China's weapon advances (updated)

Cyber warfare. They can control electronics and hack government databases. Hacking can control utilities and financial system. Most likely China has stolen a lot of military secrets via cyber hacking. Hackers are criminals in US but professionals in many countries including China. The next war could be determined in space. That’s why we have the new Space Forces.

Nuclear warheads and missiles. Chinese are capable to destroy the entire US but it would be digging her own grave. China has declared not to be the first country to use nukes. It has strong Second Strike nuclear capability especially with their enhanced nuclear submarines. Chinese have miles of tunnels to transport their mobile missiles.

Air force, navy and land force have been modernized. China is the third country that can build stealth jets and the first to implement railgun in a warship. They have huge hovercraft tank landing ships that would be handy for invading Taiwan. Most likely China’s J-20 and J-31 are copied from our blue prints of F22 and F35 respectively. We are losing in protecting our secrets.

China’s submarines have nuclear engines (equipped with ICBMs) and US technology (stolen?) that cannot be detected easily. The non-nuclear submarines travel less distance but the engines are quieter. Many can fire missiles without surfacing. It is replacing Russia’s fleet as number 2 in the world after US.

China’s carriers may be more than 50 years late, but Chinese are catching up with at least three operational within a decade. The first operational carrier is primarily used for training and a model for newer models. The second one is available for deployment. There are newer and most likely driven by nuclear generator in the near future. They will be used to protect the oil route from Middle East, invade Taiwan and enforce territory. Her blue-water navy is growing to protect her trade routes. 50% of her GDP is trade-related with about 80% via sea route in 2018.

Chinese copied Russia’s SU-33, jets for carriers. The joke on Russia is the copy version is better than the original. Chinese still have to improve jet engines.

Other navy weapons are very effective for defense purposes. Mines can be deployed to block harbors or protect invasion to ports. Chinese have stockpiled more than most countries and they can deployed using unsuspected civilian vessels. Chinese destroyers are getting better. Catamarans are small speed boats carrying two cruise missiles each. They are quite effective for coastal defense as a ‘swarm’.

China’s military drones are capturing the global market particularly in Middle East with US’s restrictions and reluctance to sell to countries they do not want to.

China’s carrier killers (ant-ship ballistic missile) could be deadly. No one knows how effective it could be and what the Chinese have accomplished in speed. With stealth jets and stealth drones, we need to devise better weapons to protect our carriers.

Is it possible for a carrier fleet to defend five carrier killers, numerous torpedoes fired form submarine and swarms of drones at the same time? They are asymmetric weapons to destroy expensive target such as a 10 B carrier with inexpensive weapons. These carrier killers make most missile-defense systems obsolete in protecting carriers and their countries.

Starting from nothing, China’s missile defense system is among the best in the world.

Satellite killers (DN-2) have been tested successfully a long while ago. Shooting a space object moving at 17,000 mph is no small task. Most of our missiles depend on GPS. When they shoot all the satellite down, our missiles and devices depending on GPS are useless.

China is building her own space station. It could be used as a space fortress and space command center. In addition China has her own satellite network and her satellites will be equipped with firing missiles to kill other satellites if not already done. Our weakness and also our strength too is over-dependent on our satellite network.

Summary

China may not be militarily competitive to us today, but she will. China’s military will be helped by the strong economy. If we do not protect our secrets, more blueprints will be stolen. Hopefully the military war will never be started with China as there will be no winner but excessive destruction from today’s deadly weapons. It would be far better with a trade war, a cold war and/or an arms race to more advanced weapons than a military war.

Most likely and in several decades later China will be strong enough economically and militarily to reclaim some of her lost lands and reunite with Taiwan without shooting a bullet.

Links: Magazine, 1, 2. Technology 1 , YouTube 1 2 3 4 , Misc. 1   


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The above is from my book "Can China Say No?". Click here for more info in Amazon.com.