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http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?cid=1101&MainCatID&id=20110227000026
China's Airforce To Become A Top Gun By 2020: Pentagon
The US Department of Defense has recently completed a report on the capability of the People's Liberation Army Air Force which predicts it will become "one of the world's foremost air forces by 2020," according to an article published in Defense News on Feb. 21.
The Pentagon says in its report that China's air force (PLAAF) will be able to "shape the future operational environment in the Asia-Pacific region and, perhaps one day, even beyond," according to Defense News.
A large part of the report's assessment is based on China's advancement in employing defense technology exemplified by the country's first self-made stealth fighter, the J-20, which underwent its first test flight during US Defense Secretary Robert Gates' visit to China in January.
China has also continued to fortify its research and development of airborne early warning aircraft, such as the JK-200 and the JK-2000, Defense News said, citing the Pentagon report.
China's air force is seeking to "extend its reach and its lethality," the Defense News article said, adding that the PLAAF is striving to become "a strategic air force" with missions beyond the defense of the homeland.
According to Defense News, the Pentagon report says that the PLAAF was traditionally ordered to focus solely on the defense of Chinese territories, but now it is also instructed to protect Chinese interests beyond the nation's borders.
Since the 1990s, China has largely shaped its modernization efforts to combat possible threats from Taiwan, but now the PLAAF is beginning to consider scenarios involving Japan, India and other nations of the South China Sea region.
The assessment report was written by the Pentagon's National Space and Air Intelligence Center (NASIC).
The US Department of Defense has recently completed a report on the capability of the People's Liberation Army Air Force which predicts it will become "one of the world's foremost air forces by 2020," according to an article published in Defense News on Feb. 21.
The Pentagon says in its report that China's air force (PLAAF) will be able to "shape the future operational environment in the Asia-Pacific region and, perhaps one day, even beyond," according to Defense News.
A large part of the report's assessment is based on China's advancement in employing defense technology exemplified by the country's first self-made stealth fighter, the J-20, which underwent its first test flight during US Defense Secretary Robert Gates' visit to China in January.
China has also continued to fortify its research and development of airborne early warning aircraft, such as the JK-200 and the JK-2000, Defense News said, citing the Pentagon report.
China's air force is seeking to "extend its reach and its lethality," the Defense News article said, adding that the PLAAF is striving to become "a strategic air force" with missions beyond the defense of the homeland.
According to Defense News, the Pentagon report says that the PLAAF was traditionally ordered to focus solely on the defense of Chinese territories, but now it is also instructed to protect Chinese interests beyond the nation's borders.
Since the 1990s, China has largely shaped its modernization efforts to combat possible threats from Taiwan, but now the PLAAF is beginning to consider scenarios involving Japan, India and other nations of the South China Sea region.
The assessment report was written by the Pentagon's National Space and Air Intelligence Center (NASIC).
