. "They are combat
aircraft of totally different generations," he said.
Concerning the Russian government's formal decision on
China's reselling RD93 engines to Pakistan, several aviation
industry observers based in Moscow told Kanwa that this is
mainly because Russia hopes lndia would choose MiG35. ln
orher words, if lndia decides to import 126 MiG35, there can
be new changes in the prospect of RD93 exPort to Pakistan.
This observation is in line with Kanwa's earlier conclusion'That
is,the sale of RD93 to Pakistan has become a maior means for
Russia to impose greater Pressure upon lndia. Since 2007'
military cooperation between lndia and Russia has become a
little oppressive. Particularly, refitting Gorshkov aircraft carrier
could be further delayed, and the upgrade and delivery time of
A50 AWACS may be further postponed.
Commenting on the rePorts that the JF l7 fighters of the
PakisraniAir Force may be outfitted with French MICAAAMs
and THALES'RC-400 airborne radar system, a source from the
Pakistani Air Force said that the bidding for JF l7's radar and
weapon systems is still underway,and no final decision has been
made so far. Nonetheless, the Pal<istaniAir Force indeed hopes
to employ European weaPon systems.A source from ltalian
FLIR Company also confirmed to Kanwa that bidding for the
systems is still going on,and the Company invited the Pal<istani
pilots to ltaly to conduct 2l test sorties of their system. FLIR
Company is confident that its Grifo-S7 radar will eventually
win the contract.This is because the PakistaniAir Force is already
producing Grifo-7 small radar systems for J7P fighters, and the
rwo sides have cooperative experience in this area.3
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MiG29NUSES RD33 53engrnes
<Kanwa News Langkawi Andrei Chang> A senior manager
from the Malaysian ATSC told Kanwa that the RD33 52 engines
fitted on MiG29N fighters of the MalaysianAir Force have been
upgraded to RD33 53.The initial overhaul time of RD33 52 is
350 hours after service, while it is upgraded to 1,000 hours
after service in 53.The source said that they were highly satisfied
with the quality and performance of RD33 53, as the upgrade
has greatly improved the effectiveness of maintenance. ln
December 2007,ATSC and ROSOBORONEXPORT signed a
new contract that the lacter would supply toATSC new MiG29N
parts.The source was also very satisfied with the per{ormance
of MiG29N in the MalaysiaAir Force, saying that those fighters
met the designated combat objectives.The Air Force also had
similar evaluation.The Malaysian Air Chief General Sri Azizan
indicated in an exclusive interview with Kanwa that theoutstanding performance of MiG29N was highly commended
by theAir Force.
Nonetheless, an authoritative source from ATS€ once again
raised sharp criticism over MiG's repair service, hoping thatMiG could improve their after-sale service in the future.Twoyears ago, an ATSC source told Kanwa in an exclusive interview
that the overall cost of MiG29's repair and maintenance was
extremely high, almost twice that of A/F l8C. Besides, the time
it took to repair the engine and other key parts was also toolong.The source said at that time that in terms of maintenance
service,A/F l8C was much better.Thanks to the US military's
lntegration Maintenance Program, the Malaysian Air Force can
have access to the needed parts forA/Fl8C through theestablished networked inventory manatement system within72 hours. In contrast, the provision of MiG29N parts wouldusually take at least several months, and the overhaul of engines
would take as long as 9 months.
Two years have past, and the same source accepted Kanwa's
interview in December 2007, saying that there had been no
obvious improvement in that regard. He believed, however, that
MiG had tried its best and that the core of the problem was
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The Moloysiqn Air Chief Generol Sri Azizon indicoted inon exclusive interview with Konwo thot the outstondingperformonce of MiG29N wos highly commended bythe Air Force.
that the bureaucracy of the Russian government had to be
changed for the better.Although MiG made painstaking efforts
to improve service, it has not been effective so far. Because ofthis,ATSC and Ukraine have signed an agreement on themaintenance of RD33 engines and Ul<raine would help Malaysia
to repair RD33 52 engines. Nevertheless, for overhaul of the
RD33 52 and 53 engines, they still have to be sent back toRussia, as Ul<raine does not have the technical documents ofRD33 53 or the engineering manuals.
Two years ago, several senior officials from MiG Design
Bureau claimed in an interview with Kanwa that the new
leadership of MiG would put after-sales service on top prioriry.
For that purpose, they would try to implement networl<ed parts
management and on-condition service, and to reduce the time
needed for repair and maintenance.
Military observers based in Kuala Lumpur told Kanwa thatbecause of the sky-high cost of MiG29N maintenance, theMalaysian Air Force is considering whether they should get
MiG29N retired ahead of the schedule. This has not been
confirmed by the Malaysian Air Force or ATSC, however.AirChief General Sri Azizan said to Kanwa that MiG29N would
remain in service until they are no longer required. He also
indicated that there was no plan to further upgrade thosefighters.
The MiG Group is now promoting to Malaysia theMiG29SMT upgrading plan.The MalaysianAir Force seems notto have the intention to go ahead with the plan in the near
term. I
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Su30Ml(Mdelivered toMoloysio
<Kanwa News LangkawiAndrei Chang> General SriAzizan,
Chief of the Malaysian Air Force, told Kanwa that the Malaysian
Air Force was highly satisfied with the timely delivery of
Su30MKM and the outstanding performance of the fighter in
flight operations. He said that the initial batch of 6 Su30MKMs
were officially delivered to the Malaysian Air Force in July 2007,
and the last batch will be received in December 2008.Alexander
N. Klementiev,Vice General Manager of SUKHOI AircraftCompany, disclosed to Kanwa that another 6 Su30MKMs would
be delivered to Malaysia in December 2007. Besides, Russia will
be responsible for the training of SU30MKM pilots, which is
going to take place in Malaysia. For this purpose, SUKHOI has
provided Malaysia with 2 sets of Su30MKM ground simulators.
All of the above Su30MKM fighters will be deployed at the
No. I I Flight Squadron stationed at Butterworth.All of the pilots
have the experience of flying MiG29N or F/A- lSC.The Malaysian
Su3OMKM pilots who flied M|G29N before told Kanwa thatSu30MKM was easy to control, as it had full digital FBW control
system and all manipulation could be done by following the
flight manual.As a result, they commanded the basic controlskills within a short period.The pilots also indicated that they
had not conducted any confrontation exercises between
Su30MKM,A/F- l8C and other fighters.The pilots who had
experience flying A/F l8C said that in terms of themanoeuvrability, Su30MKM is superior to A/F l8C.
Different from Su30MKl, Su30MKM is equipped withFrench-made IFF antennae and the wide-angle HUD made by
THALES.The multi-functional display system is also made by
THALES.The front and rear cockpits are equipped with in total
6 5x5 SMD-55S and I colour 6x6 SMD-66S displays. Su30MKM
also uses LDP Damocles combat pod and NAVFLIR system.
Damocles pod has a weight of 265kg and length 2.5m.When
under navigation guidance, the thermal imaging system has a
field view of 24x18 degrees,4x3 degrees and I x0.75 degrees
respectively. NAVFLIR has a target designation range of l0-I 2km (20x20m targets), 22.5-50km ( I 00x I 00m targets), optical
field view 24x I8 degrees, electronic zoom l2x9 degrees. OLS-
301 IRST is produced by Ural Optical Mechanical Plant.The
SURA helmet mounted target designator was produced by Kiev
Arsenal Plant.The Radar computers are RC-l and RC-2
produced by lndian HindustanAeronautics Ltd,and the mission
computers are BCVM486- l. Su30MKM is also equipped with
L I 50-30 radar warning receiver, SAP-5 l8M jamming pod, and
UV-30MK chaff/flare dispenser.The fighter is fitted with 4 laser
warning receivers and 2Avatronics MAW-300 missile approach
warning system, each of which is composed of 3 lR sensors.
Su30MKM is reportedly equipped with 95NAA GPS
navigation system produced by SAGEM and the LS22OBVOR/
MiG29N
A local military source says that the Malaysian Air Force
intends to procure more Su30MKMs.When asked about
this issue, GeneralAzizan told Kanwa that no final decision
had been made so far. Meantime, he commended highly
the performance of F/A- l8E/F, claiming that the plan toacquire additional F/A- l8E/F fighter is still "alive".
Col. (Rtd.) Selamat B. Bakin, Director/Chief Executive
Officer of AerospaceTechnology System Corp. SDN.BHD
(ATSC), told Kanwa that the maintenance of Su30MKM is
undertaken by the Malaysian Air Force itself. ln the future,
ATSC will try to obtain the contract to provide maintenance
service for those Su30MKMs.ATSC has very rich experience
in maintaining MiG29N fighters. ln December 2007, the
MalaysiaAir Force and ROSONORONEXPORT signed an
agreement that Russia would supply the parts for Su30MKMs.
The degree of integration between Russian and Western
systems on Su30MKM is higher than that on IAF Su30MKl.The
Su30MKM deal was signed in August 2003, and the totaltransaction value of l8 Su30MKMs was US$900 million, an
average unit price of US$50 million including the weapon
systems. ln contrast, the overall value of the 4 Su30MK2Vs oftheVietnamese Air Force was US$ 100 million, an average unit
price of US$25 million only.These were the figures from the
Russian media and have not been confirmed by the Russian
authorities.This indicates that the technological performance
of Su30MKM is far superior to that of Su30MK2V and Chinese
Air Force Su30MK2.An air force source from this region toldKanwa that the Vietnamese Air Force was close to signing the
agreement to procure another 20 su30MK2V in order toestabl ish a fully-fledged Su30M K2V regiment. All of Vietnam's
Su27SK and Su30MK2V fighters are deployed at the No.370
Division stationed at Phan Rang.
ILS receivers made byTHALES, but this has not been confirmed
by the Malaysian Air Force.
Su30MKM still usesAl-3 IFP engines made by Ufa Company
(which integratesVKA-99MK gear box and GTDE- | l7- I starter)
with initial overhaul time 1,000 hours, service life 2,000 hours
of flight.The TVC nozzle of the engine has a service life of 500
hours. Kanwa has also managed to confirm that Su30MKM uses
the same engine as the Su30MKA fighter specifically designed
for the Algerian Air Force.
Su30MKM has a designed service life of 6,000 flight hours
or 25 years, and the KT-2 l3 main landing gear and KN-35 nose
landing gear also have a service life of 25 years or 4,000 times
of landing/taking-off.The first overhaul time of the fighter is
after 1,000 taking-off/landing. Su30MKM is equipped with new
generation K36D-3.5 pilot seat e.jector, maximum internal fuel
capacity 9,400kg, normal fuel reserve for 5,270km, endurance
time in the air 4.5 hours.The maximum endurance time in the
air can be enhanced to I 0 hours after one aerial refuelling, and
the range can be improved to 8,000km. a
AIRFORCENEWS
FCt
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Soles sMiG29MT, FCI vs.exportprospect of Russion ond Chinesefighters in the 3rd world countries
<Kanwa News John Wu,Andrei Chang> The English Web
edition of the Russian KommersontDaily reported on November
20,2007 that the Russian MilitaryTechnology Export Service
Bureau of the Russian Federation had given permission to
China's export of FC I fighters fitted with RD93 engines toAlgeria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Nonetheless,this report has not been confirmed by the sources
from the Russian military industry.A number of Russian military
enterprises including MiG Design Bureau told to Kanwa on
several occasions that FC I fighters fitted with Russian engines
can only be exported to countries that will not pose threat tothe market of MiG fighters.
Yet it is true that China has been trying all means to PromoteFC I to the above countries.Among these countries, Bangladesh,
Nigeria and Algeria have bee using different variants of MiG
fighters. Besides, lran, Myanmar, Lebanon and Sri Lanka are also
considered potential clients of FC l.
A careful analysis ofthe current status offighter replacement
in the air forces of those countries indicates that SaudiArabia
and Lebanon are somewhat unlikely to become FC l's clients,
the situations in Algeria and Egypt are unclear, while lran, Sri
Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Nigeria have the potential topurchase FC I .
Firstly, Saudi Arabia is never an importer of Chinese and
Russian fighters.As to Egypt, China has successfully sold 80
plus 40 K8 trainers. Egypt has long aspired to develop its own
aviation industry, and therefore China may promote FC I toEgypt in the form of helping them to establish assembling line.
This will be quite attractive for Egypt, and the biggest attraction
of FCI for Pakistan is also that it can eventually manufacture
the fighter on its own.The situation of lran is quite special.lran
is unlikely to acquire fighters from Europe or the US under the
current international situations, and thus Russia and China are
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the key potential suppliers for them.What lran really wanted in
fact was the twin-engine Su30MK fighter.The lranian Air Force
is also equipped with 24 J7M fighters for training purpose.
Lebanon has never used Chinese-made fighters so far.The
modernization pace of the Algerian Air Force has been very
fast. ln 2006, Nigeria purchased l2 JTNl fighters from China,
which are seemingly used for training purpose.This was the
first time for Nigeria to acquire Chinese fighters.A very simple
question is why a fighter like J7 that is based on MiG2ltechnologies of the last century is now sold everywhere while
MiG29 as a third generation fighter is continually losing the
traditional markets.As it is widely known, FC I originates from
MiG2l, and its life is extended right to the beginning of the
2lst Century. China usually accepts trading aircraft with crude
oil, while Russia itself is a net oil exporter.As a result, once the
Chinese weapons are connected with crude oil, China may have
greater competitive advantage in attracting the oil-producing
countries. China in fact has been putting huge hope on the oil
and gas supplies fromAlgeria,and China was expected to import
a total of 5 million tons of crude oil from them in the year
2007. Chinese oil companies are now operating 7 oilcooperation projects in Algeria.
Kanwa believes that all the African countries thattraditionally use China's J7 and K8 fighters might become the
potential markets of FC l. For medium-developed countries like
Malaysia, however, twin-engine fighters will gradually become
their mainstay air platforms, and as a consequence there will
not be much room for the promotion of FC l.Kanwa also believes that the problematic after-sale service
of MiG is very likely to affect the sales of M|G29SMT more
seriously in the future. Some of the counlries who use MiG29
MiG29SMT
had complained about its after-sale service. For example, the
Malaysian Air Force thinks that the performance of MiG29N is
quite good, but it took 9 months to get the engine repaired
two years ago and the parts become extremely expensive as
the value of Russian ruble increases steadily.This circumstance
might give FC I opportunity to gain certain portion of the
market.Although FCI is not the same standard fighter as
MiG2SSMI there exists an issue of effectiveness vs. price. lf the
price of MiG29SMT approaches that of aWestern fighter, the
traditional advantage of MiG might disappear.
Besides, the changes in the country's government system
might also make China in a more advantageous position than
Russia at the promotion of fighters. Due to the recent increase
of oil revenues, the Russians basically asl< for hard currency
payment for its weapons.After the privatization reform, although
the degree of nationalization of Russia's military enterprises is
still above other\ /estern countries, its nationalization is far
lower than that of China's. Most of China's military industrial
enterprises are state-owned; so the Chinese government plays
a very big role in coordination and it is not difficult at all forChina's enterprises to exchange oil with weaPons.
As to Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Bangladeshi, they are the
major marl<ets of F7, and it is possible for them to use FCI
fighters. Because both Myanmar and Bangladesh own MiG29s
and China's J7 serial fighters, they will become markets where
MiG29 and FCI will have a fierce competition.
To sum up, because of the differences between national
systems,the changes ofthe operating practices ofChina's barter
trades and MiG's own problems in promotion and after-sale
service, China's FC I fighters at the export market cannot be
ignored any more by MiG.K
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TK I SAM
<Kanwa NewsTaipei Andrei Chang> This past January,
theTaiwanese Defence Ministry opened the Sanchih based
Tian Kong I (TK l) SAM Company of the 6l lth Battalion
under the Taiwanese Air Force No.95 I Air Defence
Artillery Brigade to the international media.This base is
mix-deployed with "TK l" and "TK ll" ground-to-air
missiles.TK I uses towed launch vehicle, similar to the
deployment of earlier version 5300P SAM.TK ll adopts
fixed vertical launchers, with each company armed with
more than 32 launchers and each launch room consisting
of 4 vertical launchers.As it is widely known, both TK I
andTK ll's "Chang-bai" search radars use phased array
radar systems, which are deployed at fixed sites and
equipped with protection shield against typhoon weather
conditions. "Chang-bai" radar system has a length of
33.58m, width 10.67m, and height 53.21m. lt is composed
of 5,632 elements and works at S band with l0 available
channels.The official explanation is that the Chang-bai
search radar has a track range of 300km, making all the
front-line military airports and ballistic missile positions
in northern part of China's Fuiian Province under its
coverage. lmages show that LongTian and Lu Qiao
airports are all within the range of its surveillance. lt is
widely known that LongTian Airport is armed with
S3OOPMU- | and HQ2 SAMs. Obviously, the search radar
TK ISAM
TK ISAM
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systems of bothTaiwan and China's ground-to-air missiles now
have overlapped search coverage.TK SAM's CIC and track radar
were also made open to the international media.The CIC is
composed of three double-deck multi-functional colour display
systems, with no large screen display panel in place to
demonstrate the real-time status of the combat theatre.This
CIC is probably intended for back-up purpose.The wholeTK ll
vertical launch compartment and CIC are all built shallow
underground, with a reinforced concrete structure less than
0.5m on top and steel-plated gates. ln contrast, all Russian style
air-to-ground missiles are armed with HE and ground-
penetrating warheads. For instance, H59TE TV guided air-to-
ground missile is capable of penetrating 4-6m-thick reinforced
concrete structure. Judging from the images of the PLA AirForce's simulated attacks upon the targets at Dingxin Airport,rhe accuracy of such strikes is improving steadily.The CS/MPG-
25 track radar is designed to provide target designation forTKl. Each launch unit is equipped with 2 such track radars, which
work at X band and has a total of I 5 channels.The radars are
also deployed at fixed sites, thus have quite weak anti-raid
capability.
Kanwa's analysis is that the objective for the Taiwanese
Defence Ministry to open its TK SAM positions to the
international media is to send a message to the Chinese side
that theTaiwan Strait is not China's "inland sea".TheTaiwanese
Defence Ministry also wants to make the Point that both sides
are now armed with long-range ground-to-air missiles that are
sufficient to cover most of the Taiwan Strait, and Taiwan is now
capable of "controlling the airspace with ground-based missiles"
and undertaking "offensive air defence". Lastly, it also signals to
the Chinese not to take any reckless actions before Taiwan's
presidential election in March.
TK serial SAMs are the third similar missile system in the
world that uses phased array radars.TK I andTK ll have a range
of I 00km and 200km respectively, and the development of these
two types of missiles began in 1980s. lt was until July 2007 that
China received the first batch of 4 battalions of 20Okm-ranged
S300PMU2 SAMs. Since 2006, China has started a whole series
of major projects along the Taiwan Strait to construct 5300
SAM positions. Up to the present, China has started to deploy
at least 5 5300 battalions in this region.
The Sanchih Base separates theTK SAM launch sites from
the radar positions. Keeping a distance between the missiles
and the radars is reasonable, because even if the radar positions
are attacked by anti-radar weapons, the missiles themselves
may avoid the damage. From the latest moves of the PLAAiT
Force in drilling the attacks upon ground-based targets and the
performance features of its equipments, the SAM missile
positions of the Taiwanese forces will be the prime targets in
the initial wave of attacks, should a confrontation break out.
Particularly, the activities of the H6H bombers of PLAAF No. I 0
Division in the region near Chun Xiao Offshore Oilfields deserve
close attention. Some Japanese scholars believe that H6 is
capable of launching air-to-ship missiles, but No. l0 Division
belongs to the Air Force, not the Navy Aviation Force.A key
mission of the H6 bombers of the Navy Aviation Force is to
undertake attacks upon the surface ships ofthe oPPonent.The
activities of the H6 at No. l0 Division have been very frequent
above the waters of the China Sea and there were a total of 43
sorties within two days in September 2007 alone, which was
obviously a campaign tactical drill for certain intense air-based
attacks. Kanwa's analysis is that H6H may very likely be fitted
withYJ63 air-to-ground missile,which has a range of more than
200km, to launch the first round of attacks upon Taiwan's TK
SAM and Patriot ll positions.This is also why the PLAAF has
conducted very active training in the area to the north ofthe
Taiwan Strait. Of course,the attacks can also be supported by
the PLA SecondArtillery Force's campaign tactical missiles (SSM)
armed with cluster warheads. ln other words, after destroying
some of the TK SAM positions and partially paralyzing their
capability to control the airspace, Su30MKKs will fire the 70km-
ranged H3 I P and I lOkm-ranged H3 IPD anti-radar missiles, the
I lSkm-ranged H5SMEASM and the 30km-ranged H29TEASM
to launch surprise assaults upon the "Eagle" missile positions
of the Taiwanese Forces.
When asked by Kanwa why theTK missiles are not equiPPed
with mobile launch vehicles, Lieutenant General Liu Chong-
ling from the Headquarters of the Taiwanese Air Force said
that related exploration and research Programs are underway
at Chong-shan ScienceAcademy, and the key problem lies in
the budget. He pointed out that theTaiwanese military is surely
working towards enhancing the mobility of the missile system.l
*gK
<Kanwa NewsAndrei Pinkov>A source from theThai Navy
told Kanwa thatThailand has become the first foreign countryto use C802A ship-to-ship missile.The l8Okm-ranged C802ASSM has a longer range than the Russian H35 and the US
Harpoon SSMs, and now it is being promoted to Myanmar,
Pakistan and lran.A source from China National PrecisionMachinery l/E Corp (CPMIEC) said at IDEX 2007 held inAbuDhabi that the introduction of C802A SSMs to the internationalmarket was to meet the demand from those countries thathad already acquired Chinese-made C801, C802 SSMs or coast-
to-ship missiles.This means that all the countries that are nowarmed with the above two types of missiles will likely becomethe clients of C802A.
Meanwhile, China also introduced the 280km-ranged YJ6-2
SSM to the international market in 2006.TheThai Navy was
attracted by the longer range of C802A SSM and intended touse it to replace the C80 I SSM currently in service.
The countries currently armed with C80 I includeThailand,
Pakistan, Myanmar andYemen, and the countries using C802areAlgeria, lndonesia, Pakistan and lran (technological transfer).
ln addition,the lranian-made C802 coast-to-ship missiles have
also fallen into the hands of Hamas militia in Lebanon.
ln terms of effective range and price, C802A is veryattractive when used to deal with non-NATO opponents.As a
result, the above countries that are currently employing C80l/802 will very likely turn to procure C802A.The introduction ofType 022 fast missile boat along with C802A SSM may helpChina to win greater share of fast missile boat market.Thosecountries that have experiences using Chinese-made SSMs in
the past may also choose C802A, including Egypt, Sri Lanka and
Bangladesh.The countries that are extremely anti-America, forinstances Syria andVenezuela may very likely turn to China fornaval equipments.
Moreover, the appearance of C802A in the internationalmarket may give rise to regional arms race in ship-to-shipmissiles.The reason why Thailand has decided to purchaseC802A is very likely stimulated by the fact that China is
simultaneously promoting C802A to Myanmar.
Since C802A SSM has a range of more than I 80km, otherChinese-made target designation and positioning systems, longerrange track radar, or even naval helicopters and fixed-wingaircraft may also be promoted to the above countries after thesales of C802A, which will give a boost to China's expansion ofmilitary influence.
Lastly, once lran andYeman acquire C802A,their capability
to blockade the maritime channels in the region will get greatly
enhanced, given the critical geographical locations of the twocountries. C802A can easily blockade the waters of the HormuzStrait and the Bab El Mandab Strait between the Red Sea and
Gulf of Aden. I
.8L,"
Colonel Zohqri Jomin,Director of FutureSystem of theMqloysiq Novy
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MEKOIOO OPV
<Kanwa News Langkawi Andrei Chang> Colonel Zahari
Jamin, Director of Future System of the Malaysia Navy, told
Kanwa in the exclusive interview that China was bidding for
their projects with Type 071 dock landing ship, and the Royal
Malaysian Navy (RMN) had already received proposal'At the
meantime, other countries including South Korea are also
making active effort to participate in the bidding. However, he
said that no decision had been made on which countries should
be awarded the contract. Other government sources said that
the final decision would be announced in the latter part ofthe
9th Five-Year Plan of Malaysia.
Malaysia plans to acquire at least one 13,000-ton class multi-
role landing ship.The Korean Dokdo dock landing ship visited
LIMA 2007 in December. Military observers based in Kuala
Lumpur say that Korea has very high chance to win the contract'
The 4th MEKO- I 00 RMN OPV was launched on 7 December
2007, and the third of the same class OPVs were launched on I 5
November 2007. Malaysia is going to imPort and assemble in
total 6 MEKO- 100 OPVs. Colonel indicated that after all the 6
OPVs are completed,the RMN will conduct comprehensive tests
and only after that will RMN decide on the rype of weapon systems
to be fitted on the OPVs. However, a source from the BOUSTEAD
Navy Shipyard told Kanwa earlier that the previous two MEKO-
100 OPVs will be fitted with air defence modules, including l6-
celled SAM vertical launch system and one RAM air defence
system. Regarding the ship-to-ship missile to be fitted on board,
Colonel said that the RMN is already using NM40 Exocet and
OtomatTeseo SSMs;therefore MEKO-100 will be armed with
mainly European-made shiP-to-shiP missiles. Other military
observers in Kuala Lumpur say that MM40 Exocet Block-lll has
the highest chance to win the contract'
Colonel Jamin also indicated that after all the MEKO- 100
OPVs are completed, the Navy will build more OPVs
independently.
Some military observers in Kuala Lumpur claim that Malaysia
plans to build 6 indigenous OPVs at BOUSTEAD Shipyard in the
first phase, and the design of the vessel models is close to
completion.The hull design of these OPVs originates from MEKO-
I 00, but the speed is probably upgraded to 29 knots.The speed
of the 6 MEKO- 100 currently under construction is 22 knots'
A source from BAE System told Kanwa that Malaysia has
decided to sign a new contract to import 2 new FFGs (Frigate
Batch ll) upgraded from LEKIU class FFG within a short period
(before 2008).This new FFG will be equipped with ESSM
intermediate-range shiP-to-air missile and Smart-S MK-2 air
search radar made byTHALES and LinkY MK2 data link, Captas
Nano sonar, MM40 Block3 SSM and Bofors 57 MK3 naval gun.
Colonel mentioned that the RMN had decided to import
only two French SCORPENE submarines and that there was
no plan to procure more submarines at the moment.
Other military sources from Kuala Lumpur claimed that
the weapon systems of SCORPENE had been confirmed and
budget would be made to purchase SM39 submarine-to-surface
missiles.At the same time,the RMN is establishing the submarine
fleet headquarters in SABA Province, which will directly
command the two submarines.Administratively, the fl eet belongs
to the Navy's Second Administrative Region' but command-
wise, the fleet headquarters rePorts directly to the Chief of
the Malaysian Navy. I
ARMYNEWS
KSIA SAM
<Kanwa News Langkawi Andrei Chang>ROSOBORONEXPORT Company revealed at the LIMA 2007
press conference that they were bidding for the Malaysian Armyprojects with BUK-M2E surface-to-air missile system (SAM).A
source from JSCV.Tikhomirov Scientific Research lnstitute oflnstrument Design (NllP) says that compared with the earliervariant BUK-M l-2 SAM, BUK-M2E has an upgraded 9S36E radarsystem.As for the surface-to-air missile, both systems use the
same 9M3 lTE.The RPM phased array tracking radar fitted on
the original BUK-M I -2 has an effective track range of 20km
and is installed on the launch vehicle, while BUK-M2E's RPM
**, . r.. .
tracking radar uses a separate radar vehicle with a 22m-longstretchable tower, and its search range is enhanced to 35km. ltis also noticed that the anti cruise missile capability is also
improved. BUK-M l-2's radar system can attack only 5 targetssimultaneously,while the upgraded BUK-M2E can attack 24 airtargets at the same time, covering an area of 0.0 l5-25km. BUK-M2E has an effective range of 3-45km for aircrafr targets,firingaltitude 0.015-25km, intercept range for ballistic missile targetsl5-20km, intercept altitude for cruise missiles 0. l-20km, and
effective attack range for helicopters 42km.
The PLA Navy's 4 956E/EM DDGs and 2 0528 DDGs are
all armed with 9M3 l7Es.A source confirmed that this type ofship-to-air missile does have the capability to attack surface
battleships, with an effective attack range of 25km for torpedocraft and lSkm for missile swift boat.The response time of thewhole system is l0- l2 seconds.The original BUK-M l-2 ground-
to-air missile system launch vehicle can only carry 4 9Yl3l7ESAMs, while the upgraded BUK-M2E uses 9A39M I vehicle and
can carry I 9M3 I 7Es.
From the technical parameters publicized by Russia, thewarhead weight of the Shtil- l/9M3 I 7E ship-to-air missile is onlyT0kg.Therefore, even if it has the capability to attack targets on
the sea, they are intended to deal with small ships only.
Nonetheless, as the effective range of the missile for torpedocraft and missile swift boats is below 25km, it does not have
much operational value.Torpedo crafts have phased out in many
countries,while the missiles fitted on modern missile swift boats
normally have an effective range of more than 4Okm.As a result,
9M3 l7E's attack power for small-tonnage ships is onlysuPPortive. I
II
I
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JEFF CHEN, ANDREI CHANG
PLA's nucleorwstockpile inc
LRBM AND ICBM WARHEADSWith more DF3 lA and JL2 long range strategic ballistic
missiles (LRBM) entering service, China's stockpile of nuclear
warheads has increased sharply,giving it preliminary capability
to engage in three-dimensional nuclear strikes upon opponent
targets.The changes in China's nuclear capability sarted in 1995,
before which the PLA Second Artillery Force (PLASAF) was
often teased as "a military service that need to find ways of
exiting".At that time, most of the soldiers serving under PLASAF
would have to rely on "growing vegetables and raising pigs" tofind their own way out. Such a miserable situation was very
much the result of the aftershocl< of the large-scale US and
Soviet Union disarmament of their nuclear arsenals.After 1995,
however, with the intensification of the Taiwan Strait situation,
China began to refocus its attention on the development of
nuclear capability so as to possess effective deterrence against
possible US military interference in the Taiwan Strait. The
PLASAF started to put forward such slogans as "Using the
Second Artillery Force to launch the first strike for decisive
victory".This marked the beginning of the transformation of
the PLASAF from "balanced nuclear and conventional capability"
to "focusing more on nuclear capability". ln terms oftechnologies, the PLASAF sped up the development of carrier
vehicles for long-range strategic missiles including mainly DF3 I
and JL2. Besides, in order to make up the shortfall of nuclear
arsenal within a short period, China produced additional DF5A
ICBMs and undertool< service life prolonging for the existing
DF3 IRBMs and DF4 long range strategic missiles.
With the deployment of more lCBMs, the number ofChinese long-range strategic missile brigades has also increased.
Meanwhile, at least two 094 SSBNs and one 092M SSBN have
entered service.As Kanwa's analyst pointed out in October
2007 issue of KanwaAsian Defence, there were traces that the
DF4 long range ballistic ballistic missile positions located at
Delinghayuan in Qinghai Province had been expanded. Straight
highway lanes stretch several hundred kilometres in the region,
and some sections of the highways have been revamped and
new preliminary missile positions have been constructed.This
indicates that China will very likely start deploying more DF3 lAhighway-mobile lCBMs.
The most likely strategic missile brigades that may receive
DF5 and DF5A ICBMs include No.80 I and No.804 Brigade.
No.8 l3 Brigade is stationed at Nanyang of Henan Province, a
unit generally believed to have been armed with DF5 lCBMs. ln
addition, No.809 and No.8 l2 Brigades stationed in Qinghai are
also armed with DF4s. No.803 and No.805 Brigades are
stationed in Hunan, and they are said to have also received
DF4s. Some of the DF4 brigades may have started to receive
DF3 lA lCBMs.The positioning of DF4 and DF3 lA seems to be
very close within the PLASAE and both are called "Long Range
Strategic Missiles", while D5 is called ICBM. Besides, there is
speculation that there is No.8 l8 Missile Brigade armed with
DF3 l, but this has not been confirmed by official sources. ln
that regard, because China currently does not yet have sufficient
quantity of ICBMs with a range above 10,000km, upgrading and
service life prolonging of DF5s is very likely to continue.
The increase of nuclear warheads within the PLASAF
focuses on the strategic objective of "forcing other major nuclear
powers not to dare nuclear blackmail upon China". ln terms of
the material for the production of nuclear warheads, China has
sufficient supplies. China has very rich uranium resources, and
its production of plutonium reserves has continued for quite a
heods
MclsanwEAPoNIrssuE
l{f i9ia4*r:':.'i:i*r!la&,:;t;ii;::,..t1.-.,. ::-.
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Gommunlst Paftu and tne PH:still tightly bonded butreforms on the horizon
<Kanwa News Andrei Chang> The power of theCommunist Party of China was won through military struggles
rather than relying on the underground movements like Cheka
of the former Soviet Union (which later transformed into the
KGB) and workers' uprising, and therefore the influence of the
military forces upon the Party is greater than that in othersocialist countries.The composition of the CPC Central
Commission and the CPC Political Bureau after the lTthNational Congress continues to represent such a unique feature
of the power dynamics. Nonetheless, gradually, the relationship
between the Communist Party and the Military (the PLA) is
undergoing some subtle changes.The new generation leaders
obviously aspire that the PLA can be further kept away from
the top decision-making establishment of the CPC Central
Commission.
After the 24th National Congress of the Soviet Union
Communist Party, the members of the Party
Central Committee who represented theMilitary were kept under 77o.ln addition, the
Defence Ministry was given the real power tocommand the military affairs of the country,
and the Headquarters of General Staff was also
under the direct control of the DefenceMinistry.
During the CPC lTth National Congress
last year, a total of 204 members were elected
to the CPC Central Committee,4l of whom
were from the PLA,which accounts for 20%
of the total. This number with militarybackground indisputably shows that China's
one-party government still has a very strong
military colour. The total number ofrepresentatives attending the I 7th National
Congress was 2,2 13, among whom 247 were
from the PLA and I I were specially invited
representatives who have made outstanding
contribution to the construction of the Chinese military forces.
Based on these figures,there were totally 285 represenutives
from the PLA at the Congress, or I I .658%. ln comparison, during
the l6th National Congress 5 years ago,there were 44 members
from the PLA and Armed Police among the 198-membered
Central Committee, or 22.22%, During the l5th NationalCongress,the proportion of members and alternate members
with military background in the Central Committee was l%
higher than that of the I 6th National Congress. ln that sense,
the proportion of the military members in the CentralCommittee has been on the decrease gradually in threeconsecutive National Congress, though the range of such change
is very small. Nonetheless, Kanwa thinks this change is of some
significance as this has been a period when the political situation
ofTaiwan Strait experienced acute deterioration,and the above
figures symbolizes that the military has not had greater say
After the 24th Notionot Congress of the Soviet Union CommunistPortg, the members of the Portg Centrot Committee whorepresented the Mititorg were kept under 7'1. ln oddition, theDefence Ministrg wos given the reol power to commond the mititorgoffoirs of the countru, ond the fleodquorters of Generot Stoff wosotso under the direct controt of the Defence Ministrg.
within the Party during this time.
ln terms of the composition of the Political Bureau of the
Central Committee,there are only 2 representatives from the
PLA in the 25-membered Politburo.As a matter of fact, since
the l4th National Congress, PLA members in the Politburohave been kept at 2. Because the overall number of Politburo
members has increased, however, the proportion of militarymembers in the Parry's top decision-making body has decreased.
ln the I 4th, I 5th, I 6th and I 7th National Congress, the totalmembers of the Politburo are respectively 20, 22,24,25,andthe percentage of military members are respectively l0%,9%,
8.3% and 8%.Among the Standing Members of the Political
Bureau of the Central Committee, there were no members
from the PLA in the I 5th, I 6th or I 7th National Congress,
while during the l4th Congress, Liu Huaqing quite abnormally
became a Standing Member. On the other hand, during the Soviet
Union years, KGB had much greater influence on theCommunist Party than the Chinese intelligence establishment,
which is one of the key differences between the Soviet Unionand Chinese Party politics. ln l976,Yuri Andropov himself
became the General Secretary from the Director of KGB.
Starting from the 2lst National Congress in 196 l,Andropovhad been a member of the Party's Central Committee and
became the Politburo member from 1973. His successor at
KGB,Victor Chebrikov, was also a member of the Party's
Politburo. ln contrast, China's Minister of National Security has
never been a member of the Politburo. lnterestingly,atthe l6thNational Congress, Public Security Minister ZhouYongkang was
elected as the member of the Political Bureau, the first time inthe history of the Chinese Communist Party.
As it is widely known, the core of power in a socialistgovernment lies in the composition of the Secretariat of theCentral Committee. None of the members of the Secretariatof the CPC Central Committee elected ar rhe lTrh Congress
is from the PLA, while after the l6th Congress, Xu Caihou
entered the Secretariat.This could be perceived that the core
of national power is now straying away from the militarypersonnel.
The influence of the military forces upon the Party has
been the greatest among all socialist countries, which is one ofthe most important factors that has hindered China's political
reforms.The key defect of such a system lies in the lacking ofeffective coordination mechanism among different interestgroups, which normally leads to inability in management ofnational crlsis. It is quite unusual for the Foreign Minster, theNational Security Minster and the Defence Minister not to be
in the CPC Political Bureau, nor are the members of the CentralMilitary Committee.This has been why the Chinese NationalDefence and Foreign Ministries had different voices on a series
of events from the US-China aircraft clash in the airspace above
South China Sea to the shooting down of an aging weathersatellite in the beginning of last year. China's capability in
managing crisis is even inferior to that of the Former SovietUnion. ln the 1970s, the Soviet Union resumed the function ofa National Defence Committee,whose members included theDefence Minister,the Deputy Defence Minister;Head of General
Staff of the Soviet Union armed forces, the Political Commissars
This reform is otso intended tofurther exercise cottectiveleodership in notionqI mititorgoffoirs. From the chonges inthe composition of the CentrotMititorg Commission, there ispossibititg thot furtherexponsion of the Commissionwitt toke ptoce. ,r':' ';i::':'
of the Soviet Union Navy and Army, Commander-in-chief oftheWarsaw Pact armed forces, Chairman of the Soviet Union
KGB, the Minister of lnternal Affairs, Chairman of the Soviet
Union Military lndustrial Committee, and Prime Minister.Obviously,the Soviet Union Communist Party had much betterpolicy coordination mechanism than the Chinese Communist
P"rty.
ln the area of political reforms, China has established a topcoordination department similar to the US Commission on
National Security, and the concept of having civilian officials
entering the Central Mititary Commission has been put forward
by Chinese scholars for quite some time. However,the reforms
did not get headway because the non-military regime headed
by Hu Jintao had no absolute authority.As a result, the pace ofChina's national political syslem reforms and the nationalization
of the armed forces are unlikely to accelerate within the next 5
years.
At the level of the Central Military Commission,the reforms
in recent years have mainly centred on completely changing
the conventional "Grand Ground Force" mindset. Starting in
2004,the top commanders of the PLA Navy,Air Force, Nanjing
Military Region, and the Second Artillery Force have all become
members of the Central Military Commission,giving a balanced
status of all services of the armed forces. Since the l4thCongress,there have been normally 7 members in the Central
Miliary Commission, including the Chairman of the Commission.
At the l6th Congress, the Central Military Commission was
increased to 8 members, and it was fumher increased to I I at
the lTth Congress.The expansion of the Central MilitaryCommission was aimed at giving a more balanced attention tothe interests of different services within the PLA and different
power factions of the country.This reform is also intended tofurther exercise collective leadership in national military affairs.
From the changes in the composition of the Central MilitaryCommission, there is possibility that further expansion of the
Commission will take place.And yet as long as the National
Central Military Commission continues to command the armed
forces directly through the PLA Headquarters of General Staff
rather than the Defence Ministry, the role of the Defence
Ministry will remain nominal.
How does the Standing Committee of the CPC Political
Bureau coordinate with the National Central MilitaryCommission? China's existing political system has not even
addressed this issue structurally. I
ffi;'ur- tnlwnli;!* F,! i'r'f,i ,' ll';:
Chino's snowstorm disostersond Toiwon's referendum
<Kanwa NewsAndrei Chang> ln 2008,the first major test
for the Chinese communist government in crisis management
is handling the recent snowstorm disasters and Taiwan's "UN
membership referendum", which is a mirror of Hu Jintao'spersonal competence in governing the country. Despite China's
full-force effort to mobilize all diplomatic resources and to close-
in and intercept the Taiwan's referendum in the international
community within a period of almost half a year,Taiwan has
finally decided to hold the two referendums.At any rate, this
should be taken as diplomatic failure for China, as this result
symbolizes that China's communication with the United States
and Japan has not been effective, and the "shared crisismanagement" model has not had the effect expected by the
parties involved.The latest snowstorm disasters throughout a
large part of China indisputably reflected the incompetence ofthe Chinese government, particularly the inability to coordinate
between the central government and local authorities, the un-
preparedness ofthe Southern provinces to respond to emergent
crises, and the ineffectiveness of the armed forces to control
the situation. Compared with the "combating floods and rescue
campaign" and the l,995196 military exercises during the JiangZemin years, Hu Jintao's organizing capability and his controlover the armed forces seem not as good as his predecessor.
The response to the latest snowstorm disasters also
exposed the low competence of the Chinese society as a whole
in coping with unexpected crises, particularly in such critical
areas as transportation, power supply, as well as how to deploy
the armed forces quickly and to combat natural disasters.When
the central government orders are blocked or resisted by the
local governments, should a large-scale confrontation break outat theTaiwan Strait and theTaiwanese military attacks the main
transportation lines and power supply systems in such critical
areas as the Pearl River Delta, Shanghai, Fujian and Jiangxi, how
will the PLA be able to deliver a large number of troops to the
front?This is a question that deserves serious reconsideration
by the top Chinese leadership.The sustained panic and confusion
in the areas under such attacks may give rise to harsh suspicion
of the general public about this war, particularly when thewarfare comes into a deadly stalemate.The recent disasters
also show that local governments are incompetent in
coordinating among themselves. Under this circumstance, the
capability of the Chinese forces to engate in long-distance
assaults will have to be reviewed.
ln the early days of the disasters, the PLA forces were not
involved. ln a major social or Taiwan Strait crisis, how tocoordinate between the armed police and the PLA forces?
Obviously, the motivation of using the PLA forces is that the
armed police will need to guard against public riots in time of
crisis.A feature report on the Guangzhou Doily on 2 February
2008 claimed that "with the approval of the Central Military
Committee, 1,500 military officers from Guangzhou MilitaryRegion entered Guangzhou Railway Station", an evidence ofthe PLA's incompetence to respond to local emergencies.
Mobilizing a battalion-level unit of the PLA should have to be
approved by the Central Military Committee,and to what extent
has Hu Jintao controlled China's armed forces?This seems tobe a legitimate question to be asl<ed.
AfterTaiwan formally publicized its decision to go ahead
with the two UN membership referendums, the two Taiwan
Affairs Offices of China made a statement, claiming "the Chen
Shui-bien government will pay a price for this". Kanwa has
noticed that the firepower of this statement is much lowerthan the tough 2007 statement by the same twoTaiwan AffairOffices that called Chen Shui-bien "a person condemned by
history and therefore would not get away from the punishment
of history". Obviously, China is attempting to find ways to back
down from its positions on the "Thiwan Referendum" issue.
Regarding the "price" thatTaiwan has to pay, China's attack
firepower is now focused on Chen himseli not even mentioning"the Taiwan Authority", which to some extent refleccs the fact
that China has few choices in handling this issue. ln addition,
the development of situation in Taiwan can be extremelyunfavourable to China:whether the Nationalist Party's "return-
to-UN Referendum" or the Democratic Progressive Party's"join-UN referendum", if the popular votes supporting rhe above
two referendums amount to more than 50% jointly, it may be a
demonstration of the genuine mainscream opinion of the
peoples in Taiwan, which will be a big constraint for China's
future Taiwan policies.
Hu Jintao's capability to govern the Chinese armed forces
has been a focal point of attention by the outside world. ln the
course of the recent disasters, the overall performance of the
armed forces was much poorer than that during the anti-flood
campaigns in the earlier years. lf Hu fails to tal<e an even tougher
stance than Jiang Zemin in 1996 in coping with Taiwan's
referendum issue, Hu's personal prestige and popularity withinthe PLA will plunge even further.S
ln 2008, the first mojor test for theChinese communist governmentin crisis monogement is hondtingthe recent snowstorm disostersond Toiwon's "UN membershipreferendurn", which is o mirror ofHu lintoo's personoI competencein governing the countru.
s.-: lHttnvrtwi'
Fr 8C
continue to use F/A l8C and commends highly the multi-role
capability of Super Hornet fighter, saying that the technological
evolvement is very "forward-looking", and its survivability and
technical performance are also among the best. He points out
particularly that Super Hornet is equipped with active phased
array radar system, leading-edge network and computer
technologies.The General gives a lengthy account of the
advanced technological standard of Super Hornet, underscoring
that theAir Force has a very high opinion on this fighter.
ln the Kanwa's exclusive interview with former Malaysian
Air Force Chieftwo years ago,the general stressed that during
the 9th Five-Year Plan,theAir Force planed to purchase 3-4
aerial earlier warning and command aircraft (AEW&C).The
SAAB "Balance Beam"AEW&C ParticiPated in the LIMA 2005.
When talking about the procurement ofAWACS, Gene ral Azizan
says that they are now considering different kinds of AEW&C
and AWACS. He indicates that Malaysia
has already conducted an extensive
study of different types of AEW&C
aircraft, and the consultation rePort has
been submitted to the government.The
Air Force hopes that decision will be
,? made soon on which tYPe of aircraft
R--.
s',
Su30MKM
Moloysion AirChief GenerolSri Azizon
<Kanwa News Langkawi Andrei Chang>When asked about
the current status of Su30MKM multi-role fighters in Malaysia,
General Azizan says that Su30MKM has outstanding capabilities
of air combat and ground attack, and Malaysia is very satisfied
with Russia's timely production and delivery.The MalaysianAir
Force received the first batch of 6 Su30MKMs in July 2007, and
all delivery will be completed in December 2008. Malaysia has
ordered a total of l8 Su3OMKMs.
As for the training and maintenance of
Su30MKM, General indicates that training is
already underway in cooperation withseveral countries, and theAir Force has the
capability to maintain Su30MKM. Since the
beginning of the Su30MKM project, related \training has been underway and the
Malaysian pilots now have sufficient ability tr#to control the fighter. ln terms of repair
MiG35
*
t -..
service for Su30MKM, Malaysia plans toundertake intermediate and organizational
level maintenance, and the Air Force has
acquired the necessary equipments specifically for that purpose.
A source from the Russian military industry says that the
MalaysianAir Force may very likely purchase more Su30MKM
fighters. On this issue, General Azizan stresses that they plan
to establish 4 plus I multi-role fighter squadrons.This is a long-
term program aimed at enhancing the overall deterrence
capability of the Air Force. General points out in particular that
although Malaysian has imported Su30MKMs,theAir Force will
continue to keep F/A- l8 Super Hornet Program alive. Shortly
before this, Pakistan tried to promote JF l7 fighters to Malaysia.
Two years ago, however, the former Malaysian Air Chief Dato
Sri Nik lsmail bin Nik Mohamed indicated in an exclusive
interview with Kanwa that candidate fighters that were under
consideration by the Malaysian Air Force were F/A- l8 Super
Hornet and advanced Russian fighters,which denied indirectly
they would even consider purchasing JF I 7.
General Azizan says that the Malaysian Air Force will
to Procure.When asked about the service of
MiG29N, General Azizan says thatMalaysia does not have any plan to
upgrade it. He gives a high mark for its
combat performance, claiming that the
Air Force is very satisfied with MiG29N. However' when
mentioning about the maintenance of MiG29N' he points out
that in the philosophy of providing maintenance service, Russia
and Malaysia are strikingly different, particularly concerning the
coverage of on-condition services. Because of this,theAir Force
paid large amount of money for maintenance service.
Nevertheless, General says MiG29N is worth its value, and the
Air Force is happy with the maintainability of the fighter.Thus,
M|G29N will continue to be in service until they are no longer
required.
On the issue of MiG's effort to bid for the Malaysian projects
with MiG35, General simply says that MiG35 has advanced
avionics, cockpit and HOTAS technologies' ln addition, MiG35
is also equipped with digital maps and helmet-mounted aiming
system, and vector trust engines. He believes that MiG35 has
also lowered production cost, and its survivability is 2.5 times
higher than the older version MiG29.n
rl&affi'btu
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