Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




NUKEWARS
China needs long-range strategic bomber: state media
by Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) July 7, 2015


China needs to develop a long-range strategic bomber to strike adversaries farther away from its coast in the event of conflict, state media reported Tuesday, quoting defence experts.

Beijing has been steadily beefing up its military through years of double-digit increases in defence spending, rapidly expanding its naval power, commissioning its first aircraft carrier and adding to its submarine and surface fleets.

But the government-run China Daily newspaper said in a full-page article that a recent military meeting had deemed the country's air force a "strategic force", citing the latest issues of Kanwa Defense Review, a Canada-based defence and weapons technology publication.

The title had previously been reserved for the military's Second Artillery Corps, which the paper described as China's "de facto strategic missile force".

The meeting agreed that a long-range strategic bomber would enable the air force to attack farther out into the Pacific Ocean, the paper quoted Kanwa Defense Review as reporting, as far as the "second island chain".

Chinese strategists conceive of the "first island chain" as the arc stretching from Japan to Taiwan, which includes numerous US military bases on the Japanese island of Okinawa.

The second chain refers to islands farther east in the Pacific, including the Marianas, the Carolines, and the US territory of Guam with its Andersen Air Force Base. A third "island chain" encompassing Hawaii is also sometimes mentioned.

China's increased military posture has come as Beijing asserts its territorial claims in the East and South China Seas, where it has disputes with several Asian neighbours including Japan and the Philippines.

Its moves have raised tensions with the United States, still the region's top military power.

A capacity to strike the second island chain would hinder foreign militaries from intervening in "an emergency or conflict", the China Daily said, citing the report.

In May, China's State Council, or cabinet, said in a white paper that the country would project its military power further beyond its sea borders and more assertively in the air.

The Chinese military defines a long-range strategic bomber as one that can carry more than 10 tonnes of air-to-ground munitions and with a minimum range of 8,000 kilometres (5,000 miles) without refuelling, the China Daily said.

Chinese defence technology magazine Aerospace Knowledge said in a series of articles last month that China needs a long-range stealth bomber, China Daily said.

"A medium-range bomber can't essentially fix the PLA air force's shortcomings in terms of strategic strike and strategic deterrence," it cited one of the reports as saying. "Thus the air force does need an intercontinental strategic bomber capable of penetrating an enemy's air defences."

But the China Daily quoted the publication's deputy editor-in-chief Wang Yanan as saying such an aircraft would require "a state-of-the-art structure and aerodynamic configuration as well as a high-performance turbofan engine".

"All of these are major problems facing the Chinese aviation industry," he added. "I don't think these difficulties can be resolved within a short period of time."


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








NUKEWARS
NATO, US Muscle Flexing Pulls Nukes Back Into Global Game of Thrones
Moscow, Russia (Sputnik) Jun 23, 2015
NATO's military buildup on Russia's borders, as well as the US muscle flexing in Europe has resulted in what German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung called a return to nuclear deterrence. Five years ago, in 2010, the leaders of Russia and the United States signed the New START Treaty, which requires both countries to reduce the number of nuclear warheads on deployed delivery systems and limit the a ... read more


NUKEWARS
Russia to Land Space Vessel on Moon's Polar Region in 2019

Moon engulfed in permanent, lopsided dust cloud

Crashing comets may explain mysterious lunar swirls

Google Lunar X-Prize meets Yoda

NUKEWARS
Could This Become the First Mars Airplane

Curiosity rover back to work, studying rock-layer contact zone

Curiosity Mars Rover Studies Rock-Layer Contact Zone

Prandtl-m prototype could pave way for first plane on Mars

NUKEWARS
Docking Adapter Sets Stage for Commercial Crew Crew

Targeted LEDs could provide efficient lighting for plants grown in space

NASA Gears Up to Test Orion's Powerhouse

McCain Blows His Top Over US Inability to Abandon Russian Rocket Engines

NUKEWARS
Chinese earth station is for exclusively scientific and civilian purposes

Cooperation in satellite technology put Belgium, China to forefront

China set to bolster space, polar security

China's super "eye" to speed up space rendezvous

NUKEWARS
Relief as Russian cargo ship docks at space station

Loss of SpaceX Cargo Resupply Mission No Threat to ISS Crew Security

Russia launches Soyuz Progress with supplies for ISS

Russia Confirms Elimination of US On-Board Computer Failure at ISS

NUKEWARS
Licensed commercial spaceport to be built in Houston, Texas

More Fidelity for SpaceX In-Flight Abort Reduces Risk

Rocket Lab Announces World's First Commercial Launch Site

NovaWurks and Spaceflight Services set for payload test bed mission in 2017

NUKEWARS
Observing the birth of a planet

Precise ages of largest number of stars hosting planets ever measured

Can Planets Be Rejuvenated Around Dead Stars?

Spiral arms cradle baby terrestrial planets

NUKEWARS
Silica spiky screws could boost industrial coatings, additive manufacturing

New conductive ink for electronic apparel

Study: Violent video games offer stress release, but at a cost

Lower cost ultrasound degassing now possible in processing aluminum




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.