In the PRC, simultaneously with the building up of its industrial and economic potential, a qualitative strengthening of the armed forces is being carried out. If in the past the Chinese army was equipped mainly with copies of Soviet models 30-40 years ago, now in the PRC there are more and more own developments. However, Chinese engineers today do not shun unlicensed copying of the most successful, in their opinion, foreign military products. This has its own reason, if you do not take into account the ethical standards of copyright compliance, this approach allows you to seriously speed up the process of creating modern weapons and save significant money. The talk that the copy is always worse than the original remains talk until the moment when this copy, released in quantities much larger than the original, meets the original on the battlefield. In addition, it is fair to say that the quality of manufacturing of Chinese "copies" has recently been often even better than that of Russian "originals".
The analogue of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces in the PRC is the Second Artillery Corps of the PLA. China became a nuclear power on October 16, 1964, after testing a uranium charge at the Lop Nor test site. The tests of the Chinese atomic bomb in many respects repeated the methodology for testing the first charges in the USA and the USSR. The charge intended for the first test explosion was also placed on a tall metal tower. China's nuclear program developed very rapidly: in the 1960s, despite the extremely low standard of living of most of the population, the PRC leadership spared no expense in creating and improving nuclear weapons. According to the US CIA, the creation of nuclear weapons cost China more than $ 4 billion, at the exchange rate of the mid-1960s. Three years after the first test of a Chinese stationary nuclear device, on June 17, 1967, a successful test of a Chinese thermonuclear bomb, which could be used for combat purposes, took place. This time a 3.3 Mt bomb was dropped from an H-6 jet bomber (Chinese version of the Tu-16). China became the fourth owner of thermonuclear weapons in the world after the USSR, USA and Great Britain, ahead of France by more than a year.
Satellite image of Google earth: the site of underground nuclear tests at the Lop Nor test site
The Chinese nuclear test site Lop Nor covers an area of about 1,100 km², in total, 47 tests of nuclear and thermonuclear weapons were carried out here. Including: 23 explosions in the atmosphere and 24 underground. The last atmospheric test in the PRC took place in 1980, later tests were carried out only underground. In 1996, the PRC leadership announced a moratorium on nuclear testing, and China signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. However, China has not yet officially ratified this treaty.
The PRC has never released data on the production of fissile and fissile materials used in the production of nuclear and thermonuclear weapons. According to data published in a CIA report in the early 1990s, the PRC's nuclear industry was able to produce up to 70 warheads a year. According to Western expert estimates, the amount of plutonium received in the PRC until the end of the 1980s was approximately 750 kg. This volume is quite enough for the production of several hundred nuclear bombs.
In the past, the number of assembled nuclear warheads in the PRC was limited by the shortage of uranium ore. The country's own reserves of uranium ores as of 2010 were estimated at 48,800 tons, which, by Chinese standards, is clearly not enough. The situation changed in the mid-1990s, when China gained access to uranium mined in Africa and Central Asia.
Satellite image of Google earth: nuclear reactors in Qinshan
Several years ago, Chinese officials announced the end of the production of weapons-grade plutonium in the PRC. It is not known whether this is so; the volumes of already accumulated plutonium also remain a secret. According to American estimates, China has at least 400 deployed nuclear warheads. It is possible that this number is greatly underestimated, since in 2016 more than 35 industrial nuclear reactors were operating in the country.
Currently, about 20 silos with DF-5A ICBMs are deployed in the central regions of the PRC. According to American sources, the missile carries up to five warheads (MIRV) with a capacity of 350 kt. The launch range is 11,000 km. The new guidance system with astronavigation provides a CEP of about 500 m.
For Chinese silos of ICBMs, a characteristic feature is their excellent camouflage on the ground and the presence of numerous false positions. Even with reliable information about the deployment area, it is almost impossible to find the mines of Chinese ICBMs using satellite images. Often, light fake structures have been erected on top of the head of the missile silos, which are quickly demolished by engineering services in the process of preparing a missile launch. In many ways, these tricks are explained by the small number of Chinese ICBMs. In addition, the Chinese silos are less protected in engineering terms than the Russian and American missile silos, which makes them more vulnerable in the event of a sudden "disarming strike."
In the PRC, as in the USSR, wishing to reduce the vulnerability of their strategic forces, in the 80s of the last century, they adopted the DF-21 mobile soil complex. The new medium-range solid-propellant complex entered the regiments, where the DF-3 liquid IRBM was previously in service. The DF-21 rocket, weighing 15 tons, is capable of delivering a 300 kt monoblock warhead at a range of up to 1800 km. Chinese designers were able to create a new, more advanced missile control system, with a KVO up to 700 m, which was a very good indicator for the late 80s. Like the old DF-3 missile, the new solid-propellant MRBM was designed to deliver nuclear strikes on the territory of the USSR and American military bases in the Pacific region within range. In the early 2000s, an improved modification, the DF-21C, entered service with the units of the Second Artillery Corps. Thanks to the use of signals from a satellite positioning system, the CEP of a monoblock warhead has been reduced to 40-50 m. Recently, the PRC media have mentioned a new version of the complex with a launch range increased to 3500 km. Chinese MRBMs are incapable of hitting targets on the mainland of the United States, but they cover a significant part of the territory of Russia.
Satellite image of Google earth: a unit of the Second Artillery Corps on a prepared concrete site in the vicinity of Linyi (all equipment is covered with camouflage nets)
A network of prepared concrete positions and road junctions has been created for mobile ground missile systems in the central regions of the PRC. These sites have the necessary infrastructure to stay on them for a long period of time and their coordinates are already crammed into the missile guidance systems. From time to time, mobile complexes of MRBM and ICBM are on alert at these positions.
Satellite image of Google earth: concrete pads for launching mobile ICBM DF-31 in Changunsan area in the eastern part of Qinghai province
If the DF-21 can be considered the Chinese analogue of the Soviet RSD-10 Pioneer (SS-20) medium-range complex, the DF-31 is the conceptual analogue of the Russian Topol (SS-25) mobile complex with the RS-12M missile. Compared to Chinese liquid-fueled ICBMs, the DF-31 prelaunch preparation time has been reduced several times and is 15-20 minutes. In the early 2000s, in the PRC, by analogy with medium-range mobile complexes, the construction of numerous launch sites for the DF-31 began. At the moment, the Second Artillery Corps is armed with improved DF-31A with a launch range of up to 11,000 km. According to American experts, the DF-31A can be equipped with a monoblock thermonuclear warhead with a capacity of up to 1 Mt, or three warheads of individual guidance with a capacity of 20-150 kt, the CEP, according to various estimates, ranges from 100 m to 500 meters. In terms of throwable weight, the Chinese DF-31A is close to the Russian strategic Topol complex, but the Chinese missile is located on an eight-axle towed chassis, and is significantly inferior to the Russian one in cross-country ability. In this regard, Chinese missile systems move only on paved roads.
In September 2014, a new modification of the Chinese mobile missile system DF-31В, which is a further development of the DF-31A, was publicly demonstrated. In 2009, it became known about the creation in the PRC of a new solid-fuel ICBM - DF-41. There is reason to believe that the DF-41 with increased mass-dimensional characteristics compared to other Chinese solid-fuel ICBMs is intended to replace the outdated DF-5A silo-based liquid-propellant missiles. According to Western experts, taking into account the weight and dimensions, the launch range of the DF-41 can be 15,000 km. The new ICBM can carry a multiple warhead containing up to 10 warheads and missile defense breakthroughs.
Google Earth Satellite Image: Jiuquan Rocket Range Launch Facilities
Test launches of Chinese ballistic missiles are traditionally carried out from the launch sites of the Jiuquan missile range. The area of the landfill is 2800 km². Tactical missiles and anti-aircraft systems are also being tested in this area. Until 1984, it was the only rocket and space test site in the country.
Satellite image of Google earth: target field in the Gobi desert
To the north of the Jiuquan missile range in the Gobi Desert, there is a target field and monitoring equipment for taking readings from the warheads of ballistic missiles under test. According to data published in American sources, several years ago, the anti-ship version of the DF-21D MRBM was successfully tested here.
The main part of the missile bases, where missile regiments are deployed, armed with mobile complexes DF-21 and DF-31, are located near the mountain ranges. In 2008, after a major earthquake in the central part of the PRC, it turned out that many Chinese mobile strategic missile systems were in underground tunnels. In the mountains, not far from the missile garrisons, there is a network of transport tunnels in which mobile launchers can hide from a preemptive nuclear or conventional strike. The information published in the Western media about underground tunnels hundreds of kilometers long, through which dozens of Chinese tractors with missiles constantly roam, of course, is not trustworthy. But it is reliably known that there are tunnels with a length of 2-3 km with several camouflaged and fortified exits, in which ground mobile missile systems can hide. Most likely, there are also missile arsenals with stored missiles. Unlike the United States and Russia, the Chinese strategic nuclear forces have never been tasked with a retaliatory strike. According to the Chinese representatives, if weapons of mass destruction are used against the PRC, the missiles of the Second Artillery Corps will be launched as soon as they reach readiness and response actions can last about a month, as the launchers are gradually withdrawn from shelters.
The strategic nuclear forces of the PRC, with a delay of 30-40 years, largely repeat the path taken by the Russian Strategic Missile Forces. In 2015, it became known about the test of the DF-41 ICBM in the railway-based version. The length of railways in China exceeds 120 thousand km, which makes the creation of a combat railway missile system quite justified. Some time ago, information was leaked to the media that China had acquired documentation on the Soviet BZHRK "Molodets" with ICBMs R-23 UTTH in Ukraine, the development of this complex was carried out during the Soviet era in the Dnipropetrovsk design bureau "Yuzhnoye".
Satellite image of Google earth: early warning radar station in the vicinity of Anansi
In recent years, the media have repeatedly published reports on the development of anti-missile and anti-satellite weapons systems in the PRC. For this, several over-the-horizon radars have been built on the east coast and in the northern part of the PRC, designed to provide early warning of a missile attack and issue target designations to missile defense systems. The location of these facilities clearly indicates who China views as its main military rivals.
The PRC has about 4 thousand combat aircraft, up to 500 units can be carriers of nuclear weapons. The first Chinese long-range bombers were 25 Tu-4s delivered from the USSR in 1953. On May 14, 1965, one Tu-4 was involved in tests of a combat model - a free-falling aviation nuclear bomb with a capacity of 35 kt. A uranium bomb dropped from a Tu-4 bomber exploded at an altitude of 500 m above the experimental field of the Lop Nor test site. Despite the fact that piston aircraft were hopelessly outdated by the early 60s, these aircraft were in service in the PRC for almost 30 years. More modern carriers were H-6 long-range jet bombers, but they could perform mainly tactical missions. In the role of carriers of free-falling nuclear bombs, the N-6 were vulnerable to modern air defense systems and interceptors, moreover, these aircraft did not have the range necessary to destroy strategic targets.
Currently, the PRC has built several dozen modernized bombers with modern avionics and Russian turbofan engines D-30KP-2. The combat load of the upgraded bomber has been increased to 12,000 kg. Modernization and construction of new aircraft is carried out at a large aircraft factory in Yanglang near the city of Xi'an in the Shenxi province. There is also a large PLA Air Force test center.
Satellite image of Google earth: H-6 at the airfield in the vicinity of the city of Xi'an
When performing strategic tasks, the main strike weapons of the modernized H-6M and H-6K bombers are CJ-10A cruise missiles with a nuclear warhead. The CJ-10A was created on the basis of the Soviet KR X-55. The Chinese received technical documentation and full-scale samples of the X-55 from Ukraine. In Soviet times, they were armed with strategic bombers Tu-160 and Tu-95MS, based near Poltava.
The Russian Far East, Eastern Siberia and Transbaikalia are within the reach of the modernized H-6 variants with a combat radius of about 3000 km. Currently, more than 100 H-6 aircraft of various modifications are in service. Some of them are used in naval aviation as carriers of anti-ship missiles, long-range reconnaissance aircraft and tanker aircraft.
Several years ago, Chinese representatives expressed a desire to purchase from Russia several Tu-22M3 long-range bombers and a package of documentation for setting up production. However, they were denied this. At the moment, the PRC is developing its own long-range bomber of a new generation.
In the past, the carriers of Chinese tactical nuclear bombs in the PLA Air Force were front-line bombers N-5 (Chinese version of the Il-28) and attack aircraft Q-5 (created on the basis of the J-6 (MiG-19) fighter).
Satellite image of Google earth: H-5 bombers at the factory airfield in Harbin
At present, if the H-5 bombers are used, then only for training purposes or as flying laboratories, and the Q-5 attack aircraft are gradually being replaced by more modern machines.
Satellite image of Google earth: attack aircraft Q-5 at the Zhenziang airfield
The same applies to the J-7 and J-8II fighters. If the first is a Chineseized copy of the Soviet MiG-21, then the second is an original Chinese design. Although conceptually, the J-8 interceptor, as more and more advanced modifications were created, repeated the development line of the Soviet Su-9, Su-11, Su-15.
Satellite image of Google earth: J-7 and J-8II fighters at an airfield near the city of Qiqihar
The satellite images show that, despite the similarity of the external outlines, how different are the geometric dimensions of the J-7 and J-8II aircraft. If J-7 fighters are already mainly operated in secondary directions, then there are still many J-8II interceptors at forward airfields, on the coast and northeast of the PRC.
The main carrier of tactical nuclear warheads in the PLA Air Force is considered to be the JH-7 two-seat fighter-bomber. The first aircraft of this type entered service in 1994. Since then, about 250 JH-7 and JH-7A have been built at the Yanlan aircraft plant. The first aircraft of this type entered service with the PLA Navy.
Google earth satellite image: JH-7 fighter-bombers at Zhenziang airfield
In the technical literature, the JH-7 is often compared to the Soviet Su-24 front-line bomber or the European SEPECAT Jaguar fighter-bomber. However, these comparisons are incorrect, the Su-24 uses a variable sweep wing, the Soviet machine, despite the fact that it appeared much earlier, is much more advanced in technical terms. At the same time, the JH-7 (normal takeoff weight: 21,500 kg) is much heavier than the Jaguar (normal takeoff weight: 11,000 kg) and the Chinese two-seater has more advanced avionics, including a powerful radar.
The appearance of the Chinese JH-7 aircraft was greatly influenced by the F-4 Phantom II fighter. Like the Phantom, the Chinese Flying Leopard was developed as part of the concept of a versatile multipurpose heavy fighter. Moreover, from the "Phantom", he partially borrowed the composition of the avionics. The Type 232H radar installed on the JH-7 implements technical solutions borrowed from the American AN / APQ 120, several of which, in varying degrees of safety, were removed from the F-4E fighters shot down in Vietnam. The Chinese multipurpose fighter-bomber uses WS-9 engines, which are a licensed version of the British Spey Mk.202 turbojet engine. Previously, these engines were installed on British F-4Ks.
At the end of June 1992, the first batch of 8 Su-27SKs was sent from the aircraft plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur to the PRC. Subsequently, China received several more batches of Su-27SK and Su-27UBK fighters. In addition to the direct delivery of ready-made combat aircraft to the PRC, our country handed over technical documentation and provided assistance in establishing licensed production of the Su-27 at an aircraft plant in Shenyang. The first J-11 fighter, assembled under a licensed contract, took off for the first time in 1998. Having assembled 105 J-11 aircraft, the Chinese abandoned the option for 95 aircraft, citing the alleged "low quality" of parts supplied from Russia. It is fair to say that, according to the Russian representatives who worked in Shenyang, the quality of aircraft assembly in China was still higher than at KnAAPO in Komsomolsk. In an effort to free itself from technological dependence, the Chinese industry has developed a number of elements and systems that made it possible to assemble fighters without Russian spare parts and adapt them for the use of Chinese aircraft weapons.
Satellite image of Google earth: fighter jets in the parking lot of the factory airfield in Shenyang
Currently, mass production of J-11V (Su-30MK) fighters is carried out at the aircraft plant in Shenyang. J-15 carrier-based fighters, which are an unlicensed version of the Su-33, are also built here.
The niche of modern light fighters in the PLA Air Force is occupied by the J-10. Its operation began in 2005. Since then, the troops have received more than 300 vehicles. In addition to Chinese designers, Russian specialists from TsAGI and OKB MiG took part in the creation of this fighter. The design of the J-10 is largely the same as the Israeli IAI Lavi fighter. The technical documentation for this aircraft was sold to China by Israel. The first production aircraft used Russian AL-31FN engines, Zhuk-10PD radar and K-36P ejection seat. In total, MMPP Salyut has supplied 300 AL-31FN engines for the J-10. It differs from the AL-31F in the location of the aircraft gearbox. The use of Russian-made engines limits the export capabilities of the aircraft, so in the future it is planned to install Chinese aircraft engines of the WS-10 family.
Satellite image of Google earth: J-10 and JF-17 fighters at the factory airfield in Chengdu
Serial production of the J-10 is carried out at an aircraft manufacturer in the city of Chengdu. JF-17 export fighters and Xianglong UAVs are also built here. This long-range drone is primarily intended for patrolling over the sea and issuing target designations to naval anti-ship systems. In addition, the Chengdu aircraft plant is participating in the program for the creation of the Chinese 5th generation J-20 fighter.
Satellite image of Google earth: in addition to J-10 fighters, there are Xianglong UAVs and a prototype of the 5th generation J-20 fighter jet at an aircraft parking in Chengdu
Satellite image of Google earth: an unpainted prototype of the 5th generation J-20 fighter in a factory parking lot in Chengdu
In January 2011, the Chinese 5th generation fighter J-20, developed by the Aviation Industry Corporation in Chengdu, made its first flight. The Chinese J-20 largely copies elements of the Russian MiG 1.44 and the American fifth-generation fighters F-22 and F-35. Currently built 11 copies of the J-20. The aircraft is expected to be put into service in the next year or two. According to a number of aviation experts, the main purpose of the J-20 will not be to counter Russian and American 5th generation fighters, but to intercept strategic bombers at a great distance from its coast and deliver anti-ship missile attacks against aircraft carrier groups.
In the late 60s, an attempt was made in the PRC to create an AWACS aircraft on the basis of the Soviet Tu-4 long-range bomber. The aircraft received AI-20 turboprop engines, and a dish-shaped radar antenna was placed above the fuselage. In the early 70s, the aircraft, designated KJ-1, flew several hundred hours. Chinese specialists managed to create a station capable of detecting air and surface targets at a distance of up to 300 km, which at that time was a very good indicator. However, due to the imperfection of the Chinese radioelement base, it was not possible to achieve reliable operation of the radar equipment, and the aircraft was not serially built.
They returned to the creation of AWACS aircraft in the PRC in the second half of the 80s. On the basis of the Y-8C serial transport aircraft (Chinese version of the An-12), the Y-8J (AEW) naval patrol aircraft was created. Unlike the transporter, the glazed bow of the Y-8J was replaced with a radar fairing. The radar of the Y-8J aircraft was created on the basis of the British Skymaster radar. Six to eight of these systems were sold in China by the British company Racal. But, of course, it was impossible to consider this car a full-fledged aircraft of the radar patrol.
In the 90s, the Chinese leadership adequately assessed the ability of its radio-electronic industry to independently create truly effective radars. In addition, the PRC did not have its own aircraft to accommodate powerful radar equipment and a large antenna. In this regard, in 1997, a contract was signed between the PRC, Russia and Israel for the joint development, construction and subsequent delivery of AWACS aviation systems to China. Under the contract TANTK them. G. M. Berieva undertook to create a platform on the basis of the Russian A-50 for the installation of an Israeli-made radio complex with an EL / M-205 radar. In 1999, the serial A-50 from the Russian Air Force, converted in Taganrog, was handed over to the customer.
The delivery of four more aircraft was planned. But under pressure from the United States, Israel unilaterally canceled the deal. After that, the equipment of the radio engineering complex was dismantled from the aircraft, and he himself was returned to China. As a result, the PRC decided to build AWACS aircraft independently, however, there is reason to believe that the Chinese still managed to get acquainted with the technical documentation for the Israeli equipment.
Military transport Il-76 delivered from Russia was used as a platform for AWACS aircraft. The aircraft, designated KJ-2000, made its first flight in November 2003. A year later, the construction of serial AWACS complexes began at the Yanlan aircraft plant.
Satellite image of Google earth: AWACS aircraft KJ-2000 on the runway of the factory Yanlan airfield
The crew of the KJ-2000 aircraft consists of five people and 10-15 operators. KJ-2000 can carry out patrolling at altitudes of 5-10 km. The maximum flight range is 5000 km, the flight duration is 7 hours 40 minutes. The data concerning the characteristics of the radar complex are classified. The aircraft is equipped with a radio-technical complex with AFAR, which is in many respects similar to the Israeli prototype, nationally developed communication and data transmission facilities. Currently, it is known about five built aircraft AWACS KJ-2000.
The AWACS aircraft, designated KJ-200, first flew in 2001. This time the turboprop Y-8 F-200 was used as a platform. The KJ-200 "log" antenna resembles the Swedish Ericsson Erieye AESA radar. The data on the detection range of the radar complex are contradictory; various sources indicate the range from 250 to 400 km. The first serial KJ-200 took off in January 2005. A total of eight AWACS aircraft of this type were built, one of them was lost in the crash.
A further development of the KJ-200 was the ZDK-03 Karakoram Eagle. This aircraft was created by order of the Pakistani Air Force. In 2011, China handed over the first early warning aircraft to Pakistan. Unlike the KJ-200, the Pakistani aircraft has a rotating mushroom antenna, which is more familiar to AWACS aircraft. According to the characteristics of the radar equipment, the ZDK-03 AWACS aircraft is close to the American E-2C Hawkeye deck-based aircraft.
In contrast to the Pakistani military air force, the PLA preferred to develop an AFAR scheme with electronic scanning without mechanical moving parts. In mid-2014, the PRC published information on the adoption of a new version of the "medium aircraft" AWACS with the KJ-500 index based on the Y-8F-400 transporter. At least five KJ-500s are known to exist.
Satellite image of Google earth: AWACS aircraft KJ-500 at the Hanzhong airfield
Unlike the KJ-200 version with a "log" antenna, the new aircraft has a circular fixed radar antenna. Chinese medium AWACS KJ-200 and KJ-500 aircraft are permanently stationed at the Hanzhong airfield near Xi'an. Large-sized covered hangars were built here for them, where the maintenance and repair of radar systems is carried out.
On January 26, 2013, the first Chinese Y-20 heavy military transport aircraft took off. It was created with the support of the OKB im. OK. Antonov. It is reported that the new Chinese transporter uses Russian D-30KP-2 engines, which are planned to be replaced with their own WS-20 in the future.
Satellite image of Google earth: military transport aircraft Y-20 and bombers H-6 at the factory airfield Yanlan
Outwardly, the Y-20 resembles the Russian Il-76 and has a scheme traditional for aircraft of its class. But, according to Western experts, the transport compartment of the Chinese aircraft is closer in design to that used on the American Boeing C-17 Globemaster III. At present, 6 flight prototypes of the Y-20 MTC have been built. Serial production of the aircraft should begin in 2017.
