South China Sea and China (2018 onwards)

[Azor]

From Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-c...-idUSKBN1H3135

...The photos, taken on Monday, show what appear to be at least 40 ships and submarines flanking the carrier Liaoning in what some analysts described as an unusually large display of the Chinese military’s growing naval might.

Sailing in a line formation more suited to visual propaganda than hard military maneuvers, the flotilla was headed by what appeared to be submarines, with aircraft above.

Jeffrey Lewis, a security expert at the California-based based Middlebury Institute of Strategic Studies, said the images showed the first confirmation that the carrier was joining the drills.

“It’s an incredible picture,” he said. “That’s the big news to me. Confirmation that, yes, the carrier participated in the exercise.”

While the Liaoning has previously entered the South China Sea as part of drills in uncontested training grounds south of Hainan, its annual exercises are closely watched by regional and international powers eyeing Beijing’s growing military might.

It is unclear where the flotilla was headed, or how long operations will last. China’s defense ministry did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment.

Collin Koh, a security expert at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, described the deployment as unusual for its size and scope...

[AdamG]

The Varyag is just some SSN CO’s Navy Cross waiting to happen ...

China has held its largest ever military drills in the hotly contested South China Sea, culminating in a naval review overseen by President Xi Jinping. China's only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, took part in the parade.

https://www.scmp.com/video/china/214...r-naval-review

[AdamG]

A 15 year old sea-story, which begs the question 'how much of a learning curve has the Chinese navy climbed since then?'

On April 25, 2003 the crew of a Chinese fishing boat noticed a strange sight—a periscope drifting listlessly above the surface of the water. The fishermen notified the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) which promptly dispatched two vessels to investigate.
At first the PLAN believed the contact to be an intruding submarine from South Korea or Japan. But when Chinese personnel finally recovered the apparent derelict they realized it was one of their own diesel-electric submarines, the Ming-class 361.
When they boarded on April 26, they found all seventy personnel slumped dead at their stations.

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the...d-25072?page=1

...cause they're all about Force Projection these days

PLA Navy at 69 faces increasing challenges from US
By Yang Sheng Source:Global Times Published: 2018/4/23 21:48:41
More logistics bases needed to achieve overseas missions

The PLA Daily and the Ministry of Defense released a video on their official websites and social media accounts showcasing the achievements of the PLA Navy in recent years. The video provides details on China's nuclear submarines, the country's first overseas logistics base in Djibouti, anti-piracy missions in Somalia, amphibious landing military exercises by the Marine Corps and the aircraft carrier strike group's training missions in the open seas.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1099311.shtml

Newsweek's 6th grade level siphoning-off of the Global Times article above
http://www.newsweek.com/how-does-chi...pare-us-897209

[AdamG]

(CNN)China's first domestically built aircraft carrier began sea trials on Sunday, a historic step in the country's mission to build a navy capable of rivaling the world's leading maritime powers.

The new aircraft carrier, temporarily named Type 001A, sailed out at around 7 a.m. in Dalian, in the northeast province of Liaoning, according to reports in Chinese state media.
The 50,000-tonne ship will become the country's second aircraft carrier, and the first to be entirely built and designed inside of China, when it joins the navy sometime before 2020.
The carrier's maiden sea trial follows a speech given by Chinese President Xi Jinping on April 12, in which he announced plans to build a "world-class" navy under the banner of the Chinese Communist Party.
China's first carrier, the Liaoning, a retrofitted Soviet-era vessel bought from the Ukraine, was hailed as the fulfillment of a "70-year dream" of the Chinese nation when it launched to much celebration in 2012.
But experts said while the new aircraft carrier will dramatically boost China's military power in the Asia region, its technology was still outdated and lagged far behind the world's naval superpower, the United States.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/12/asia/...ntl/index.html

[AdamG]

In a move that will not go down well with China, India has decided to hold its first ever naval exercise with Vietnam next week, Times of India has reported.
According to the report, stealth frigate INS Sahyadri, missile corvette INS Kamorta and fleet tanker INS Shakti will reach the Tien Sa Port in Vietnam’s Da Nang on Monday. These warships were on operational deployment to South East Asia and North West Pacific region as part of the Navy’s ‘mission-based deployment’ strategy.

https://swarajyamag.com/insta/much-t...tnam-next-week

[AdamG]

Chinese government hackers have compromised the computers of a Navy contractor, stealing massive amounts of highly sensitive data related to undersea warfare — including secret plans to develop a supersonic anti-ship missile for use on U.S. submarines by 2020, according to American officials.
The breaches occurred in January and February, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. The hackers targeted a contractor who works for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, a military organization headquartered in Newport, R.I., that conducts research and development for submarines and underwater weaponry.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...2b1_story.html

[AdamG]

US intelligence report: China will have the world's most powerful naval gun ready for war by 2025

The warship-mounted electromagnetic railgun is expected to enter China's arsenal by 2025, according to sources with direct knowledge of a U.S. intelligence report.
Railguns have long appeared on Russian, Iranian and U.S. military wish lists as cost-effective weapons that give navies the might of a cannon with the range of a precision-guided missile.
China's railgun is capable of striking a target 124 miles away in under 90 seconds, according to the report.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/21/chin...ce-report.html