Day: July 24, 2019

(Xinhua)15:34, January 11, 2019

The U.S. Air Force has accepted the first Boeing KC–46A aerial refueling tanker aircraft and the milestone delivery to the McConnell Air Force Base in the Midwestern state of Kansas will be made in a few weeks, U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing Company said Thursday.

Boeing said the first four of the KC-46A Pegasus tankers will be delivered to the McConnell base by the end of the month, while the other four aircraft of the same type will reach Oklahomas Altus Air Force Base in early February.

Boeing is on contract for 52 of an expected 179 tankers for the Air Force, and Thursdays delivery has been delayed for two years, which has cost Boeing a total of 3 billion U.S. dollars for the KC-46 tanker program.

The top U.S. aircraft manufacturer said that besides the first refueling plane accepted Thursday, nine aircraft are undergoing customer acceptance testing with the remaining aircraft of the contracted amount in production.

The KC-46 tanker was made from the airframe of Boeings commercial 767 jet and built in Boeings facility in Everett, Washington state.

The KC-46A is a proven, safe, multi-mission aircraft that will transform aerial refueling and mobility operations for decades to come, said Leanne Caret, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security.

(Global Times)08:16, January 16, 2019

Inset: Soldiers hang the portraits of exemplary soldiers in a naval air station of the Peoples Liberation Armys Northern Theater Command. Photo: Courtesy of the PLA naval air station

Portraits of 10 late exemplary soldiers were unveiled recently at a training base of a naval air station of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA)s Northern Theater Command to commemorate their contributions.

Lin Junde and Zhang Chao joined the list of exemplary PLA soldiers in September under the approval of the Central Military Commission.

Before the addition of Lin and Zhang, the list included eight exemplary soldiers known to everyone in China, such as Lei Feng. Their portraits were released by the former General Political Department of the PLA and hung in all offices above the company level.

They were role models from different times in China and represent the spirit of their eras, and their heroic acts offer lessons to the entire army.

Zhang was a first-grade pilot of the naval air force in Hainan who died at the age of 29 during J-15 fighter jet carrier-landing training on April 27, 2016.

Zhangs addition to the list is high praise and an honor from Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Central Military Commission, as well as an encouragement to all soldiers of the naval air force in the Northern Theater Command.

The decision also shows that President Xi and the Central Military Commission attach significant attention to carrier-based flight and wish to expedite the transformation and construction of the naval air force.

銆€銆€J-15 fighter jets Photo: Courtesy of the PLA naval air station

Dancer on a knife point

Carrier-based pilots have been called dancers on the point of a knife, as they are under unimaginably huge pressure when an aircraft weighing dozens of tons hits the deck and reduces its 200-kph speed to zero in a very short time. No matter how experienced a pilot is, every take-off and landing on the deck is as risky as the first, and even a tiny error could lead to calamity.

Carrier-based flight intimidates some people with its unknown risks, while attracting others with its challenges. Obviously, Zhang was among the latter.

In December 2013, Zhang became a pilot of Chinas third-generation fighter jets in the naval air force in Hainan after a series of strict tests. Although it was the first time for Zhang to pilot a third-generation fighter jet, the idea of challenging himself by flying the jet and piloting it in the best way inspired him.

On the morning of April 27, 2016, a silver J-15 fighter jet approached and landed on a carrier-based craft training base. The flight was supposed to wrap up the mornings simulation training, and everything was normal until a harsh alarm was issued from the radio.

Yu Xiang, the machinist standing by aside the field, saw the jet heading nose-up and flying straight up into the air as it tried to slow down.

Jump! Jump! Jump! the director instructed. Zhang was ejected from the cabin as the director gave the order and fell onto the runway.

The flight record shows that while the jet was out of control, Zhangs immediate response in the six seconds was to preserve the jet. However, the plane remained out of control.

Zhang died at 29, after being sent to the hospital, because his parachute failed to open due to improper ejection position and low height.

After seven flights, he would have been a pilot on the Liaoning, said Xu Ying, chief of the training base, as well as the first pilot to fly the J-15 fighter jet for the inspection of President Xi last year. Zhang paved the way for Chinas aircraft carrier goals with his life, and we should complete his unfinished career to devote ourselves to building a naval air force, said Sun Mingjie, a newly approved pilot on the aircraft carrier.

Zhang was a pioneer of the new combat forces of the PLA, as well as a hero who sacrificed his life for Chinas aircraft carrier cause, said Zhang Zhongming, political commissar of the training base.

We will strictly observe the iron discipline of precise, obedient and zero tolerance in aircraft carrier flight, fight against bottlenecks, endeavor to solve the critical issue, forge a powerful engine for the construction of the naval air force, and complete the unfinished cause left by Zhang Chao, announced Lu Chaohui, head of a carrier-based jet fighter regiment, on behalf of all the pilots.

(Xinhua)13:54, January 17, 2019

Police officers keep vigil at the scene of a terror attack at the DusitD2 Hotel in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, Jan. 16, 2019. (Xinhua/Joy Nabukewa)

NAIROBI, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) — Kenya should be prepared for a prolonged warfare with the Somalia-based al-Shabab militants whose capacity to evolve despite sustained military onslaught is profound, experts said on Wednesday.

The experts who spoke in the wake of an attack at a business complex in Nairobi carried out by al-Shabab militants, said that containing threats posed by terrorists is a challenge that Kenya must be ready to confront for the long haul.

George Musamali, a Nairobi-based security analyst, said the presence of Kenyan troops inside Somalia where they have intensified onslaught against al-Shabab remains the chief motivation behind the militants frequent attacks targeting civilians and disciplined forces in the East African nation.

As usual, al-Shabab would always want to strike Kenya to bolster their propaganda war against the so called enemy who has deployed its troops to Somalia to vanquish the terrorist network, Musamali remarked.

Kenya deployed its troops to Somalia in October 2011 to help vanquish the al-Shabab militants whose frequent attacks against civilians was a threat to tourism and national security in the East Africas major economy.

The al-Qaida linked militant group has in the last eight years carried out a series of attacks on the Kenyan soil to protest the presence of the countrys troops in its strong hold of southern Somalia.

Musamali regretted that Kenya has borne the brunt of al-Shabab attacks since it became part of the African Union troops fighting a virulent and highly versatile armed group whose overriding goal is to establish fiefdom in Somalia.

We should expect al-Shabab to continue targeting our troops or civilians as they seek to establish their own version of republic inside Somalia and beyond governed by extremist ideologies, said Musamali.

Kenya was in the global spotlight after a prolonged lull when al-Shabab fighters attacked the upscale 14 Riverside Drive business complex that houses a chain hotel dusitD2 and offices for a number of multinational companies.

The attack that claimed 14 innocent lives bore eerie semblance of a similar one carried out by al-Shabab in Nairobis Westgate shopping mall in September 2013 where more than 60 civilians died.

To prove its resilience in the face of sustained military onslaught in its strongholds of southern Somalia, al-Shabab has managed to stage a series of attacks in Kenya.

Though Kenya has upgraded its surveillance infrastructure to deter large scale attack by al-Shabab in the last three years, the militants have managed to hit soft targets like villages and schools along the border with Somalia.

Mwenda Mbijiwe, an ex-soldier and security consultant, said that Kenyan security apparatus should not underestimate the capacity of al-Shabab to reinvent itself and carry out deadly attacks despite losing territory and dozens of high ranking commanders.

The attack at the Dusit complex in Nairobi was a testimony that al-Shabab can still conduct attacks inside the Kenyan soil despite high levels of vigilance, said Mbijiwe.

This armed group is versatile and seems determined to achieve its aim in Somalia and across the Horn of Africa region, he added.

He noted that al-Shabab has a growing army of local sympathizers and foot soldiers who have made its incursion into the Kenyan territory possible.

Werunga Simiyu, a Nairobi-based security expert, said that al-Shabab has retooled its military operations to remain relevant despite losing its top commanders and sources of funds following aggressive onslaught by foreign troops.

The al-Shabab have suffered heavy losses in the last two to three years hence their inability to launch massive urban warfare like the one they carried out at the Westgate shopping mall in 2013, Simiyu said.

But we should not be complacent since al-Shabab has a loose network of guerrilla fighters that can be deployed to big cities like Nairobi to conduct low scale attacks, he added.

(Peoples Daily)08:37, January 21, 2019

Philippine National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana inspects ETG 539 honor guards. (Photo: ETG 539)

Bangkok (People鈥檚 Daily) 鈥?China鈥檚 Escort Task Group 539 from the People鈥檚 Liberation Army (PLA) Navy missile frigates Wuhu and Handan, and replenishment vessel Dongpinghu, arrived in Manila on January 17 for a five-day visit.

Philippine National Defense Secretary Delfin Negrillo Lorenzana and Vice Admiral Robert Arugay Empedrad, Flag Officer-In-Command of the Philippine Navy, visited the missile frigate Wuhu on Sunday. The officials were greeted by Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua, Rear Admiral Xu Haihua and Rear Admiral Du Naihua, and group commanders at Manila鈥檚 South Harbor Pier 15.

Lorenzana toured the missile frigate and was briefed on the PLA Navy and ETG鈥檚 previous missions in the Gulf of Aden and Somalia, commanded by Rear Admiral Xu Haihua and Rear Admiral Du Naihua.

Lorenzana welcomed the Chinese crew, expressing sincere thanks for their hospitality. He said that military relations between both countries is an important part of the overall relationship between China and the Philippines. He also expressed his support for continuous naval exchanges and cooperation including high-level visits, personnel exchanges, and mutual ship visits.

By LiuXuanzun (Global Times)08:27, January 23, 2019

Trucks carry intercontinental ballistic missiles. Photo: 81.cn

The Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force conducted a simulated intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) strike mission from an underground bunker against an imaginary enemy, the countrys national television reported Monday.

China Central Television (CCTV) did not disclose details on the location and time of the exercise.

Long-term survival training in closed environments has become routine for the troops to ensure counterattack capability in case a war breaks out, the report said.

Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Tuesday that Chinas strategic missiles are usually placed in deep, protective bunkers.

As China promises never to use nuclear weapon first and will only use them in a counterattack, Chinas strategic missile storage facilities must be able to survive the first wave of hostile nuclear strike, Song said, noting that the underground bunkers are invaluable in protecting Chinese missiles from being destroyed and prepare for counterattacks.

Chinas highest science and technology award of 2018 was given to academician Qian Qihu for his achievements in fortifying these nuclear defense facilities.

PLA troops have experienced three weapon upgrades in the past 60 years, and missiles now have a longer range, and are more accurate and more powerful, CCTV reported.

Song said the three generations of ICBMs could be the DF-5, DF-31 and DF-41, all of which are capable of striking targets more than 10,000 kilometers away with a deviation of less than a few dozen meters, carrying single or multiple thermonuclear warheads.

Without a first strike against China, China will never use the weapons, analysts stressed.

The DF-41, Chinas mysterious and most advanced ICBM, might make its public debut on October 1, the 70th anniversary of the Peoples Republic of Chinas founding, as a military parade is expected to be held in Beijing on that day, Song said.

An ICBM loaded with nuclear warheads will likely never be used as it would precipitate an all-out nuclear war, say analysts. The weapons primary purpose is deterrence, and to facilitate political and diplomatic discussions.