New Chinese sub quietly enters service April 11, 2000

US Defense.com

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) "quietly" placed a new domestically produced Russian designed Kilo-class submarine equipped with new cruise missiles into service late last month, according to a report in a Hong Kong newspaper.

The Hong Kong-based Sing Tao Jih Pao said Apr. 4 that the ship is part of the South China Sea Fleet, and is equipped with new long-range YJ8-2 anti-ship cruise missiles, as well as a host of underwater-launched anti ship weapons and air defense missiles.

Military officials in Beijing, the paper said, reported that the new sub, which took only seven months to build, was superior to Russian-built Kilos, on which the Chinese boat's design was based.

More ominously, however, the paper said PLA sources reported that the new sub has conducted a drill in a new type of war against aircraft carriers, alluding to U.S. supremacy in carrier-type warships, but did not provide specifics about the exercises.

Chinese military planners have repeatedly stated that one of the main threats Beijing faces in any attempt to reunify the mainland with Taiwan by force is the presence and power of American carriers.

However, Beijing's military establishment has been working on plans to thwart any attempt by the United States to place carriers nearby in waters close to the Taiwan Strait, which separates Taipei from the mainland by less than a hundred miles.

In a related story, Jane's Defense Weekly said that as part of the Sovremenny-class destroyer package China signed with Russia, Moscow has supplied three Ka-27 and five Ka-28 anti-submarine warfare helicopters, to be used on the destroyers.

In March, Russian Vice-Premier Ilya Klebanov said China was interested in buying "much more" than the two destroyers it has already ordered. Each ship comes equipped with "Moskit" anti-ship missiles, believed by military experts to be among the most deadly in the world.

"With our supplies of military equipment to our neighbor . . . Russia and China believe that a unipolar [US-dominated] world is impossible," Klebanov added.

) US Defense.com

-- RickJohn (rickjohn1@yahoo.com), April 12, 2000

Answers

Thanks!

-- I Need A (Link@please.com?), April 12, 2000.

Yes indeed, everyone is just crazy about the good ol'U.S.A. It's a regular "love fest"

-- Richard (Astral-Acres@webtv.net), April 12, 2000.

I don't know why this story is being reported now as a big deal. The Chines have had 3 other Kilo type subs in service, that last being commisioned in January. The first two had to be returned to Russia for refit in 1998 after a less than a year in service due to damage to the batteries caused by inexperienced crews.

Simply having a submarine does not increase a threat unless you've got trained, experienced crews to man the vessel. This was shown in the Falklands war where the Argentine Navy had several good submarines but were not able to sink a British vessel while the British, with their years of training and experience, were able to sink an Argentine cruiser. The Chinese have zero experience with submarine warfare while the US Navy has 100 years of experience in anti-submarine warfare. Which side would you like to bet on?

-- Jim Cooke (JJCooke@yahoo.com), April 12, 2000.

There's only ONE side in the upcoming battles against the "Evil Empire (s)"...

Still, it's not comforting to know that the Chinese Ant Colony is capable of building a significant attack sub in just 7 months. It takes us much longer than that just to PLAN the damned thing!

Wonder how much defense manufacturing capability we've already transferred to our (NOT!) so friendly Red Chinese? Doesn't seem to matter which pol. party is in power...it all goes the same way!

-- Dangerous (AndInteresting@Times.com), April 12, 2000.