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UFO or New Chinese Hypersonic Missile!

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Japan Scrambles Chinese Military Jets Flying Near Territory in East China Sea

Japanese authorities scrambled about 11 Chinese military planes that flew near Japanese islands in the East China Sea last week. According to Beijing, the exercise was aiming at improving the military's long-range combat abilities.

On Friday, the fleet that flew near Miyako and Okinawa included two intelligence gathering planes, eight bombers and one early-warning aircraft. According to a statement by the Japanese defence ministry, the planes flew without violating Japan's airspace. The ministry said that while other planes made flights close to neighboring islands, some of them flew between the two islands, a local channel reported.

Prototype No. 2017: Its May Be The Production Model Prototype of The J-20 Mighty Dragon

Just after three months from the 7th prototype of the J-20 Mighty Dragon its the 8th prototype of this 5th Gen. fighter rolled out. Its not that much wonder that engineers, scientists & technicians in the Chengdu are doing very much well to be ahead of their projected timeline for J-20's production model freezing target date. They did it regarding some previous prototypes, built prototypes faster & stunned technological world.

Till the date, Chengdu builds 8 prototypes of this stealth fighter. It was speculative in some of those previous prototypes that they're doing major-minor changes and correctional design works. And none of them were graced with festive mode, which, J-20 prototype no. 2017 embraced. Some other forward fuselage features redesigned with extreme care and looks like Chengdu gonna freeze the final design for Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP). Its a little bit tough to assume the final design because the brains are working inside there in Chengdu frequently changed design features of the Mighty Dragon. But, due to some simple but thoughtful clues, now it seems that the final LRIP design for J-20 gonna freeze.

Why? Because it was never seen that none of those previous prototypes were being celebrated except first prototype. And, the number "eight", its literally enough for any advanced fighter to be build un their development phases.

Firstly, In the picture it is speculative that women are hailing the prototype no. 2017 with flowers and people are likely in joyous mode, seeing the Dragon. Its might hints that it is the last prototype and this model finalized for production. There in China its the tradition to celebrate something important to start with in festive occasions.

Secondly, to develop any fighter aircraft its conventionally enough to build five-ten prototypes if there not any teething problem causing severe delay in development. Hence no sign of development problem of J-20 has been seen yet, it is likely that development of this fighter were & still smooth enough except powerful engine. The development of airframe and other sub-systems were smooth and tests being conducted simultaneously on an An-204 & Y-8 platform to reduce development time and advance the development process. First two, 2001 & 2002, was mainly demonstrators. Prototype no. 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 & 2017 are intended for heavy trials and experiments for all aspects. Regarding stealth performances developers shuffles their designs with extreme catholicism. Rear fuselage, engine exhaust covering, forward fuselage, forward canard, radome and wing design was reshuffled several times to refine the final airframe design.

Due to this speculations and from experts views it can be concluded that world gonna see soon the LRIP small batch of J-20 Mighty Dragon ruling over the Asian skies; though, the intended engine for J-20 is still not ready.

Here this is the forward fuselage comparisons between prototype no. 2011 & prototype no. 2017 (the last one). It shows the differences between two models' radome shape for AESA, DSI bump in the mouth of intakes, raised canopy tinted with gold gloss and some other minor redesigning on the intakes' outer surface etc.

Canted Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar of J-10B Fighter Jet

Newly posted image gives us rare opportunity to have a look at Chinese Canted Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar of J-10B fighter jet of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).

 

Possible "Initial Operational Capability" (IOC) for the J-20 Mighty Dragon may occur in the 2017-18 timeframe

In November and December 2014 two additional prototypes of the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation's (CAC) J-20 fifth-generation fighter emerged, advancing its development towards a possible initial operational capability (IOC) of 2017-18. The J-20 programme currently features six known prototypes. Two are early technology development articles (serial numbers 2001 and 2002) that emerged in 2009 and 2010, while four are modified versions closer to operational prototypes (serial numbers 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2015) that all emerged in 2014.

Chinese aircraft spotters responsible for early internet photos report that the latest J-20 prototype, 2015, made its maiden flight from the CAC airfield on 18 December. Source: Chinese internet

No prototype numbered 2014 has yet to appear and may not, given the traditional Chinese view that four is an unlucky number. Chinese aircraft spotters responsible for early internet photos report that the latest prototypes, 2013 and 2015, made their maiden flights from the CAC airfield on 29 November and 18 December 2014 respectively. Both have most of the refinements seen on aircraft 2011, which emerged in February 2014: cropped canards and vertical stabilisers, a modified air intake, modified wing leading-edge extensions, and a new electro-optical targeting system (EOTS) under the nose. 

A view of the latest J-20 prototype, 2015, which made its maiden flight from the CAC airfield on 18 December. (Chinese internet)

 However, 2013 and 2015 lack the nose-mounted pitot tubes that featured on the earlier prototypes. In addition, number 2015 has longer and sharper-shaped rear-fuselage horizontal strakes. Although this aft surface does not appear to be movable, it may contribute to aircraft stability, as a similar - though movable - surface did for the Grumman X-29 technology demonstrator.

A detail of the strakes on the latest J-20 prototype, 2015. (Chinese internet)

 Early internet-sourced images have also emerged of the J-20's retractable refueling probe, placed on the upper starboard of the nose. The development status of an indigenous Chinese turbofan for the J-20, often referred to as the WS-15, remains unknown. There is speculation that early J-20 examples may use a version of the Russian Saturn AL-31 turbofan.

Is China Developing A STOVL Fighter Fro PLAN?

Many believes that Chinese military authority already gained measurable achievement due to the research for an all-weather STOVL platform for its Navy. Although there's no loud voice against this claim but some news and info are floating in the internet suggests that "it might be". Here the original rumors(!). 

AVIC - new VSTOL fighter,

Nation starts research on naval jet

http://english.chinamil.com.cn/news-channels/china-military-news/2015-05/13/content_6488606.htm

(Source: China Daily) 2015-05-13

　　Move addresses gap in PLA's equipment and will further strengthen combat capability

　　China's aviation industry is working on the development of aircraft with short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities needed for an important role in the Chinese navy's future operations, military experts said.

　　"Research and development on components of STOVL aircraft, such as the engine, have started," Wang Ya'nan, deputy editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told China Daily.

　　"The aircraft's principles are not new. They have been known for more than 40 years, so our aircraft designers should be able to develop the plane on their own," Wang said.

　　In late March, the Aviation Industry Corp of China, the country's leading aircraft maker, announced on its website that two of its subsidiaries - AVIC Chengdu Engine Group and China Aviation Engine Establishment - have signed a cooperation agreement on the development of the STOVL aircraft's engine. The statement said the STOVL aircraft project aims to strengthen the People's Liberation Army navy's amphibious combat capability and address the absence of such a weapon in the PLA's arsenal.

　　Compared with conventional fixed-wing aircraft, a STOVL plane can be readied for action in a shorter period of time and occupies less space in a hangar bay or on the deck of a ship. These features have made it a popular choice for naval powers since late 1960s, when Britain's subsonic Hawker Siddeley Harrier became the first STOVL aircraft to be put in service.

　　Almost all STOVL aircraft in active service are based on the Harrier design, and they form the backbone of the naval forces of India and Spain.

　　This move is not the first time China has aimed to build a STOVL aircraft. In the late 1960s, the PLA asked the aircraft institutes to develop a fixed-wing plane capable of vertical takeoff and landing. The project was later abandoned due to technical difficulties.

　　The PLA also tried to buy the Hawker Siddeley Harrier in the late 1970s, but dropped the attempt because of cost, according to Western military observers.

　　This time, AVIC appears to have made the right decision at the right time as the PLA navy now needs a STOVL aircraft because it will "significantly supplement and improve its amphibious capabilities", Wang said.

　　"Though the PLA navy now has an aircraft carrier - the CNS Liaoning - it still lacks the experience of developing and manufacturing such a sophisticated naval platform, so there won't be more carriers in the short term," Wang said. "Let's assume that a conflict breaks out between China and another nation in the near future; the PLA navy's limited number of carrier-borne fighter jets, the J-15s, would have to engage in long-distance strikes as well as air defense for the carrier battle group, and they would have to be divided into small groups to perform these tasks simultaneously."

　　If China had STOVL aircraft, they could be deployed on the CNS Liaoning and other ships to defend against incoming enemy aircraft, relieving the burden on the J-15s, which could then focus on long-range operations, Wang said.

　　"Actually, in the foreseeable future, I don't see a high probability of China's involvement in a war far from its shores. Being dragged into limited amphibious conflicts in or near our territorial waters would be more likely. The STOVL aircraft will be the best choice for air support in such conflicts," Wang said, noting that it would be a perfect match for China's future amphibious assault ships.

　　Amphibious tasks

　　In November 2013, Yin Zhuo, director of the PLA navy's Expert Consultation Committee, told China Central Television that China is developing an amphibious assault ship whose displacement will be 1.5 times larger than the Japanese Izumo-class helicopter destroyer's 27,000 metric tons.

　　Liang Tianren, a Hong Kong military observer, wrote in Hong Kong's Ming Pao newspaper in January that China is building a 50,000-ton amphibious assault ship that can carry 20 helicopters and 12 STOVL aircraft.

　　"The government decided to build amphibious assault ships after the outbreak of Libyan civil war in 2011, in which some Chinese-owned assets were seized or damaged. China then had few military hardware to protect its properties," Liang said.

　　"The situation made the government realize the importance of amphibious assault ships, which can fulfill various naval operations as well as conduct evacuations or humanitarian missions," he said.

　　The first Chinese amphibious assault ship will be built before the end of this year, he said, reporting at least four such vessels will be made.

　　Once the first amphibious assault ship is built, the navy will have to choose a suitable aircraft for it, Wang said.

　　"The comparatively short deck cannot accommodate the fixed-wing J-15, and attack helicopters like the WZ-10 are slow and have a limited choice of weapons. But STOVL aircraft are fast - the maximum speed of the F-35B is nearly 2,000 km/h, and it has strong firepower," he explained.

　　Vasily Kashin, a senior China analyst at the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies in Moscow, told Sputnik News Agency, "If the PLA navy's amphibious assault ship is equipped with STOVL jets, it can be used as a light aircraft carrier, further adding to its combat capability."

　　Senior Captain Zhang Junshe, a researcher at the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, told China Daily: "The navy can deploy helicopters and STOVL aircraft on the amphibious assault ship, designating helicopters to conduct anti-submarine tasks and using STOVL planes to perform mid-and long-range air defense as well as air-to-surface strikes."

　　Multiple roles

　　The PLA air force will also find potential in STOVL aircraft, Wang said.

　　"Compared with conventional aircraft, STOVL planes are quicker and more convenient to use in contingencies and conflicts because they have few airport or runway condition requirements. Even a poorly equipped airfield or takeoff/landing point can deploy a lot of them," he said. "They would be a good guard for front-line air bases."

　　If the air force's bases were under attack, leading to conventional aircraft being grounded, STOVL fighter jets would still be able to take off to fight, gaining time for repairing the damaged bases and adding resilience to the air force, Wang said.

Analysis: End of year surge for Chengdu J-20 fighter programme

In November and December 2014 two additional prototypes of the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation's (CAC) J-20 fifth-generation fighter emerged, advancing its development towards a possible initial operational capability (IOC) of 2017-18.

A view of the latest J-20 prototype, 2015, which made its maiden flight from the CAC airfield on 18 December. (Chinese internet).

The J-20 programme currently features six known prototypes. Two are early technology development articles (serial numbers 2001 and 2002) that emerged in 2009 and 2010, while four are modified versions closer to operational prototypes (serial numbers 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2015) that all emerged in 2014.

No prototype numbered 2014 has yet to appear and may not, given the traditional Chinese view that four is an unlucky number.

Chinese aircraft spotters responsible for early internet photos report that the latest J-20 prototype, 2015, made its maiden flight from the CAC airfield on 18 December.

hinese aircraft spotters responsible for early internet photos report that the latest prototypes, 2013 and 2015, made their maiden flights from the CAC airfield on 29 November and 18 December 2014 respectively.

Both have most of the refinements seen on aircraft 2011, which emerged in February 2014: cropped canards and vertical stabilisers, a modified air intake, modified wing leading-edge extensions, and a new electro-optical targeting system (EOTS) under the nose.

However, 2013 and 2015 lack the nose-mounted pitot tubes that featured on the earlier prototypes. In addition, number 2015 has longer and sharper-shaped rear-fuselage horizontal strakes. Although this aft surface does not appear to be movable, it may contribute to aircraft stability, as a similar - though movable - surface did for the Grumman X-29 technology demonstrator.

A detail of the strakes on the latest J-20 prototype, 2015. (Chinese internet).

Early internet-sourced images have also emerged of the J-20's retractable refuelling probe, placed on the upper starboard of the nose. The development status of an indigenous Chinese turbofan for the J-20, often referred to as the WS-15, remains unknown. There is speculation that early J-20 examples may use a version of the Russian Saturn AL-31 turbofan.

In April 2014 an Asian government source told IHS Jane's that China would have 24 J-20s by 2020, which if realised, could constitute a first operational regiment. This would indicate that IOC may occur in the 2017-18 timeframe.

Source: Janes

The Chinese Air Force's Super Weapon: Beware the J-11D Fighter

According to Russian media outlets, which cited unnamed Chinese reports, on Wednesday the People’s Liberation Army Air Force conducted the first flight tests of its J-11D fighter aircraft. The plane is an upgraded version of the J-11B fighter jets, which themselves are copies of the Russian-made Sukhoi Su-27.

According to the reports, the new J-11D incorporates a number of technologies from China’s J-16 fighter jets. Both planes are manufactured by the Chinese company, Shenyang Aircraft Corp, and the J-16 is believed to have incorporated some technologies from the J-11. However, the J-16 is a multi-role strike fighter.

Perhaps most notable of the J11-D’s upgrades is that it reportedly incorporates the J-16’s advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. When the PLAAF first took delivery of the J-16 in April of last year, Jeffrey Lin and P.W. Singer wrote in Popular Science that:

The most important upgrade to the J-16 is an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, which is more powerful than the slotted array radars that the Su-30 and JH-7A have. The AESA radar allows the J-16 to intercept enemy aircraft at longer ranges than either of its predecessors, and to attack multiple surface targets simultaneously. The AESA radar would also be datalinked to other Chinese platforms, including unmanned vehicles, to increase their situational awareness.

This AESA upgrade significantly enhances the J-11D’s capabilities over those of its predecessors. In fact, pointing to the AESA upgrades, some analysts have said the new J-11Ds could be China’s version of the Sukhoi Su-35s, which is Russia’s most deadly fighter jet. In fact, some U.S. military officials have told The National Interest the F-15C Eagle and Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet “would both have their hands full” in combat against the Su-35.

Besides the AESA radar upgrade, Russia Today reports that the new J-11D uses more composite materials and boasts more air-to-air missiles like the PL-10 and PL-15 than did earlier versions of the plane. It also has a new in-flight refueling arrangement that is similar to the J-15.

Also very notable is that according to some sources, the new J-11D is powered by two WS-10A engines, which are indigenous engines. For all its rapid advances, Chinese aerospace companies have continued to struggle to make high-powered engines that are reliable.

India Will Buy 36 Rafale Jets in Fly-Away Condition From France, Says PM Modi

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today said India's decision to buy 36 French-made Rafale fighter jets off the shelf would infuse "minimum oxygen" into the Air Force, battling with an ageing warplane fleet. Describing the deal as "great", Mr Parrikar said that the planes would be inducted into the Air Force within a span of two years, according to the Press Trust of India.

India announced on Friday that it will buy 36 ready-to-fly Rafale fighter jets.

"It's a great decision taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on better terms and conditions. Procuring 36 planes for two squadrons is an extremely positive decision which was needed," Mr Parrikar told PTI.

"Indian Air Force will get minimum oxygen (relief) it required with this deal... In fact we have not purchased any major new generation aircraft in (last) 17 years," the minister said.

On Friday, PM Modi announced at a press conference in Paris that he had "asked President (Francois Hollande) to provide 36 Rafale jets in fly-away condition." He said the terms and conditions of the contract have yet to be finalised and officials from both sides would work out the details.

Mr Parrikar said today that buying the planes in "fly away condition" did not mean that "we will get them tomorrow".

"It has to be designed as per India's need," he said, adding negotiations would be held over the pricing of the planes.

The original plan was for India to buy 18 off-the-shelf jets from France's Dassault Aviation, with 108 others being assembled in India by the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited or HAL in Bengaluru. Sources now say that if negotiations work out, India will buy 144 aircraft, 18 more than the original 126, ensuring that 108 jets will still be assembled at home.

For three years, the Rafale deal has been mired in extensive negotiations. Dassault has been reluctant to provide guarantees for the aircraft that are produced in India.

The Rafale was chosen in 2012 over rival offers from the United States, Europe and Russia. The original proposal for 126 fighter jets was worth at least 12 billion dollars.

J-20 Mighty Dragon: Coming To Rule The Dragons' Sky

The new prototypes of J-20 Mighty Dragon had emerged last years' November & December months sequentially. It has been a shocking news for those nations who have disputed issues over South China Sea & mostly covered Diaouy/Senkaku Island dispute, for Japan. The raising military might of China draws the significant attention in the Pentagon, amid while, this 5th generation stealth fighters' new prototypes emerging very shortly with new and improved stealth features. Here, below some photos of the new prototypes J-20 2013 & J-20 2015:

J-20 Prototype No. 2013:

J-20 Prototype No. 2015:

Former Chinese General Says Force An Option in 'Taiwan Problem'

BEIJING — An army general has warned that China will not leave the Taiwan problem “unresolved for a long time,” after the island’s Beijing-friendly ruling party suffered a bruising election defeat, a state-run newspaper said.

 

Taipei, Taiwan. (Getty Images).

Liu Jingsong told the annual conference of the Global Times newspaper that the Chinese government would not be afraid to use force to resolve “the Taiwan issue,” the Chinese-language paper reported Saturday on its website without specifying further.

“The Taiwan issue will not remain unresolved for a long time. We will not abandon the possibility of using force; according to the law, it is also an option to resolve the issue by military means if necessary,” said Liu, a former president of the influential Chinese Academy of Military Sciences.

He retired from active service with the People’s Liberation Army in 1997.

“Whoever has political power in Taiwan, the only path (for the island) is to preserve the development of peaceful relations between the two sides of the strait, and eventually to bring about reunification,” the general said.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 at the end of a civil war, but Beijing still claims the island as part of its territory awaiting reunification — by force if necessary.

Taiwan’s ruling Kuomintang (KMT) was dealt a crushing blow in local polls in late November when it lost five out of six large municipalities on the island, prompting Premier Jiang Yi-huah to resign and President Ma Ying-jeou to step down as KMT chairman.

The KMT’s move to forge warmer ties with Beijing, and its perceived secrecy in forging deals with the mainland, was one of the core issues at stake in polls seen as foreshadowing the 2016 presidential race.

In face of the recent shakeup in Taiwan’s political landscape, China “should not fear the storm” and has formed “new judgments and countermeasures,” the Global Times paraphrased Liu as saying.

In March and April this year Taiwanese students staged a mass three-week sit-in in the parliament building in Taipei in protest at a proposed trade pact with the mainland.

Tense relations with China have warmed since Ma was elected in 2008 on a platform of improving cross-strait ties and reviving the slowing economy.

But with rising public anxiety over China’s influence on the island, sentiment has turned against the Beijing-friendly approach. Voters say trade deals have been agreed in secret and not benefited ordinary Taiwanese people.

The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has traditionally been skeptical over closer ties with Beijing and has criticized the KMT for lack of transparency over trade deals with China.

The KMT denies any secrecy over deals with China.

Y-9 Military Transport Aircraft

The Y-9 (Yun-9) is a medium-sized, medium-range turboprop multi-purpose transport aircraft designed and manufactured by Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation. Derived from the Y-8 (An-12 Cub) transport aircraft, the Y-9 features improved engines and modern avionics including a ‘glass’ cockpit, and is believed to be comparable to the U.S. Lockheed Martin C-130J in general performance.

Development History

Shaanxi began to develop a new military transport designated Y-8X in 2001 to meet the PLA’s requirement for an advanced medium transport aircraft to replace its ageing Y-8 fleet. The aircraft later received a new designation Y-9. The Ukraine-based Antonov Aeronautical Scientific-technical Complex (ASTC) aircraft company provided some assistance to the Y-9 development, including the design of the airframe and wind tunnel testing.

Key Data

• Number in service: Unknown
• Designer: Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation
• Manufacturer: Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation
• Maiden flight: 2006?
• Crew: Four
• Powerplant: Four WJ-6C turboprop engines
• Max payload: 20 tonnes
• Max take-off weight: 65 tonnes

Design

The Y-9 has a similar aerodynamic layout to the Y-8, with high-mounted wings and four turboprop engines mounted under the wing’s leading edge. The rear cargo door also serves as a ramp to allow quick load/unload of cargoes. The tail flats and fin are mounted high. Additional small vertical stabilisers are installed on the tailplanes.

The aircraft has a two-wheeled nose landing gear and two four-wheeled main landing gears. The aircraft has a four-man crew, including two pilots, a flight engineer and a loadmaster.

Cargo System

The Y-9’s cargo bay is 16.2 m in length, 3.2 m in width, and 2.3 m in height, with an internal volume of 155 cubic metres. The payload requirement includes a range of military vehicles, cargo containers, pallets, and paratroopers. With a maximum payload capacity of 20 tonnes, the aircraft is capable of carrying 98 paratroopers, or nine international standard pallets of 108” X 88”, or eight 125” X 96” pallets. The cargo bay is also equipped with cargo handling rollers and tie-down rings.

Avionics

In addition to radio communication and navigation systems, the Y-9 features a ‘glass’ cockpit and modern avionics including ground proximity warning and collision avoidance systems. An electro-optical turret containing forward-looking infrared (FLIR) and TV sensors is mounted under the fuselage for day/night, all-weather operation.

Engines

The Y-9 is powered by four WJ-6C (Wojian-6C) turboprop engines each rated 5.100hp. The engine features a six-bladed JL-4 propeller.

Specifications

CARGO BAY DIMENSIONS
Length	16.2m
Width	3.2m
Height	2.3m
WEIGHTS
Empty	39t
Normal take-off	N/A
Max take-off	65t
Fuel capacity	23t
Max payload	20t
PROPULSION
Powerplant	4X WJ-6C turboprop
Thrust (dry)	N/A
PERFORMANCE
Max level speed	570km/h
Cruising speed	550km/h
Cruising altitude	8,000m
Service ceiling	10,100m
Range	5,000km
Take-off/landing distance	1,350m

Amazing Shots of Y-20 Heavy Military Transport Aircraft From Zhuhai Airshow 2014

Amazing Shots of Chinese Y-20 Heavy Military Transport Aircraft From China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition 2014 (Airshow China 2014) . Y-20 transport aircraft is being developed to meet heavy airlift requirements of People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). 

 

 

From The Showcase of Zuhai: Anti-Ballistic Target Missile

From The Showcase of Zuhai: KJ-2000 AWACS

KJ-2000 AWACS in Zhuhai Airshow, 2014 :

China’s Military Urged Closely Guard Its Military Secrets

From U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s tour of the Liaoning aircraft carrier earlier this month to the recent release of two music videos featuring footage of Liaoning’s crew in training, we’ve been seeing a lot of what might be termed “military transparency with Chinese characteristics.” Lest anyone get too optimistic, however, those initiatives were followed up this week by an article in the People’s Liberation Army Daily extolling the virtues of secrecy. Xinhua also carried excerpts of the article in English translation, with the headline “China’s military requires tightened secrecy.”

Latest prototype of J-20 Mighty Dragon in flight testing.

The article quoted from a document entitled “Suggestions Regarding the Work of Protecting Secrets Under New Trends,” which PLA Daily said had been issued by China’s Central Military Commission at the order of Xi Jinping. The report named military secrecy as a key requirement to fulfilling Xi Jinping’s exhortation that China’s military should be capable of winning a war. Chinese military personnel must “clearly recognize the severe and complicated situation facing the protection of secrets, always remain sober-minded, persist in strengthening knowledge of enemies and awareness of duty, and spare no effort to fight the battle of maintaining secrecy,” the report urged.

The report, or at least the version carried in Chinese media, did not contain any specific details on how China would strengthen its military secrecy — such plans would naturally be themselves considered military secrets. The document did generally refer to a need to strengthen the protection of documents and other classified information as well as increasing security for computer networks and mobile communications.

While the report did not mention any specific countries, it’s likely that at least part of the impetus for it comes from revelations about the U.S. National Security Agency’s widespread cyber espionage programs, including substantial hacking into Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei. Following that revelation, China’s military announced they planned to increase cybersecurity, and the report cited by PLA Daily may be part of that campaign.

Regardless of the cause, the new document provides an interesting juxtaposition for China’s recent attempts at transparency. Even while providing some degree of access to PR showpieces like the Liaoning, China’s military is apparently working even harder to protect the information that actually matters — military secrets that will affect China’s ability to fight and win a war.

Official information on China’s military has always been hard to come by. For example, despite numerous rumors in Chinese media, China’s Ministry of Defense has yet to confirm if China is constructing a second aircraft carrier. Such information may be even more tightly guarded in the future as China alters it methods for ensuring military secrecy. As Dingding Chen wrote earlier for The Diplomat’s Flashpoints blog, there are compelling strategic reasons for China to curtail its military transparency. The new report from the Central Military Commission suggests that China’s military brass agree.

Source: diplomat.com