Current Events in Asia-Pacific

PRC navy faces issues with carrier protection By Cheng Ta-chen Taipei Times Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007, Page 8 Advertising Advertising The media have begun to hype up news of plans by China to obtain a new aircraft carrier. This kind of attention has its precedents, such as recent rumblings that China was in the process of building a nuclear-powered carrier, or that it planned to deploy two carrier groups in the Sea of Japan and the South China Sea. It is difficult to know what to make of all these developments. A carrier group requires effective integration of fighting forces in the air, on the water and below the surface. Even if China could overcome the tech…

Sea MiGs: The Next Generation of Indian and Russian Naval Aviation (Defense Media Network)

A First: North Korea Tests 'Polaris-1' SLBM (The Diplomat) Appears to be legit. I may throw this into the DB for more scary 'what if' scenario making.

War and Conflict Flying Tigers strike Jaffna military base Apr 24, 2007 Separatist Tamil Tiger rebels flying light aircraft bombed a military airbase on Sri Lanka's northern peninsula of Jaffna on Tuesday, killing at least six people, officials and the guerrillas said. If confirmed it would be the second air attack in two months by the Tigers, although it was denied by the defence ministry who said the rebels only fired artillery. Guerrilla spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiriyan said two light aircraft from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) headed toward the Palaly military air field in the Jaffna peninsula just after midnight. "We have carried out o…

From Defense Aerospace China’s Military Capabilities Continue to Grow, Report Says (Source: U.S Department of Defense; issued March 25, 2009) WASHINGTON --- Transformation of the Chinese military has gained speed, but U.S. officials would like to see China become more transparent about military and security affairs, according to a report to Congress released today. The report, called “Military Power of the People’s Republic of China,” provides some new details, “but there are no new, major strategic insights revealed or capabilities revealed,” Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said today. In the report, officials said that Chinese transparency has im…

From DefenseNews [excerpt]

New Chinese Outpost Riles The Philippines (USNI News)

Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2015 (pdf, US DOD)

Diesel-electric subs can pressurize China: official (updated AM 00:15) 2005/3/25 The China Post staff In a bid to drum up further support for a controversial billion dollar U.S. arms deal, a defense ministry official yesterday said eight diesel-electric submarines in the U.S. weapons package would be able to attack crucial Chinese supply lines if a war broke out. The official's comments came as the Legislature prepares to deliberate a special NT$480 billion budget for purchasing the diesel electric submarines along with anti-submarine aircraft and patriot anti-missile systems from America. U.S. officials say the purchase is vital for Taiwan's friendship with…

China working on second carrier (Jane's) Chinese Admirals Spill the Beans on New Aircraft Carrier (The Diplomat)

This is how nuclear war with North Korea would unfold (Washington Post) CV32: There is an underlying political message (of course!) but at least the scenario is interesting.

Unveiled Chinese factory elaborating metamaterials for cloak J-20. Short but interesting article and video: http://www.newsweek.com/china-says-it-can-make-fighter-jets-invisible-cloaks-made-metamaterials-842167

Chinese attack sub encounter puts Taiwan's navy on alert Mainichi Daily News TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwan's military was investigating a news report Saturday that a nuclear submarine from rival China surfaced and nearly collided with a patrol of navy vessels off a Taiwanese-held island. The Chinese attack sub -- a Han-class nuclear-powered vessel -- suddenly surfaced and appeared to be heading for five Taiwanese ships near Kinmen island on July 25, according to Saturday's edition of the Apple Daily, which didn't cite any sources. The Taiwanese ships spotted the submarine and prepared for a confrontation. Three speedboats equipped with missiles were called in to a…

New North Korean Helicopter Frigates Spotted (38 North)

Through a glass, darkly: Chinese, American, and Russian anti-satellite testing in space (Space Review) PDF version of the above article China Secretly Tested an Anti-Satellite Missile (The Diplomat, Flashpoints)

From Flight International DATE:31/07/07 SOURCE:Flightglobal.com Japan mulls over indigenous stealth fighter By Siva Govindasamy Japan has started a study to develop next-generation stealth technology, which if successful could lead to the production of its first indigenous fighter in almost 30 years and give it a long-coveted ability to counter China's growing air power. The study, however, could also be a way of putting pressure on the USA to release information about the Lockheed Martin F-22. Japan is one of the few countries that can afford the Raptor's $200 million price tag, but US Congress has banned export sales of the aircraft due to its use of secr…

From Navy Times 2 carriers in W. Pacific ahead of Taiwan vote Kyodo News Service Posted : Thursday Mar 20, 2008 8:07:03 EDT TAIPEI, Taiwan — Two U.S. aircraft carriers and accompanying vessels have been deployed to the Western Pacific just days before Taiwan’s presidential election amid heightened regional tensions, a U.S. military spokesman told Kyodo News on Thursday. Aircraft carriers Kitty Hawk and Nimitz are both “conducting scheduled, routine operations in the Western Pacific,” said Master Chief Shane Tuck, a spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii. “With the Nimitz, that carrier’s deployment includes its entire carrier strike group. For t…

For all of you scenario writers contemplating a South China Sea scenario, this one is already available in the HCDB. From DefenseNews [excerpt]

China Confirms Y-7 for AEW for Carrier Ops (DefenseNews, Intercepts blog)

How China Plans to Use the Su-35 (The Diplomat) Why China Wants the Su-35 (China Brief, Jamestown Foundation)