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On a technical level, China’s Taiwan Strait exercise has showcased a variety of advanced weaponry and tactics and demonstrated the strength of China’s army industry.
Here’s a rundown:
Long range rocket launchers
In the newest exercise, long-range skyrocket launchers were used. They were not the well-known 300mm skyrocket launchers but the more complex 370mm ones.
Compared with the 300mm rocket launcher, the particular 370mm one has larger caliber, longer range and higher firing speed and precision. Also, they are modularized and can reload quickly and fire various kinds of rockets.
Within the exercise, the new long-range rocket launcher showed its high mobility and great useful significance. When it was first displayed at the Nationwide Day parade in 2019, Chinese army watchers were surprised. They did not expect a newer generation associated with 370mm rocket launchers to be launched therefore soon after the 300mm ones.
It was said at the time that most equipment displayed in the National Day parade had already been in service. But no one knew whether it was nevertheless in the pilot phase or not.
The greater advanced the equipment, the longer the time it takes to meet combat requirements.
The particular well-known French “Caesar” 155mm self-propelled howitzer went into production in 2008. Its second generation was revealed in 2022, still 6×6 chassis, along with improved fire control and increased shield. It will take four years to develop before bulk production. It will take also longer to be set up and form the combat force.
China’s long-range rocket launcher, which is stronger and sophisticated, offers successfully entered its combat mode within three years. It proven the speed and efficiency of the Chinese military industry, as well as the PLA.
A lot of other advanced equipment was used, including Xi’an Y-20, 052D destroyers and J-20 jet fighter jets.
Dongfeng-15B
“Older equipment” such as the Dongfeng-15B, a veteran of the 1996 exercise, is still playing an important role.
According to US and Japanese media reports on Aug 5, 11 Dongfeng-15B missiles were launched during the exercise, with landing points encompassing the northern and southern ends associated with Taiwan Island and the western Pacific Ocean. They were launched from Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi with some of them passing over the and surrounding suburbs of southern Taipei.
Interestingly, Taiwanese authorities did not issue any air defense alert and commented on it when it only if approached by the mass mediafterwards.
Taiwan said no air flow defense alert was needed as the missiles were outside the environment and posed no safety hazard when passing across the island.
Some Taiwan mediand politicians said the agreement was unfair to the Taiwanese people, that have the right to know.
There may be some lots of truths regarding Taiwan’s failure to concern an alert. There are 4 scenarios:
- The Taiwan army failed to identify the missiles due to the insufficient detection features or Dongfeng-15B’s stealth capabilities.
- It judged how the missiles would not hit the island so it turned off the radar to avoid its radar performance being noticed by the PLA.
- It evaluated that the missiles may not threaten the isle and that it could hardly intercept them.
- It judged that the missiles would not threaten the isle and it did not want to
escalate the situation by intercepting them.
The Dongfeng-15B is an improved version of the Dongfeng-15 series. Cina has done deep research on stealth technologies. It’s not surprising which the Dongfeng-15B has an anti-radar system.
In general, ballistic missile start and early caution is a mature technology so the chance that will Taiwan forces failed to detect the Dongfeng-15B is low.
It is a reasonable presumption that the Taiwanese army detected the missiles but let them soar over Taiwan as they did not pose any kind of threat.
But this would be a really large gamble, because the PLA’s exercise was like actual combat. The seamless transition from an exercise to actual combat is a matter of minutes. If it happens, the Taiwanese army will be caught off safeguard. Of course , nonresponse would be reasonable if Taiwan wanted to hide the radar performance plus reaction plans through the PLA.
The particular Patriot missile may be the only means for Taiwan’s military to counteract but its range plus height are restricted. All its launch facilities are identified by the PLA. The particular PLA’s missiles can simply evade Patriots.
In this case, Taiwan may simply pretend to have seen nothing.
It is also possible that will Taiwan detected PLA’s missiles and had the ability to intercept them but decided to do nothing designed for fear of escalating issue. But the chance will be small.
When Taiwan did not intercept the PLA’s missiles flying across the tropical isle, what about high-speed drones and fighter aircraft? How can the Taiwanese authorities give the people any sense of security?
Whatever the case, the Taiwan government bodies have to give evidence.
Chinese language aircraft carriers
During the exercise, the Liaoning plus Shandong carriers are usually said to have left their home ports and long gone “somewhere. ” Of course , they were not on the summer vacation at general public expense.
The military role associated with China’s aircraft companies is a matter associated with endless debate. You can find constant claims that will Chinese carriers are to be used to liberate Taiwan. But the fact that Chinese aircraft carriers went “somewhere” when the J-20 fighter jets, Xian H-6 bombers and Type 052D destroyers were deployed demonstrates narrowly defined procedures in the Taiwan Strait are not suitable for Chinese aircraft carriers. It would be a huge waste to deliver them there.
Some people said Chinese carriers could just be used to restrain small-and-medium-sized trouble-making nations but not the US carriers. This is even more incorrect.
It is misplacement to turn a carrier right into a mega maritime police ship. The country’s important weapon is to serve the country’s important task.
The US aircraft companies are a great obstacle in order to China’s reunification simply by force. If the Chinese language aircraft carriers cannot play the role of a mainstay in the reunification, how can these people match Chinese people’s high expectations?
Besides, China will not do what other people expect.
Chinese aircraft carriers might not necessarily fight against US counterparts in contests like the Battle of the Coral Sea or even Battle of Half way in 1942. So long as they can defeat their particular opponents with the support of 055 destroyers, submarines, shore-based airplane and anti-ship ballistic missiles, it is a triumph.
During the workout, the USS Ronald Reagan moved nearer to Japan and later showed signs of returning, but its actions continued to be hesitant.
It’s easy for the particular nuclear-powered carrier to maneuver 1, 000 kilometers in one day. The USS Ronald Reagan’s battle group got time to approach the Taiwan Strait through the entire exercise but it failed to. There are certainly political considerations.
It really is hard to conclude which the movements of the Liaoning battle group from Qingdao and the Shandong battle group from Sanya, Hainan acquired no impact on the united states aircraft carrier, which usually had suddenly switched away from the Taiwan Strait and transferred eastward on August 3.
A global Times reported on August 4 that nuclear submarines have been deployed in the workout. If there are still weak points in China’s army power, the shortcomings of both aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines are being slowly made up.
The report did not say whether a strategic missile nuclear submarine or even an attack nuclear submarine was deployed, or both. In fact , tactical missile nuclear submarines are always on fight duty.
Nuclear submarines
Attack nuclear submarines have 3 functions: anti-carrier, anti-submarine and land strike.
All these were used in the exercise. It is needless to say that anti-carrier warfare was the main task of China’s nuclear submarines whilst other missions integrated anti-warship and anti-merchant ships.
In the exercise, people paid great attention to the USS Ronald Reagan, as well as the USS Tripoli and the USS America. It is almost sure that US submarines were quietly moving in the particular Western Pacific Sea.
During the 1996 exercise, Chinese nuclear submarines were furthermore deployed, but the Americans scoffed that the noise was so noisy that it could be heard across the Pacific.
This was certainly a good exaggeration. At that time, Cina had just solved an embarrassing problem: it had possessed no nuclear submarines in past times.
Over the years, China has grown its nuclear submarine technology silently and rapidly. Whenever China shows its achievement, people are extremely surprised. Now it is the time for people to feel astonished.
China would not become unprepared to allow slip that nuclear submarines were deployed. Probably, Chinese plus American nuclear submarines are competing in the Western Pacific Ocean as well.
With regards to ground attack, you don’t need to use nuclear submarines. But for the US angles in Japan, the situation is not the same.
Attack is always the very best defense. And in the particular Western Pacific, that could consist of a mass attack much like that of the Chinese language Communist Party contrary to the Kuomintang in the Dabie Mountains in 1947.
In terms of electromagnetic and space warfare, various plans also are essential.
The PLA’s air push, supported by a good airborne radar system, will be deployed whilst all kinds of air radars and data chains will be in full golf swing. It is necessary to keep the ears clear plus eyes open but stay silent and confuse the foe with false info.
In wartime, having an attack with no disguise is harmful as it will result in the enemy’s electromagnetic plus spatial countermeasures.
At the same time, the PLA needs to show its real power to prevent the enemy. It should let the enemy know that some more powerful episodes will come soon.
Taiwan’s aeroplanes and surface vessels
Taiwan’s military in general has stayed low-profile throughout the PLA’s exercise. Initially, it only deployed Mirage 2000 plus Northrop F-5E/F.
The Mirage 2k was once the mainstay of the Taiwan Air Force, yet has been withdrawn through frontline use right after Taiwan’s F-16 fighter jets were improved.
The F-5E/F is even old and is normally utilized only for training pilots.
Their application can save the more important F-16 flight hrs and avoid exposing the F-16’s radar and data information.
In later stages, the F-16 (including the pre-upgrade A/B and post-upgrade V) fighter jets had been sent but it did not necessarily mean an rising action. It might be that the old Mirage 2k and F-5E/F had to take a break.
The Taiwan Navy’s Cheng Kung-class and Knox-class frigates and Kidd-class destroyers are also old-fashioned.
In terms of combat power, they cannot match up the PLA’s 054A, 052D and 055 destroyers. It is said that will, during the exercise, the distance between the battleships from the two sides has been only 1, 000 metres, and even 500 metres. In the vast ocean, it is a very near distance. But that has the high ground?
According to satellite pictures, the closest distance between the Nanking 155 destroyer and the coastline near Hualien had been less than 10 kilometers.
Taiwanese press boasted that ROCN Lan Yang had opened the protect of its Hsiung Feng anti-ship missile launcher to try to scare the PLA off. In addition the PLA offers much more powerful missiles, Taiwan’s anti-ship missiles could not be used from such a close range.
Only Naval artillery was helpful. But Taiwan’s outdated Mk-42 127mm gun also could not defeat the PLA’s brand new H/PJ38 130mm naval gun.
The particular Nanking 155 did not go there to attack the ROCN Lan Yang. If it had, it could have used its H/PJ38, that has a range of 30 kilometres. It only wished to highlight the illegality of Taiwan’s 12 nautical mile series. The political significance of this mission, along with other drills, significantly exceeded the army significance.
In terms of range, China’s led bombs with glide and long-range rockets can cover all targets on the tropical isle.
At shut distance, the PLA can use a large amount of low-cost short-range ammunition. That is the core while extremely precision-guided weapons are only supplementary.
Chen Feng is certainly editor of Guancha. cn, which originally published this article in Chinese being an exclusive manuscript. It really is republished in English translation here with kind permission. The content of the article is usually purely the author’s personal opinion, and does not represent the opinion of either Guancha or even Asia Times . It may not be published without authorization; or else, legal responsibility will be attacked.