China's PLA eyes future in space, air: air force commander

[xiaoyi]

BEIJING, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- China will develop an air force with integrated capabilities for both offensive and defensive operations in space as well as in air, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force Commander Xu Qiliang said Sunday.

Xu Qiliang, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force Commander,
gestures during an interview with Xinhua. (Xinhuanet Photo)


Calling militarization in the space and in air "a threat to the mankind," Xu said China must develop a strong force in the two arenas in order to face challenges of that threat.
The PLA air force would improve its detection and early warning, air striking, anti-missile air defense, strategic delivery capabilities in order to effectively protect China's interests and help maintain regional and world peace, Xu said.

Xu meanwhile stressed that the PLA air force was peace-oriented.

"The Chinese people is a peace-loving people, and China is a responsible developing country which upholds a national defense policy that is defensive in nature," he said.

A powerful PLA air force would protect China's sovereignty, safety and territorial integrity, and would play a major part in maintaining regional stability and world peace, he said.

"The PLA air force will pose no threat to any other country," Xu said.

This year marks the 60th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China. Its naval force was founded on April 23, 1949, and its air force on Nov. 11 that year.

Previous report said the PLA air force would put its most advanced warplanes on display in the suburbs of Beijing in November, to mark its 60th founding anniversary.

All the aircraft to be exhibited, including Kongjing-2000 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEWC) aircraft, J-11 fighters,H-6 bomber jets, and HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles, were made by China.

Most of them were already included in the aircraft fly past during the National Day military parade on Oct. 1 this year in Beijing.

In addition to aircraft display, an international military forum themed "harmonious skies" would also be held in Beijing later this month.

More than 300 senior air force officers from China and more than 30 other countries are expected to attend the forum to mark the PLA air force's 60th anniversary

"The PLA air force will continue to deepen exchanges and cooperation with its foreign counterparts on an opener, more transparent, confident and practical basis," said Xu Qiliang.



"Only power could protect peace," the 59-year-old air force commander said in an interview with Xinhua, 10 days ahead of 60th anniversary of the founding of the PLA air force.

Superiority in space and in air would mean, to a certain extent, superiority over the land and the oceans, Xu said.

"As the air force of a peace-loving country, we must forge our swords and shields in order to protect peace," he said.

According to Xu, not only major air force powers in the world were currently eyeing space and air superiority, some developing countries were also changing their military strategies to gain upper ground in the two arenas.

A country without adequate power would have no say when faced with challenges posed by the militarization in the space and air, he said.

 

[graphican]

Great! China is going to bring equilibrium to the unipolar world after the fall of USSR and China is going to surpass the rest in 20 years time the max. So its time for the west to be good or else.

 

[Greater China]

As America is quasi-bankrupt and can't afford a Space Shuttle program anymore, the international scientific community is desperately hoping for China and Russia to advance into space.

First, it had been the Soviets who dominated space exploration, followed by the U.S. and now China is about the become the world leader in space research.

Shuttle Retirement Makes US Lose Dominance in Space

July 20th, 2011, 14:19 GMT · By Tudor Vieru

Increasingly often, analysts are arguing that the retirement of the three orbiters and the shutdown of the American Space Shuttle Program (SSP) will knock the United States off its position as a dominant power in all matter related to space exploration.

The age of the shuttles will come an end tomorrow, on July 21, when Atlantis is scheduled to land at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida, for the last time ever. The orbiter will then join its sisters in being decommissioned, and readied for permanent display in a museum.

Starting tomorrow, the US will be left without the ability to put people in space for the first time in half a century. A leading astronomer at the Durham University, in the United Kingdom, says that this will mark the end of American dominance in space.

Emerging countries such as China and India are the most likely candidates to replace America as the leading actor in space. In all fairness, the US has become reluctant to take risks and to make investments in things that do not return an immediate profit.

This means that its place as a dominant power should be taken by a country that is willing to go the extra mile to ensure its continuous presence in space. NASA will not be able to put people in space until at least 3 to 5 years from now.

Martin Ward, a professor and head of physics at Durham, and a former consultant for the European Space Agency (ESA), says that the retirement of the shuttles will place the entire burden of handling the International Space Station (ISS) on the Russian Federal Space Agency (RosCosmos).

At this time, the Russians are the only ones who have space-worthy vehicles capable of docking to the ISS. The Chinese have manned spacecraft as well, but their docking ports are not compatible with the ones currently outfitted on the ISS.

“In terms of human space flight the United States has no coherent plan for the future, just a vague long term hope that commercial interests might fill the current void,” Ward explains.

“They no longer have any means to launch humans into space – something that has always been a crucial part of the way scientists seek to understand the Universe,” the analyst comments.

“Given the costs involved, it may well be that in the coming decades the baton of human space flight will be passed on to China and India. Crucially, these countries may also possess the essential motivation to ‘boldly go forth’,” he adds.

softpedia

A new Chinese space station Tiangong (literally "Heavenly Palace") is scheduled to be completed in 2020, just as the International Space Station is scheduled to retire.

Tiangong will be the ONLY operational space station at that time.

Tiangong

Tiangong is a space station program of the People's Republic of China, with the goal of creating a third generation space station, comparable to MIR. This program is autonomous and unconnected to any other international space-active countries. The program began in 1992 as Project 921-2. As of March 2011, China is moving forward on a large multiphase construction program that will lead to a large space station around 2020.

China launched a small 8.5 ton space laboratory called Tiangong 1 on September 29, 2011. Following Tiangong 1, a more advanced space laboratory complete with cargo ship called Tiangong 2 will be built. Tiangong 3 will continue to develop these technologies. The project will culminate with a large orbital station, which will consist of a 20-ton core module, 2 smaller research modules, and cargo transport craft. It will support three astronauts for long-term habitation and is scheduled to be completed just as the International Space Station is currently scheduled to be retired.

Tiangong - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The goal of China's ambitious space program is to outshine the NASA and ESA by far.

Finally, the Westerners are realizing that this will become a reality, as Germany conducts experiments on board of Chinese Long March rockets (China generously granted them the permission).

Germany and China - joint experiments in space

On 1 November at 05:58 (local time), the Chinese spaceship Shenzhou-8 was launched on board a Long March rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia. On board is the SIMBOX (Science in Microgravity Box) experimental facility containing 17 experiments from the fields of biology and medicine, which will be conducted by German researchers together with their Chinese colleagues This is the first time that the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) cooperates with another nation in the use of Shenzhou – the core of China's human spaceflight programme.

The German Aerospace Center's (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) Space Administration is responsible for the German mission share. "We congratulate the Chinese space organisation on this outstanding achievement. China will remain a highly interesting cooperation partner for future bilateral space projects, for example in the field of microgravity research. We see an enormous potential to enhance our cooperation with China with respect to the peaceful use of outer space", said Gerd Gruppe, member of the DLR Executive Board, responsible for the German Space Administration, on occasion of the launch. The SIMBOX facility - a combination of intelligent incubator and centrifuge - was built at Astrium in Friedrichshafen. Seven German universities have contributed experiments to the project. The flight of the Shenzhou-8 spacecraft to the first module of the Chinese space station Tiangong, which is currently under construction, will be China’s final test for future human space flight.

DLR

Meanwhile in Inda:

 

[Fantasy]

As America is quasi-bankrupt and can't afford a Space Shuttle program anymore, the international scientific community is desperately hoping for China and Russia to advance into space.

First, it had been the Soviets who dominated space exploration, followed by the U.S. and now China is about the become the world leader in space research.

softpedia

A new Chinese space station Tiangong (literally "Heavenly Palace") is scheduled to be completed in 2020, just as the International Space Station is scheduled to retire.

Tiangong will be the ONLY operational space station at that time.

Tiangong - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The goal of China's ambitious space program is to outshine the NASA and ESA by far.

Finally, the Westerners are realizing that this will become a reality, as Germany conducts experiments on board of Chinese Long March rockets (China generously granted them the permission).


DLR

Meanwhile in Inda:

The Americans have 700 billion in defense spending, they just launch a 2.5 billion rover into mars, let's stick to the fact first, and this article has nothing to do with space programs, it's about using the PLA airforce to target enemies space asset.

 

[Pakistanisage]

Great Job china. congratulations

 

[HavocHeaven]

Meanwhile in Inda:

No flamebait plz, or this thread get ruined.


collectSPACE - news - "China opens 'space' post office on docked spacecraft in orbit"

China opened "China Post Space Office" (zip code 901001) after the Tiangong space station prototype was launched. Yang Liwei, first taikonaut of China, was appointed as head of the space post office. Those dudes are pretty funny

 

[OrionHunter]

China will develop an air force with integrated capabilities for both offensive and defensive operations in space

And now it seems the Chinese are preparing for a spat with even aliens in space, as if the South China Sea confrontation isn't enough!!

I think they should stick to computer space games instead!! Good for brain development!

 

[Zabaniyah]

And now it seems the Chinese are preparing for a spat with even aliens in space, as if the South China Sea confrontation isn't enough!!

I think they should stick to computer space games instead!! Good for brain development!

You never know

I look forward to a real-life, and larger than life death star