China Unveils New ‘Dark Sword’ Drone

(Photo Credit: Chinese Social Media & Pakistan Defense Ministry)

 

This is a substantial leap forward for the People’s Liberation Army in aviation technology.

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According to a report published over the weekend by the SouthFront website, the Chinese government has been experimenting on a number of designs to increase speed, maneuverability, and stealth. Dark Sword, however, is “qualitatively” different that previous People’s Liberation Army designs:

China ‘nearing mass production’ of J-20 stealth fighter after engine problems ironed out

China’s new J-20 stealth fighter could soon go into mass production as earlier problems with its engine have now been resolved, sources say. Photo: EPA

 

Improved power train will give Chinese jet ability to fly undetected at supersonic speeds, on par with United States’ F-35

A new and improved engine designed to make China’s J-20 stealth fighter a world-class combat jet should be ready for mass production by the end of the year, military sources have said.

The WS-15 engine features cutting-edge single-crystal turbine blades and has been in development for several years, but Chinese technicians have struggled to get it into mass production.

General: ‘The Homeland is No Longer a Sanctuary’

(Photo Credit: Sr. Airman Delano Scott/U.S. Air Force)

 

Air Force Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy said the threat of ‘near-peer’ adversaries like China and Russia is growing rapidly.

The four-star Air Force general in charge of the U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command is warning that the American homeland is no longer a sanctuary from the dangers of the rest of the world.

Leaked Chinese Memo Warns Of “Thucydides Trap” With US, “War Is Unavoidable”

 

A series of leaked internal documents reveal that China’s military reforms are aimed at allowing Beijing to “manage a crisis, contain a conflict, win a war” and overtake the United States in military strength, according to the Express.

The leaked documents were published by the Central Military Commission in February for the purpose of spreading President Xi Jinping’s “thought on strengthening the armed forces”.

If the reforms go ahead, they will lead to heightened tensions with China’s neighbouring countries, including Japan, in the East and South China Seas and the US. –Express

Beijing Warns New Stealth Fighters Will Conduct Patrols In Taiwan’s Airspace

 

Beijing has once again hinted that its new J-20 stealth fighter jets will conduct patrols around, or above, Taiwan’s airspace to pressure the island nation to reunify with China.

The warning message recently announced by Wang Mingliang, a Chinese military strategist with the China National Defense University during special programming on China Central Television program about Taiwan.

“J-20s can come and go at will above Taiwan,” said Mingliang, adding that Taiwan was frightened about “precision strikes on the leadership or key targets.”

China’s Rapid Military Modernization Is “Remarkable,” Set To Challenge West On Several Fronts

Gone are the days of China catching up and now they are on par or ahead of world leaders in terms of military technology.

China already being at parity was noted in several posts over the years, including these:

China is opening a new quantum research supercenter

Chinese weapons reaching ‘near-parity’ with West: study

Chinese Defense Ministry Confirms Hypersonic Missile Test

 

 

China’s rapid military modernization is “remarkable,” and is no longer merely “catching up” with the West, reports the International Institute for Strategic Studies in their annual report on global military capabilities.

“China’s emerging weapons developments and broader defence-technological progress mean that it has become a global defence innovator” says Dr. John Chipman, Director-General and Chief Executive of the London-based think tank. 

U.S. on alert for China moves

Chinese soldiers and children holding U.S. and Chinese flags line up on the tarmac to greet President Donald Trump as he arrives at Beijing Airport, Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017, in Beijing, China. Trump is on a five country trip through Asia traveling to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

 

China’s government is known for using high-level foreign visits to conduct tests of new military equipment such as missiles and stealth aircraft, and the White House is hoping Beijing does not conduct provocative tests while President Trump is visiting the country this week.

The most notable example was the January 2010 visit to China by then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates, when the Chinese military sought to sabotage the trip by flight-testing the first J-20 stealth fighter. Mr. Gates wrote in his memoir that the People’s Liberation Army nearly “wrecked” the visit. Two hours before he met with then-Chinese President Hu Jintao, China released photos of the new J-20 in what Mr. Gates called “about as big a ‘f– you’ as you can get.”

China stealth fighter enters service as Beijing vows to narrow gap with U.S.

China unveiled its J-20 stealth fighter during an air show in Zhuhai on Nov. 1, 2016. /Reuters

 

As part of its ambitious military buildup aimed at narrowing the gap with the United States, China has put into service its J-20 stealth fighter and vowed to build a “first class” navy and develop a marine corps.

Chinese state television’s military channel confirmed in a March 9 report that the J-20 had now entered service, but gave no other details.

China’s spies gain valuable US defense technology: report

US intelligence agencies have determined that China stole secrets relating to the F-35 jet fighter from a US contractor. Photo: Reuters

 

According to the annual report of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, Chinese cyber espionage is a “major problem” for America

China has gained military benefits in recent years from stealing defense secrets through industrial and cyber espionage carried out by its intelligence services, according to a US congressional report.

“In recent years, Chinese agents have extracted data on some of the most advanced weapons and weapons systems in the US arsenal, such as jet fighters and unmanned submersible vehicles,” states the annual report of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, released on November 16.

“The loss of these and other sensitive defense technologies undermines US military superiority by accelerating China’s military modernization and giving China insight into the capabilities and operation of US weapons and weapons systems,” the report adds.

China’s stealth fighter unveiled in flyby debut

China unveils its J-20 stealth fighter at an air show in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China, on November 1, 2016. Photo: China Daily via Reuters

 

With no fanfare, just an abrupt announcement by the master of ceremonies, two dark, powerful J-20 jets rumble over spectators at the Zhuhai airshow

Two of China’s J-20 stealth warplanes swept over a gasping crowd at the Zhuhai air show on Tuesday, potent symbols of Beijing’s aspirations to military might.

The fighters were not announced on the schedule and appeared in the sky just after a colorful aerobatics show by the People’s Liberation Army Air Force.

Chinese stealth fighter to shed cloak of secrecy

China’s newest warplane, the J-20 stealth fighter, will make its first public flight at the Zhuhai Air Show, its manufacturer announced Monday, as Beijing flexes its long-range military muscles.

The J-20, “which military enthusiasts at home and abroad have watched closely”, will make its first public flight demonstration, said Tan Ruisong, the president of China’s state aerospace company AVIC.

China’s new stealth fighter another step toward completion

 

Video surfaces online of suspected J-20 test plane

China’s new fifth-generation stealth jet is believed to be drawing closer to completion after a supposed low-rate-initial-production, or LRIP, test plane was spotted last week.

According to Sputnik, video footage from Chinese websites emerged showing the suspected J-20 unit in action.

Four in a Row: China’s Stealth Fighter Fleet Grows Again

Fighter on a Truck: Wrapped in a tarp, the second J-31 prototype leaves Shenyang, on an escorted convoy for specialized testing (since the wings are completely integrated into the fuselage, it’s too wide to be shipped by train or air). | =GT at China Defense Forum

 

In July 2016, the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation rolled out two more low rate initial production (LRIP) J-20 stealth fighters. This brings to a total of four J-20 fighters built for service into the Chinese air force, as opposed to the original eight J-20 prototypes, which are still undergoing a rigorous flight testing regimen. At this rate of production, China may have 12 production J-20 ready to hand off to a PLAAF squadron for operational and flight familiarization, with an initial operating capability (IOC — meaning those fighters can conduct combat operations) in 2017-2018.

Japan’s Air Force Will Include 100 Stealth Fighters

Japan Air Self-Defense Force | X-2 In Flight | Stealthy, for everything but eyeballs.

 

A small fleet, growing below the radar

Only a few nations have ever built stealth fighters. The United States dominates in that arena, with the retired F-117, the in-service F-22, and the soon-to-be-in-service F-35, but it’s not alone. Russia and China are both developing stealthy fighters of their own, and several nations, including Israel and the United Kingdom, joined with the United States to develop and field the F-35. Japan is slowly joining the exclusive stealth club, and it might turn to an indigenously designed plane to do it.

Chinese Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing US Military Aircraft Data

A Chinese man has pleaded guilty in a “years-long” conspiracy to hack into U.S. networks to steal sensitive information, including data on the C-17 cargo plane and fighter jet aircraft, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

Su Bin, also known as Stephen Su and Stephen Subin, 50, a citizen and resident of the People’s Republic of China, pleaded guilty to the crime in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, according to a press release from the department.