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| TV screen show that the single unit of simulation is marked with Chinese and Indian national flags |
The ministry had decided to focus on purchases that would impact on the armed forces' operational preparedness.
For example, the ministry planned to speed up infrastructure development in Arunachal Pradesh, buy ammunition to end shortages and acquire high-value assets, from aircraft to warships.
Defence minister A.K Antony asked then the three forces to focus on operational preparedness.
In May, A.K. Antony had declared in Parliament that he would seek a hike in the Rs 1,93,408 crore defence outlay of the 2012-13 budget.
He spoke of 'new ground realities' and 'changing security scenario'. Only a hike of the budget could take care of the threat of the China-Pakistan military nexus, he said.
Now, the finance ministry has decided otherwise.
It has been announced that the modernization budget of the armed forces will be slashed by around Rs 10,000 crore in the forthcoming budget.
The Times of India commented: "The move will lead to a major slowdown in the ongoing acquisition projects ranging from aircraft and helicopters to howitzers and missiles. It also makes it clear that the already much-delayed $20 billion MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) project to acquire 126 fighters will not be inked anytime before March 31," adding "IAF had been assured an additional Rs 10,000 crore to cater for the first instalment of the MMRCA projectunder which final commercial negotiations are underway for French Rafale fighters, if inked within this fiscal."
While Delhi prevaricate, China is testing a new “Air Force tactical level combat simulation system” which has been co-developed by the Chinese Air Force Command College and Sichuan Wisesoft Co. Ltd..
It apparently includes 4 sub-systems: air combat simulation, Tactics Research, Tactical command confrontation and AWACS simulation.
But that is not the most interesting!
Watch the YouTube video posted below.
What do you see near the simulation equipment?
The Indian and Chinese flags.
It probably means that China takes seriously India's preparedness (though it was before the latest budget cuts which will delay many of the important modernization projects!).
One should not forget that for the first time in October an Air Force Officer, General Xu Qiliang has been appointed as the Vice-Chairman of the all-powerful Central Military Commission (CMC).
It opens interesting perspectives for the Air Force; General Xu was Air Chief (known as Commander of the PLAAF) from 2007 to 2012; he had become ‘ex-officio’ CMC member in October 2007, though ‘ex-officio’ is not entirely correct as nothing can be taken as routine or normal at this level in China.
Today, he is one of the two Vice-Chairmen who run the Chinese defence forces (PLA, PLAAF, PLAN and Second Artillery).
Beijing knows the importance of the Air Force in a future conflict.
To give an example, Major-General Dai Xu, a Professor at the National Defense University of the PLA recently published a commentary in The Global Times.
The General argued that Beijing should acquire "a powerful Air Force to deal with the crisis in the open sea".
He noted that "Japan has continuously dispatched F-15 fighters to intercept Chinese maritime surveillance aircraft and has deployed anti-submarine aircraft to harass China's ocean surveillance ships. ...For Japan to send fighter jets is a qualitative change in diplomatic moves. … The Chinese Air Force has no choice but to come forward with equivalent or even greater efforts. The Chinese Air Force should develop a plan as soon as possible, have targeted training and deployment, make sure China is able to take immediate action when needed, and be able to win the war when in the fight.”
Openly, Japan and the US are still the enemies, but China is also preparing to open a Western front in Tibet, to be activated, if and when required.
It is perhaps not the right time for India to take a nap.
Simulation system shows India is the main enemy of China
January 2, 2013
China Military News by China-defense-mashup)
In recent Chinese CCTV military news report, China has develop a new air combat simulation system for PLA Air Force. It is interesting that TV screen show that the single unit of simulation is marked with Chinese and Indian national flags. This may indicate that Chinese Air Force has eyed Indian air power as its main counterpart.
This so-called “Air Force tactical level combat simulation system” is co-developed by Air Force Command College and Sichuan Wisesoft Co.,Ltd. including 4 sub-systems: air combat simulation, Tactics Research, Tactical command confrontation and AWACS simulation. This new system builds a platform for multi-level and real-time air combat simulation for pilots to be familiar with modern air war in context of information age.
Besides, this system will help Chinese Air Force to dig new theory and doctrines for its strategic power transformation.
Huang Anxiang, the engineer of PLA Air Force Command College Training Center, introduces that the simulation system can be easily converted into the corresponding fighters or attackers, such as J-10, J-11, Q-5 and JH-7. The Pilots can be turned from rookie to be “ACE” in the shortest time to fully play the greatest effectiveness of combat aircraft and other weapons.
In recent years, China has built and converted five large strategic airports near the Sino-Indian border, which are all high-grade airport for large transport aircraft taking off and landing.
Nyingchi [Nyingtri] Airport: located at the Mainling territory’s Brahmaputra valley and only kilometers from the southern Tibet Sino-Indian border area. China started construction in October 2003, a total investment of 780 million yuan, 2,949 meters above sea level. Nyingchi Airport opened at the end of 2005.
Shigatse Pingan airport: Shigatse Pingan airport’s location is near the highway of China and Nepal border. From Shigatse Pingan airport, people can easily reach of the Himalayas Mountain area. Airport is 3782m above sea level. Shigatse Pingan airport opened at the October, 2010.
Qamdo [Chamdo] Bangda Airport: Qamdo Bamda Airport, located in Bamda, Qamdo, is the highest airport in the world, at an elevation of 4,334 metres. It has the longest publicly used runway in the world, at 5,500 m. The airport’s expansion was completed in July 2009.
Ngari Gunsa Airport: Ngari Gunsa Airport is a dual-use military and civil airport serving the town of Shiquanhe in Ngari Prefecture, in the southwest of China’s Tibet Autonomous Region and only only 90 kilometers away from the northern section of the disputed territory and India. It started operations on 1 July 2010, becoming the fourth civil airport in Tibet after Lhasa, Nyingchi, and Qamdo airports. Situated at 4,274 m (14,022 ft) above sea level, Gunsa Airport has the best airport of takeoff and landing conditions of the Tibet Autonomous Region. The runway length of 4,500 meters can meet taking-off/landing requirements of Airbus A319, Boeing-737, Boeing-700, IL-76, Y-8 transport aircraft and combat aircraft like Su-27, J-10, H-6 bomber. Almost all Northern Indian area is under the radius of 1,000 km range from Ngari Gunsa Airport.
Nagqu [Nagchu] Dagring Airport is an airport under construction near Nagqu in the Nagqu Prefecture of Tibet. When completed in 2014 it will be the highest airport in the world at 4,436 m, surpassing Qamdo Bangda Airport (also in Tibet) as the highest. Construction began in 2011 and is scheduled to take three years. It Is expected to be completed in 2014 when the airport annual handling capacity of 2.2 million passengers and 15,000 tons of cargo.
China plateau airports’ number have been up to 3/4 of the world. According to the plan, by 2020, the Chinese side of the Sino-Indian border, the airport number will be 20. These airports in accordance with the almost the same interval, extending from the northwest to southeast across most of the area of sino-india border security.
Half a century has gone by since a border war between China and India broke out in the eastern Himalayas on October 20, 1962. Memories of that war linger not only at the Indian national policymaking level but also in local discourses in northeast India, given the Indian defeat at the hands of China in 1962. The border issue remains disputed.
China plans to deploy its fifth-generation fighter aircraft, the J-20 in this region, once the radar-evading stealth fighter jet gets operational by 2018. Six divisions of China’s Rapid Reaction Forces (RRF) are stationed at Chengdu with 24-hour operational readiness and supported by an airlift capability to transport the troops to the India-China border within 48 hours.
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