New Chinese weapons programmes

[BATMAN]

China unveils weapon developments
By Robert Hewson
http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/jdw/jdw070514_1_n.shtml

A video produced to celebrate the recent achievements of the China Flight Test Establishment (CFTE) reveals a wealth of evidence for new Chinese weapons programmes and the pace of weapons systems development by the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).

The official footage, which has now appeared on the internet, shows an entirely new class of air-to-surface missiles, airborne launch trials of the Kh-31 high-speed anti-radiation missile (ARM) and the PL-12 active radar beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM), heavy air-to-surface loads for the Chengdu J-10 and Shenyang J-11B fighters, plus extensive test and development activity with virtually every front-line combat aircraft in Chinese service.

Most intriguing is a new missile design believed to be designated KD-88. A few blurred images of a weapon labelled KD-88 have been seen prior to this but the CFTE film shows two distinct versions being trialled by Xian JH-7A attack aircraft. The missile is roughly 3.5 m long and powered by a small turbojet/turbofan engine with an underslung intake. Two different seeker types are fitted — one appears to be electro-optical (EO, potentially an imaging infrared seeker) while the other is either an active radar seeker or a passive RF-homing seeker for the defence suppression mission.

 

[BATMAN]

The missile is roughly 3.5 m long and powered by a small turbojet/turbofan engine with an underslung intake. Two different seeker types are fitted — one appears to be electro-optical (EO, potentially an imaging infrared seeker) while the other is either an active radar seeker or a passive RF-homing seeker for the defence suppression mission.

What would be the classification of this missile, any known parameters?
Distance, warheads, pictures, similarities, etc.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

Plane Can Fly Inches Over Water
by Lisa Zyga, July 14, 2007

While browsing Google Earth last year, some users saw an interesting sight at a naval base on a Chinese shore: runways heading directly into the ocean. Some people who may have seen such a landscape before might have questioned whether China was developing similar technology to that built by the Soviets during the Cold War, and nearly forgotten since.

On Tuesday, scientists from Tongji University in Shanghai announced that they had indeed designed a new model of the famous but largely unknown "wing-in-ground" (WIG) plane, Reuters reported. The plane, which can carry up to 4 metric tons (nearly 9,000 pounds), flies just 18 inches over the surface of the water, yet manages speeds of up to 180 mph.

To achieve these numbers, WIG planes use a technique called "ground effect" to achieve a high lift/drag ratio. Wings traveling close to the water (or ground) Ekanoplan LunEkanoplan Lunfeel an extra lift by a cushion of air compressed underneath them. This enables the planes to carry extremely heavy loads while using significantly less fuel--in the case of the Tongji plane, about half that of a similar vehicle.

The effect is not new, however. Even the Wright brothers, whose planes flew very low to the ground compared with today's models, took advantage of ground effect, though probably weren't aware of it. If you've ever noticed the speed a commercial plane feels to have just before it lands, that too is ground effect, caused by the air cushion trapped between the wings and the runway.

As I mentioned earlier, the Russians were the first to build WIGs, which they called "Ekranoplans" (or "screen planes"). Engineer Rostislav Evgenievich Alexeev of the Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau in Russia is credited as the lead designer of the 100-meter-long planes that could carry more than 1 million pounds at speeds of up to 250 mph.

It was the middle of the Cold War, however, and the Russians kept their invention secret. If anyone inquired about what these objects were, employees were instructed to say that they were floating stands for new high-speed boat engines. But the grandiosity and method of travel of these beasts inspired US spies at the time to refer to the strange forms as "Caspian Sea Monsters."

Although the Russians had plans to build 120 Orlyonok (or "Eaglet") Ekanoplan models, but ended up with just four in the late ‘70s. Although a good 80% of the size of a Boeing 747, the Orlyonok could fly for 2,000 km (1,200 miles) without landing. Sadly, one of these planes crashed and sunk, killing the entire crew. It still remains at the bottom of the sea. (But according to this review, it appears that you can still buy a 1:144 scale model of the plane.)

Challenges of WIG takeoffs and landingsChallenges of WIG takeoffs and landingsThe challenges faced by the Russians in mainstreaming this technology were faced by many of their followers. Perhaps most importantly, the immense amount of power required for planes when attempting to take off or land in the water, due to the large waves the planes create, was a problem. Engineers also faced challenges in implementing reliable automatic control systems, protecting against corrosive sea water, and protecting the engine air intake against bird strikes.

PelicanPelicanInterestingly, in 2002, Boeing was looking into building a gigantic WIG plane called the "Pelican." The company's goals are astounding: the plane would be 300 feet long with a 500-foot wingspan, fly 10 times the speed of cargo planes, carry 1.5 million pounds, and cover 10,000 nautical miles on a tank of fuel. Besides these plans, however, the Pelican is still in the works.

As for the scientists at Tongji University, they plan to develop a 50-seat WIG by 2013, with 200 prototypes capable of carrying 200 to 400 metric tons scheduled for 2016 or 2017. Military, commercial and even space uses could be in the future for WIG technology.

More general info: the WIG page.

If you like this article, please vote for it on your favorite sharing site, like Stumble, Deli.cio.us, Digg and Reddit or your favorite forum.

Lisa Zyga
Science Blogger
InventorSpot.com
http://inventorspot.com/articles/plane_flies_inches_over_water_5661

China's new submarine spotted on Google Earth

* 11:33 06 July 2007
* NewScientist.com news service
* Aria Pearson

A shiny new ballistic-missile submarine docked at a naval base in China has been spied publicly for the first time using Google Earth.

The new class of nuclear sub, called the Jin-class, had been rumoured to exist for some time, but the image recently uploaded to Google Earth is the first public glimpse of the vessel.

For the past 20 years, China has maintained one ballistic-missile submarine, the Xia-class. However, it has suffered from technical problems and has never been deployed on a deterrent patrol, which involves arming the sub and sending it out to hide for long periods in the oceans.

Instead, the Xia-class has been used mainly for small missile tests. "Now the expectation is they will build this new class and, if it’s more successful, they will be capable of having submarines permanently deployed at sea with nuclear weapons," says Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists.
Cat and mouse

Kristensen, who routinely monitors satellite images of nuclear facilities, discovered the image on Google Earth on 5 July 2007, though the picture was taken in late 2006. The new Jin-class is approximately 10 meters longer than the Xia-class, which was photographed at the same location – the Xiaopingdao submarine base in northern China – in 2005.

The extra length has been added to the missile compartment, presumably to house larger, longer-range missiles, says Kristensen. According to a drawing released by the US Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) in 2004, the Jin-class will have 12 launch tubes, the same number as the Xia-class, but some experts suspect it may actually have as many as 16.

It is unknown how many Jin-class submarines China intends to build. An ONI report from 2006 estimated they would need five in order to set up a permanent presence in the oceans.

"They’re very much in the testing phase," says Kristensen. "But if they’re able to deploy one of these things then obviously our attack submarines will be right on their tail. Then the cat and mouse game starts."
http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn12204-chinas-new-submarine-spotted-on-google-earth.html

On the move!