China may test Y-7 variant as carrier-based

China is unlikely to use the KJ-2000 or KJ-200 as airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft on its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, due to weight, size, and other factors. The Liaoning needs a type of medium-sized AEW aircraft that do not occupy much space, military expert Du Wenlong said in an interview with China Central Television on Jan. 19.

Another military expert Li Li said that an AEW variant of the Xian Y-7 is probably being tested for use as AEW aircraft on the Liaoning, but it still faces problems concerning wing folding and hangar capacity.

Du said that the existing KJ-2000 or KJ-200 is not the suitable AEW aircraft for the Liaoning. Carrier-based AEW aircraft must features light weight and small size, while the two models of AEW aircraft are too heavy. The KJ-2000 weighs more than 100 tons. The KJ-200 weighs dozens of tons, and has a relatively big size. Carrier-based AEW aircraft should have a small size, and occupy small space because every inch of space on an aircraft carrier is extremely valuable. The Liaoning needs a type of medium-sized AEW aircraft which can combat in coordination with the J-15 or the next-generation carrier-based aircraft, so as to form a sound maritime attacking and defense system.

The Rafale deal and why it makes China nervous

The People's Daily, the Chinese Communist newspaper, says the sale of the Rafale fighter plane 'encourages, excites and spurs India's appetite and ambition to become a great military power while intensifying its aggressive and expansionist tendencies, which poses a serious threat to peace and stability in Asia.'

Does India have a choice, considering the People's Liberation Army's frantic speed of development, wonders Claude Arpi.

There were six in contention; four were dropped, and one became the Chosen One: The Rafale.

In French, 'Rafale' poetically means a 'sudden gust of wind.'

It was one of the six fighter aircraft in competition for the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft, MMRCA, when the Indian Air Force wanted to acquire 126 polyvalent fighter planes.

In April 2011, the IAF shortlisted two birds -- the Rafale produced by Dassault Aviation and the Eurofighter (known in Europe as 'Typhoon') from EADS, the European consortium.

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It was a big deal worth $12 billion. You can imagine the stakes, especially for Dassault which a few months earlier, was unsuccessful in exporting its flagship plane to Brazil and the Emirates.

Finally on January 31, 2012, the IAF announced that the Rafale was the chosen one.

The 'deal of the century' was that 18 Rafales would be supplied in fly-away condition by Dassault to the IAF by 2015 (or three years after the signature of the contract) and the remaining 108 pieces would be manufactured in India under a transfer of technology agreement.

The concurrent company did not let go easily and a lot of lobbying started. The British prime minister wanted Delhi to explain the reasons of favouring the French. 'The Typhoon is a superb aircraft, far better than the Rafale,' David Cameron said, adding: 'Of course, I will do everything I can --- as I have already -- to encourage the Indians to look at the Typhoon, because I think it is such a good aircraft.'

Interestingly, the Chinese were also unhappy with the selection of the Rafale by the IAF, but for other reasons.

An article published in The People's Daily (French edition only) argued that India and France were supposed to be non-violent countries, how could they ink such a deal?

India, China Try To Revive Military Exercises

India and China discussed reviving military exercises Jan. 14, stalled since 2010, and increasing military exchanges during the Third India-China Annual Defence Dialogue in Beijing, said an Indian Defence Ministry official.
India and China held their first military exercise in 2007 in China followed by another in 2008 in India. The planned military exercise in 2010, however, was stalled after China denied a visa to an Indian Army commander.
Indian Defence Secretary Shahsikant Sharma led the Indian delegation at the Jan. 14 Third India-China Annual Defence Dialogue, while the Chinese deputy chief of the General Staff, Gen. Qi Jianguo, led the Chinese side.
“Both sides agreed to expand and enhance bilateral exchanges covering the Army, Navy and Air Force of both countries,” says an Indian Defence Ministry release.
The two sides also discussed regional and international issues of common interests, including potential hotspots in the Asia-Pacific region and in the India-China border areas, adds the release.
India and Vietnam are jointly working on exploiting energy resources in South China Sea, which is not to the liking of Beijing.
Early this year, the Indian Navy chief, Adm. D.K. Joshi, said that Beijing’s growing maritime strength was a “major, major cause for concern,” and pledged to support a state energy firm in its contentious search for oil in the South China Sea.
“It is actually a major, major cause of concern for us, which we continuously evaluate and work out our options and our strategies for,” Joshi had said.
India and China fought a brief battle in 1962 over border issues and have held a series of talks to resolve the issue. The dispute between the two countries involves the longest contested boundary in the world. China claims 92,000 square kilometers of Indian territory.

Chinese J-16 Sino Strike Flanker Fighter Jet Prototype

Chinese J-16 Sino Strike Flanker Fighter Jet Prototype at the at aircraft manufacturing facility of the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC)

Chinese QBJ 10 12.7mm Sniper Rifle

Chinese QBJ 10 12.7mm Sniper Rifle uses 12.7x108mm round which are claimed to be capable of  penetrating 50mm of steel plate at 1500 m  and 100mm when fired from a distance of 200 m.

China Warns Citizens To 'Prepare For The Worst' As It Sends Fighters To East China Sea

After repeatedly flying surveillance aircraft into disputed airspace with Japan, and Tokyo scrambling F-15s in response, China sent fighters of its own on Thursday into the East China Sea. 
Update: Following additional research, and newly released details of the event, this report was updated and expanded early morning January 13.
A Friday press release out of China confirms the incident began when Beijing was flying a Shaanxi Y-8 on a "routine Thursday patrol" over the "oil and gas fields in the East China Sea."
The fact that it's a Shaanxi Y-8 is interesting in that the Y-8 isn't necessarily any one particular aircraft..
The Diplomat calls the Y-8 a transport plane, and it can be, but the aircraft has more than 30 variants. The Y-8 performs everything from Mineral Research, to Geophysical Surveying, to Electronic Warfare to Intelligence Gathering and one variant is simply an innocuous but lethal fully loaded gunship, with two heavy cannons and three heavy machine guns.

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Naha, Okinawa with bar scale and regional map inset

It's the perfect plane for a game of cat and mouse because if the Y-8 ever received fire from Japan's F-15s, China could simply maintain it was an unarmed transport model carrying troops, or the Y8-F model that carries only livestock. In the meantime, the plane can perform all manner of sophisticated tests on the seabed floor, and eavesdrop on Japanese communications. China's been sending them consistently lately to surveil the contested island chain that's supposed to hold billions in oil and gas reserves.
So, again, on Thursday Japan spots aircraft in its Air Defense Identification Zone (above the islands) but this time it believes Chinese J-7  fighter-interceptors, and the Chinese developed J-10 fighter that rivals Western jets in its combat abilities are there as well. Tokyo responds by sending two F-15s from Naha, Okinawa — just a couple hundred miles away. There are minor variations from either side about who sent what first, but all agree the aircraft met above the islands.
The Chinese planes scattered soon after, but this marked the first time China and Japan flung military assets at one another over the East China Sea island dispute. A line was crossed and staying behind it in the future will only be more difficult, which is why a tempering third party will be crucial in the coming days.

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Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell announced, he'll be traveling to Seoul, and Tokyo. What he decides in Tokyo will filter south to Naha and the Japanese unit confronting the Chinese.
An interesting fact about Naha, aside from its proximity to the contested territory, is that while being fairly remote it is home to Alfred R. Magleby, United States Consul General who holds a M.S. in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College. Appropriate, since the Naha Port (Military) Facility is part of U.S. Forces Japan and the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma is less than nine miles from where the F-15s scrambled.
It looks like the islands everyone's talking about are a few dots in the middle of nowhere, but all of this is taking place before the U.S. Consulate and a contingent of nearly 10,000 U.S. Marines whose former commanding general told Time in 2010: "All of my Marines on Okinawa are willing to die if it is necessary for the security of Japan."

Russia, China Plan to Boost Cooperation on Missile Defense

Russia and China are planning to intensify their cooperation on missile defense in response to America’s growing missile defense potential around the globe, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said on Wednesday.
“We are concerned about US plans to build a global missile defense system, including in the Asia-Pacific region,” Patrushev said during the 8th round of Russian-Chinese consultations on strategic security in Beijing.
“Our Chinese partners share our concerns and we have agreed to coordinate our actions in that respect,” he said, adding that it would help both countries to develop a “constructive” approach toward missile defense issue.
Russia and China have been keeping a close eye on US moves to deploy missile defenses around the arc of the South China Sea in addition to the planned European missile shield.
Washington and Tokyo agreed last September to construct an advanced X-band missile early-warning radar in southern Japan to join an existing AN/TPY-2 radar in Japan’s northern Aomori Prefecture.
Some reports suggest that US Missile Defense Agency and the US Pacific Command are considering a third such radar somewhere else in Southeast Asia, possibly, in the Philippines.
Washington is also planning to expand the grouping of Aegis-equipped US warships that patrol international waters in the region.

Top 10: how does Chinese PLA eye on 2012 world military

1. China’s first aircraft carrier, the “Liaoning” ship, was officially delivered to PLA Navy.

After the construction, test and trial navigation were completed as scheduled, China’s first aircraft carrier was formally delivered to the Navy of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on September 25, 2012.

Approved by the Central Military Commission (CMC), it was named the “Liaoning” ship of the PLA Navy with a designated hull number of “16″. Related scientific experiments and military trainings continued following the official delivery and commissioning of the “Liaoning” ship.

On November 25, Chinese Navy’s first batch of carrier-borne aircraft pilots successfully flew the home-made J-15 fighters to accomplish the arrested deck landing and ski-jump takeoff on the “Liaoning” ship.

2. The U.S. announced new military strategy.

US President Barack Obama announced a new military strategy on January 5, 2012 to shift U.S. focus to the Asia-Pacific region. According to the strategy, the U.S. will slim down its army’s scale, reduce its military presence in Europe and strengthen its military presence to the Asia-Pacific region.

The US Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta expounded the “rebalance strategy in Asia-Pacific region” at the Shangri-La Dialogue on June 2, 2012 and stated that the U.S. would deploy 60% of its warships in the Pacific Ocean by 2020.

3. Russia’s first fifth-generation strategic missile corps established

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced the establishment of its first fully-equipped missile corps of the fifth-generation guided missiles, namely “Yars” and “Aspen-M”, on September 20 in the State of Ivanovo near Moscow. After the fifth-generation guided missile system is equipped, Russia further enhanced its capability to break through the anti-missile system.

Prior to that, the NATO announced the official launch of the European anti-missile system on May 20.

4. “RIMPAC 2012″ exercise held

The world’s largest multi-national maritime military joint exercise, namely the “Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2012″ led by the U.S. was held in Hawaii and its surrounding waters on June 29 with the participation of 42 warships, 6 submarines, 200-plus aircraft and 25,000 soldiers from 22 countries. Russia and India participated in the exercise for the first time.

The contents of this exercise included the offense-defense combat of aircraft carriers, beach landing drills and others aiming to test the coordinated operation capability between the U.S. fleet and the allied fleets in the Asia-Pacific region.

5. Israel took “Defense Pillar” military action against Gaza.

The number of rockets fired into Israel by armed personnel of Palestinians saw sudden increase in Gaza Strip starting from November 10. Israel’s Defense Forces initiated a large-scale military operation, code-named “Defense Pillar”, against Gaza from November 14 to 21.

This action led to the death of 162 Palestinians, including Jabari, the No. 2 leader of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and leader of the Qassam Brigade, together with the destruction of a great number of infrastructures in Gaza. This was the most intense fire exchange between Israel and Hamas in recent years.

A Major U.S. Intelligence Failure On Estimating China's Total Number Of Nuclear Weapons?

New U.S. Law Seeks Answers On Chinese Nuke Tunnels

 The U.S. military must consider both conventional and nuclear capabilities to “neutralize” China’s underground nuclear weapons storage facilities, according to a Pentagon authorization signed into law.

The new National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), signed by U.S. President Barack Obama on Jan. 2, orders the Commander of the U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) to submit a report by Aug. 15 on the “underground tunnel network used by the People’s Republic of China with respect to the capability of the United States to use conventional and nuclear forces to neutralize such tunnels and what is stored within such tunnels.”
A Georgetown University team led by Phillip Karber conducted a three-year study to map out China’s complex tunnel system, which stretches 3,000 miles.
The 2011 report, “Strategic Implications of China’s Underground Great Wall,” concluded that the number of nuclear weapons estimated by U.S. intelligence was incorrect. His team estimated that as many as 3,000 nuclear weapons could be hidden within a vast labyrinth in several locations in China. U.S. intelligence estimates have been reporting consistently that China had, at the most, 300 nuclear warheads in its arsenal.
Karber’s report presents evidence of a complex system of tunnels in areas noted for nuclear testing and storage — a far greater subterranean cavity than needed for just 300 nuclear weapons.
NDAA sections 1045, 1271 and 3119 all highlight U.S. congressional concerns over China’s nuclear and military modernization efforts. Bonnie Glaser, a China specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, doubts these sections of the NDAA will have major policy consequences for U.S.-China relations: “The intelligence community tracks China’s nuclear weapons closely — is a federally funded research and development center going to find a new threat?”

With Beidou, China reopens the battle of satellite navigation

China has put into service Beidou satellite navigation system sound. It is less lucrative aspect of this market, its strategic and military convinced Chinese, Russians and Europeans to invest tens of billions to develop their own programs guide satellite ...

The American GPS saw the last hours of his lucrative monopoly. After Russia, China, which is launching its own satellite navigation system. Beidou entered service on Thursday and covers the vast territory of the Middle Kingdom, Asia and South-East part of Oceania.

Launched in 2000, the Chinese program called "Big Dipper" (in Chinese Beidou) has already put into orbit a constellation of 16 satellites, plus four more in the experimental stage. To the Chinese press, the Beidou system is the opportunity to extol the success of the national engineering in space. But China does not stop there. The program includes the launch of a new forty satellites by 2024 to increase its coverage to the whole world. The objective is to capture 70-80% of the market for navigation satellite estimated at $ 500 billion by 2020 ...

Technology that is experiencing

Beidou but must first demonstrate the reliability of the system if it does not want to know the same torments as GLONASS , the system of Russian satellite navigation. Commissioned in 2008, the "Russian GPS" has never proved its reliability. Satellite failures, devices fall into the Pacific Ocean ... The system is not developed, so that the Russian Air Force no longer wants. "The GLONASS system is useless for Russian aircraft" has dared to write Neradko Alexander, head of the Russian Federal Agency of Air Transport, before being forced to deny his statements. He believes that the obligation of all Russian aircraft to be equipped with a compatible navigation system was extremely expensive. Thus required 25,000 euros per plane for a dual GPS / GLONASS. In addition, experts complain about the poor quality of the signal, which could make it dangerous to navigation airliners ... Even the Russian government recognizes that GLONASS known failures, despite its exorbitant cost (10 billion euros in 2020).

China dares Japan on archipelago

A Chinese aircraft flew over the Senkaku Islands on Thursday, stepping up Beijing’s efforts to challenge Japanese control of the disputed archipelago.
Japan scrambled fighter jets from nearby Okinawa after a Chinese state aircraft flew over the territorial airspace of the islands, which China calls the Diaoyu. Japan’s defence ministry said the incident was the first violation of Japanese airspace by a Chinese official aircraft since at least 1958.
"It is extremely deplorable," said Osamu Fujimura, Japan’s chief government spokesman.
The incident will raise tensions in a diplomatic dispute that has already this year chilled ties between Tokyo and Beijing to their worst level in decades.
Beijing, which says Japan stole the islands in the late 19th century, has in recent months dramatically stepped up its challenges to Japan’s effective control of the waters surrounding the Senkaku.
The Chinese foreign ministry on Thursday said the Chinese aerial surveillance of the Diaoyu was "completely normal" and that Japan should stop entering the islands’ waters and airspace.
The China Maritime Surveillance aircraft’s flight over the Senkaku on Thursday is likely to fuel calls within Japan for stronger action to prevent such incursions and to assert sovereignty over the islands. The territorial dispute is already one of the top foreign policy campaign issues ahead of Japan’s general election on Sunday, a vote that is likely to result in a markedly more nationalist tone to foreign policy.
Shinzo Abe, leader of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and favourite to become prime minister, has stressed the need for a more robust defence of the Senkaku. He has promised increased spending on Japan’s coast guard and defence forces, saying more material resources are essential to block Chinese incursions.

The contemporary warship challenge

Without a doubt, surface warships are one of the most complex weapon platforms developed by humanity. They represent inherent compromises between safety and comfort in nature’s largest and potentially most dangerous environments, while simultaneously providing the ability to dominate a sphere (sub-surface, surface and air) often with radii measured in hundreds of miles protecting other naval platforms, merchant ships and littoral regions. The ability to dominate such volumes is fundamentally reliant on the capability of on-board sensors and the rapid and robust communications with external sources, coupled with the capability of various effectors to leverage the volume as necessary. All measured against financial constraints and dominance superiority. Often, to complicate matters further, warships have non-combat roles that drive their capabilities and increase their size, requiring a balance to be found with the principle roles, although 99% of platforms never actually fulfil their originally envisaged combat roles.

The raison d’être for a naval platform is to dominate a volume, relying on sensors and communication systems. These systems need to have inherent capabilities to support the mission, which in turn influences the performance and thus the cost of individual elements making up the sensors and communications. Hence, nations must balance the risk of conflict over the life of naval platforms against fiscal requirements and necessary platform capabilities; such a balance is not always achievable, especially in contemporary financial environments.

For this reason it is essential that both platform and system manufacturers develop systems quicker, cheaper, better and with reduced through life costs.  However, since the closing years of World War II, platform development costs and time from drawing board to realisation has increased dramatically. The Battle class Destroyer HMS Agincourt cost around £34 million (corrected for inflation), compared with c.£1 billion for a Type 45 Destroyer. Much of this is due to the significant increase in the complexities and development costs of the weapon, sensors and communication systems. Compare the cost of the three MkIV twin 4.5” turrets making up Agincourt’s main weapons system, to the Sea Viper system for the modern Type 45.

China mourns manager of J-15 jet program

Luo Yang, head of production for the new J-15 fighter, suffered a fatal heart attack while watching his aircraft aboard China's recently commissioned aircraft carrier.

Luo, 51, was taken from the Liaoning carrier and was pronounced dead at a hospital, a report by the state-owned news agency Xinhua said.

Luo was chairman and general manager of the Shenyang Aircraft Corp.

Flags were flown at half-staff at the gates of the factory in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning province.

Xinhua reported that electronic screens at the factory gates read "Mourn General Manager Luo Yang. Luo will be immortal."

SAC is a subsidiary of China's state-owned aircraft maker, the Aviation Industry Corp. of China.

The J-15 is China's first generation multipurpose, carrier-borne fighter and the landing and takeoff exercises aboard the Liaoning carrier were the first for the vessel, which was commissioned in September.

The aircraft can carry anti-ship, air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, as well as precision-guided bombs and is comparable in performance to the Russian Sukhoi Su-33 and the McDonnell Douglas -- now Boeing -- F/A-18 Hornet, Xinhua said.

A report by GlobalSecurity.org said the J-15 -- dubbed the Flying Shark -- is said to be a reverse-engineered aircraft based on an unfinished Su-33 prototype bought from Ukraine around 2001.

Chinese media criticized Western media for creating doubt that the J-15 was anything but home-grown technology, saying assertions of reverse engineering are "groundless and sour."

Xinhua reported that the criticism wasn't surprising since the J-15 has a similar aerodynamic shape to that of the Russian Su-33.

The Xinhua commentary said China is always heavily criticized for alleged plagiarism "when the country makes progress in military hardware development, questioning China's respect to others' intellectual property rights and belittling the hardware's technological and tactical qualities."

The report said "it is true that China used to rely heavily on imported Russian military aircraft, warships and other hardware to modernize its troops due to a lack of independent innovation abilities."

But China has made breakthroughs in manufacturing turbofan engines, which provide high-performance, home-made fighter jets, the Xinhua report said.

China to launch first self-made aircraft carrier in 2013: report

China's first domestically made aircraft carrier will be launched next year and will be commissioned between 2015 and 2016, according to a Hong Kong magazine.

After the launch of the first carrier, China will bring a second one on stream two years later, the Mirror said in its December edition, which was made available to the CNA in advance.

The Chinese-language magazine also said that mainland China plans to build a superb first-class Navy over 20 or 30 years.

In the first decade, China will build three aircraft carrier fleets while in the second decade, it will build two nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, the report said.

The Chinese aviation exhibits itself in Zhuhai

From November 13 to 18, the city of Zhuhai (Guangdong) welcomes AirshowChina on the airfield. This year, China has focused its drones and helicopters.

China introduced its Pterodactyl drone, also known as Wing Loong on the Zhuhai Airshow static. The public had seen so far as such models at the Paris Airshow in 2011. The cost of the Pterodactyl is estimated at nearly a million dollars from the Chinese media, which is much lower than that of unmanned American and Israeli.

    Pterodactyl at the Zhuhai Airshow.

Designed and developed by the Aviation Institute of Chengdu, the Pterodactyl made its first test flight in 2008.It measures 9.34 meters long, its wingspan is 14 m. Weighing just over a ton, it is able to perform missions at an altitude of 5300 meters. The Pterodactyl also displays a flight range of 4000 km.

For its part, Aviation Industry Coporation of China (AVIC) presented a model of a MALE UAV whose silhouette reminiscent of General Atomics Avenger. It is equipped with a camera and four turret hardpoints under the wings can receive-air missiles similar to U.S. Hellfire. The UAV also seems to have a turbojet on the back of the fuselage.

Pakistan racing to develop armed drones but lacks key technology; China offers help

Pakistan’s largest drone, the Shahpur, has a wingspan of about seven meters (22 feet) and can carry 50 kilograms (110 pounds). The U.S. Predator, which can be equipped with two Hellfire missiles, has a wingspan more than twice that and a payload capacity over four times as great.

Pakistani drones also have much more limited range than those produced in the U.S. because they are operated based on “line of sight” using radio waves, rather than military satellites. The Shahpur has a maximum range of 250 kilometers (150 miles), while the Predator can fly over five times that distance.

The British newspaper The Guardian reported Tuesday that Pakistan was working on an armed drone but did not provide details.

The market for drones has exploded in Pakistan and other countries around the world in recent years, as shown by the array of aircraft on display at the defense exhibition in Karachi. Hoping to tap into a worldwide market worth billions of dollars a year, public and private companies wheeled out over a dozen drones that ranged in size from hand-held models meant to be carried in a backpack to larger aircraft like the Shahpur.

All the Pakistani drones on display were advertised as unarmed and meant for surveillance only. One private company, Integrated Dynamics, even promotes its aircraft under the slogan “Drones for Peace.” But several models developed by the Chinese government were marketed as capable of carrying precision missiles and bombs.

China's Mysterious Predator Clone Is Finally Out In The Open

China Aviation Industry Corporation has been trotting out videos and pictures of their cloned prototype U.S. MQ-1 Predator drone called the Wing Loong (Pterodactyl) for years, but this UAV is on display for an upcoming air show.

While Wing Loong is similar in shape to the larger American MQ-9 Reaper, in size it's almost identical to the 1.2 ton Predator. Wing Loong weighs 1.1 tons, has a 14 meter (46 feet) wingspan, and is 9 meters (28 feet) long. It has max altitude of 5,300 meters (16,400 feet) and an endurance of over 20 hours.

Already believed to be marketed abroad, the Wing Loong has been seen carrying at least two unidentified missiles.
The following photo was taken at the Zhuhai Airshow running in China from November 13 to 18.

Aircraft carrier helps expand China’s strategic frontier

Chinese aircraft carrier has caused widespread concern in the world. Major General and deputy secretary-general with National Security Policy Committee under China Association of Policy and Science Peng Guangqian said that the appearance of missile nuclear weapons in the era of globalization greatly constrained the use of traditional aircraft carriers, but their strategic value did not decrease. As comprehensive and informationalized combat system integrated with modern military technology, the aircraft carriers are the important manifestation of the strategic ability of a country.

Supported by increasingly strengthened national power and modern defense technology and industrial system, China successfully developed the aircraft carrier. Its huge operational and deterrent effectiveness will not only greatly improve China’s offshore defense capability but also further promote an all-round transformation of its national defense and military in terms of the military theory, structure of forces, combat methods and personnel training. The combat effectiveness of Chinese aircraft carrier will undoubtedly help expand the strategic frontier of China’s national security, increase flexibility and initiative of the strategic choice and enhance the strategic quality and stability of China’s national security.

Like having nuclear weapons, China’s aircraft carrier will not change the defense nature of its defense strategy. China must have the ability of ocean operations and strategic mobility, but its focus of maritime security is still in offshore waters and it will not change the basic strategy of offshore defense though the development of aircraft carrier.

China Rejects Russian Blame for Carrier Snags

China has denied Russian claims that Chinese firebricks were to blame for boiler failures in the Russian-refitted Indian Navy aircraft carrier Vikramaditya, which suffered propulsion problems during sea trials in the Barents Sea last month, local daily Beitsin Chenbao reported, quoting Defense Minister Yan Yujun.

"We checked this, and found that Chinese enterprises which make such firebricks for naval propulsion systems have never exported such products to Russia," Yan said.
Earlier this month, Russian media reports, quoting Andrei Dyachkov, President of United Russian Shipbuilding corporation which refitted the carrier, claimed the ship's boilers had been damaged due to failures in the brick insulation separating them from the ship's structure. The shipyard used "sub-standard Chinese firebricks," Dyachkov said.
Another official involved in preparing the Vikramaditya for sea trials, claimed the reason for the boilers’ failure was India refused to use asbestos to protect the structure around the boilers from heat, fearing that the material was dangerous for the crew. He said the boilers’ designer had to use firebrick, which proved not sufficiently heatproof.
The Vikramaditya was to have been handed over to India on December 4 after the sea trials following a much-delayed refit that has gone massively over-budget. The deadline has now been postponed again until October 2013, and the cost of the new repairs to the boilers has not been revealed.
The boiler problem is the latest in a string of hold-ups in the refit of the ship, in a defense deal that has turned into a shipwreck of its own, going way over budget and being repeatedly delayed.
India and Russia signed a $947 million dollar deal in 2005 for the purchase of the carrier, formerly the Russian Navy's Admiral Gorshkov, but delivery has already been delayed twice, pushing up the cost of refurbishing the carrier to $2.3 billion.

China dismisses reports about second aircraft carrier

The Defense Ministry has dismissed foreign media reports saying that China is building a second aircraft carrier in Shanghai and that it will be launched late this year. Yang Yujun, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry, said "Such reports are inaccurate." He also explained the details on an aircraft carrier formation in the future.

Yang Yujun, Spokesman of Ministry of Defense, said, "The formation is generally made up of the aircraft carrier itself, escort vessels, submarines and aircraft. China will study the issue in accordance with the development and real needs of the aircraft carrier. As for its deployment, after the aircraft carrier was