Chinese fighter intercepts Navy Poseidon

[spuwho]

The F5 Tigershark was not the last plane built for export. It maybe the last plane some of those countries purchased.

The F16 has been exported to UAE, Netherlands. F18 to Canada, Australia. F15 to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea.

We could export yet more F16's as there are hundreds stored in a boneyard at Davis-Monathan, the same ones they are bringing to Cecil to convert to drones.

While the F35 could be considered an export since the RAF are getting the ones made in Forth Worth, the first F35 made in Italy just rolled off the Alenia production line. With so many F35 parts sourced globally, its something less than an export.

In other news, Russia planted a sub-Arctic flag under the North Pole ice and is claiming it as their territory now.

Look for another flap as USAF does a North Pole flyover to contest the new Russian claim.

I used to think that new territorial claims stopped in the late 1800's because everything known was claimed. So who is going to claim the center of the earth now?

[BridgeTroll]

The author was referring to the F-5's in Asia and the price to replace them with the more expensive models such as F-16...

This is an acute problem in Southeast Asia, as U.S.-built combat aircraft have reached the end of their service lives. The last U.S. export fighter, the F-5E Tiger II, has so far been replaced by non-U.S. fighters, forfeiting a major security cooperation opportunity. The last remaining F-5s in Southeast Asia will retire in the next five years with no American replacement options except the much more expensive F-16, F-18 and F-15E.

The maps in this article clearly identify the issue though... Chinese rather ridiculous claims (9 dash) next to the UNCLOS agreement which is certainly more logical...

[spuwho]

I get it. F5 is at end of life. Cant afford to replace at current new prices. Hence I was suggesting a refurb of a F16, since we are making then airworthy for drone use anyway.

"So far replaced by non-US fighters".

Not to parse to death, but this is very inaccurate.

We have interfaced with many non-NATO aircraft to this day through Tiger Meets or Red Days.

Having a future ally require the use of US made aircraft is silliness. There are many legacy non-US aircraft they can acquire. Panavia Tornado or BAE Jaguar all have years of cooperative use with US assets.

Even the newer Russian MiG's for export come with the option of NATO supported analog data buses (if not dated) But as noted, they are too expensive.

[BridgeTroll]

I get it. F5 is at end of life. Cant afford to replace at current new prices. Hence I was suggesting a refurb of a F16, since we are making then airworthy for drone use anyway.

"So far replaced by non-US fighters".

Not to parse to death, but this is very inaccurate.

We have interfaced with many non-NATO aircraft to this day through Tiger Meets or Red Days.

Having a future ally require the use of US made aircraft is silliness. There are many legacy non-US aircraft they can acquire. Panavia Tornado or BAE Jaguar all have years of cooperative use with US assets.

Even the newer Russian MiG's for export come with the option of NATO supported analog data buses (if not dated) But as noted, they are too expensive.

The f5 or replacement was really not the gist of the article...

[BridgeTroll]

http://tuoitrenews.vn/society/29569/3-chinese-ships-attack-vietnamese-fishermen-off-hoang-sa-paracels

Vietnamese fishermen say attacked by 3 Chinese ships off Hoang Sa (Paracels)

A Vietnamese fishing boat from the central province of Quang Ngai was operating in the Vietnamese waters in the East Vietnam Sea on Friday when it was reportedly attacked by three Chinese ships, local authorities said.

These Chinese ships got close to the QNg 96507 TS, with 16 fishermen on board, when it was fishing off Vietnam's Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, the authorities of the province's Ly Son District said on Saturday, citing a report from the attacked boat's captain, Nguoi Lao Dong (Laborer) newspaper reported.

Crew members of the foreign ships, which were in white and coded with 46102, 45101 and 37102, got on board the local boat, with AK assault rifles and electric batons in their hands,  said captain Nguyen Loi.

These Chinese then beat a number of the fishermen with their weapons, causing injuries to them, Loi said.

The foreigners also smashed navigation equipment and fishing tools on the local ship, and took away all the aquatic products from it.

Many fishermen had managed to photograph the illegal acts of the foreigners during their attack, Loi said.

After the attackers left, the fishermen repaired their ship and returned to An Hai Commune, Ly Son District, he added.

After receiving a report from the An Hai Commune Fisheries Trade Union, the Vietnam Fisheries Trade Union (VFTU) on Friday evening issued a statement vehemently objecting to the attack as well as recent other attacks by Chinese ships on Vietnamese fishermen operating in Vietnamese waters.

The VFTU demanded that Chinese authorities take measures to stop such wrongful acts that have affected normal operations of Vietnamese fishermen and seriously threatened their lives and property.

The VFTU also requested that relevant Vietnamese agencies investigate aggressive actions Chinese ships direct at Vietnamese fishermen, and take effective measures to protect lives and assets of fishermen.

The Friday attack is the latest in a series of similar cases that have happened to Vietnamese fishermen and their vessel in recent times.

On July 9 night, a fishing boat coded QNg 90559, also from Quang Ngai, was reportedly scared away and sank by two Chinese vessels when the local vessel was fishing off Hoang Sa (Paracels) with 11 fishermen on board, local authorities said.

The Chinese ships approached the local vessel, directed high-powered lights at the Vietnamese boat and used loudspeakers to demand it to leave the waters, said Truong Van Duc, the boat owner.

Duc ran his ship away, fearing a possible attack, but was run after by the foreign ships, which eventually rammed the fishing boat to sink at 11:00 pm, according to the report.

The Chinese ships then left the scene, leaving all the 11 fishermen floating at sea while clinging to the lifebuoys from their sunken ships.

The fishermen were rescued and taken ashore after several other Vietnamese fishing boats found them at about 2:00 am on the next day.

[spuwho]

Phillippine Air Force re-positions air wing to former NAS Cubi Point.

Per Business Insider:

http://www.businessinsider.com/r-philippines-to-station-warplanes-frigates-at-former-us-base-facing-disputed-sea-2015-7

The Philippines is parking warplanes at a US naval base in the South China Sea that's been dormant for 23 years

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines will station new fighter jets and two frigates at the former U.S. naval facility in Subic Bay from early next year, officials said, the first time the massive installation has functioned as a military base in 23 years.

Using Subic Bay would allow the Philippine air force and navy to respond more effectively to Chinese moves in the disputed South China Sea, security experts said. Subic Bay's deep-water harbor lies on the western side of the main Philippine island of Luzon, opposite the South China Sea.

"The value of Subic as a military base was proven by the Americans. Chinese defense planners know that," said Rommel Banlaoi, a Philippine security expert.

Once one of the biggest U.S. naval facilities in the world, Subic Bay was shut in 1992 after the Philippine Senate terminated a bases agreement with Washington at the end of the Cold War.

Manila converted the facility, which was never home to the Philippine military, into an economic zone.

Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino told Reuters the Philippine military signed an agreement in May with the zone's operator, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, to use parts of the installation under a renewable 15-year lease.

U.S. warships have called regularly at Subic Bay since 2000, but only to dock during exercises with the Philippine military or to use its commercial facilities for repairs and resupply.

Officials said once Subic Bay was a military base again, the U.S. Navy could have much greater access to it under a year-old agreement that gives U.S. troops broad use of local military facilities, although that deal is on ice after it was challenged in the Philippine Supreme Court.

Using Subic would be the latest Philippine military move to combat China's maritime ambitions.

Besides beefing up security cooperation with the United States, Japan and Vietnam, the military plans to spend $20 billion over the next 13 years to modernize its armed forces, among the weakest in Southeast Asia.

China, which claims nearly all of the South China Sea, said it was aware of reports of the arms buildup.

"We hope that the Philippines does more to benefit regional peace and stability," the defense ministry said in a statement faxed to Reuters.

Air wing relocating
Two FA-50 light attack fighters made by Korea Aerospace Industries, the first among a dozen ordered last year, would be based at the former Cubi Naval Station in Subic Bay from early 2016, two Philippine generals told Reuters. The two planes arrive in December.

The full squadron of FA-50s would be based at Subic, as well as the 5th Fighter Wing, which would relocate from a rundown base in northern Luzon, said the generals, who declined to be identified.

Two naval frigates would be stationed at Subic Bay's Alava Port.

The generals cited proximity to the South China Sea and the ease in making the base operational as reasons for the move.

"There are existing facilities in Subic Bay. We need only to refurbish them," one officer said.

Since Subic Bay hasn't functioned as a military base for more than two decades, it was not among eight locations the Philippine armed forces has said the U.S. military could use under the stalled 2014 defense deal.

The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement would allow the U.S. military to deploy at Philippine bases for longer periods than under existing accords as well as build barracks and facilities for logistics purposes.

The agreement has been frozen since left-wing politicians challenged its constitutionality last year. The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling in the coming months.

"(Subic) could be one of the locations ... under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement," Batino said.

The Pentagon has said there were informal talks about Philippine base locations but that no plans would be implemented until the Supreme Court issues a ruling.

Strategic shoal
Security experts noted that Subic Bay is only 145 nautical miles (270 km) from Scarborough Shoal, which China seized from Manila in 2012 after a three-month standoff with the Philippine navy.

The disputed Spratly islands, where China is building seven man-made islands, some with military facilities, lie further to the southwest of the shoal.

China might one day also turn Scarborough Shoal into an artificial island, which could make it harder for the Philippines to protect its 200-nautical mile (370 km) exclusive economic zone off Luzon, said Patrick Cronin, a regional expert at the Center for a New American Security in Washington.

"New Korean-built light fighter aircraft could reach Scarborough Shoal in just minutes, and maritime patrol aircraft or drones could eventually provide persistent coverage of Chinese movements in the area," Cronin said.

"A return to Subic Bay, this time led by the Philippine air force, would seem to be a prudent defensive response."

[BridgeTroll]

Ah the memories... flying out of Cubi... and Olangapo at night... the next generation. 

[Gunnar]

Phillippine Air Force re-positions air wing to former NAS Cubi Point.

Per Business Insider:

http://www.businessinsider.com/r-philippines-to-station-warplanes-frigates-at-former-us-base-facing-disputed-sea-2015-7

The Philippines is parking warplanes at a US naval base in the South China Sea that's been dormant for 23 years

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines will station new fighter jets and two frigates at the former U.S. naval facility in Subic Bay from early next year, officials said, the first time the massive installation has functioned as a military base in 23 years.

...

Manila converted the facility, which was never home to the Philippine military, into an economic zone.

It would be interesting to see if there has already been any Chinese investment in the Subic Bay freeport zone.

[spuwho]

Not as much as the Koreans.

Hanjin and NYK have built huge logistics hubs at Subic. Subic is also attracting other shippers (like Brazilian firm, Vale) because many of the Chinese ports cant take some of the super size ore ships, so they are transloading at Subic and hub and spoking products on smaller freighters.

With the Port of Manila totally congested, Subic is turning into a major logistics opportunity.

[finehoe]

Analysts: China's Missile Program the Greatest Long-Term Threat to U.S. Security

The advancement of China's ballistic missile modernization program may pose the greatest risk to the United States' long-term security, analysts said Aug. 19. "Deterrence of China is absolutely critical," said Mark Schneider, a senior analyst for the National Institute for Public Policy, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. "It's not the largest current threat to the United States but it will in the foreseeable future become that." According to the Pentagon's annual report to congress, "Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2015," the current Chinese arsenal includes 1,200 short-range ballistic missiles and 50 to 60 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). "I expect all these numbers understate actual Chinese capability," Schneider said, noting that it is hard to pinpoint a precise number because most nuclear weapons are sheltered in a 3000-mile tunnel known as China's underground "Great Wall." China has introduced double-digit increases in defense spending in 18 of the last 20 years, he said during a panel discussion at the Hudson Institute, a think tank in Washington, D.C. A 2013 report from the National Air and Space Intelligence Center found the Pacific nation has the most "active and diverse ballistic missile development program in the world," expected to expand in both size and variety.

www.ndia.org

[spuwho]

Analysts: China's Missile Program the Greatest Long-Term Threat to U.S. Security

The advancement of China's ballistic missile modernization program may pose the greatest risk to the United States' long-term security, analysts said Aug. 19. "Deterrence of China is absolutely critical," said Mark Schneider, a senior analyst for the National Institute for Public Policy, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. "It's not the largest current threat to the United States but it will in the foreseeable future become that." According to the Pentagon's annual report to congress, "Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2015," the current Chinese arsenal includes 1,200 short-range ballistic missiles and 50 to 60 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). "I expect all these numbers understate actual Chinese capability," Schneider said, noting that it is hard to pinpoint a precise number because most nuclear weapons are sheltered in a 3000-mile tunnel known as China's underground "Great Wall." China has introduced double-digit increases in defense spending in 18 of the last 20 years, he said during a panel discussion at the Hudson Institute, a think tank in Washington, D.C. A 2013 report from the National Air and Space Intelligence Center found the Pacific nation has the most "active and diverse ballistic missile development program in the world," expected to expand in both size and variety.

www.ndia.org

In other words, a growing threat but not as big as Russia in shear numbers.

The biggest gains by China has been in 2 areas. ASBM's and their expansion of Beidou.

The ASBM's are now accurate and powerful enough to cripple a US carrier (if they can circumvent our counter measures)

Their Beidou (GPS) cluster, while not global yet,  is growing and will permit the same if not better accuracy than our GPS guided arsenal.

[BridgeTroll]

http://thediplomat.com/2015/09/chinese-admiral-south-china-sea-belongs-to-china/

Chinese Admiral: South China Sea 'Belongs to China'

At a recent naval conference a Chinese Vice Admiral did not mince words.

By Franz-Stefan Gady September 16, 2015

Speaking at this year's First Sea Lord/RUSI International Sea Power Conference in London, Chinese Vice Admiral Yuan Yubai, commander of the People's Liberation Army Navy's (PLAN) North Sea Fleet, did not shy away from controversy. He emphatically stated that the South China Sea belongs to China.

"The South China Sea, as the name indicates, is a sea area that belongs to China. And the sea from the Han dynasty a long time ago where the Chinese people have been working and producing from the sea," he said through an interpreter, according to Defense News.

Yubai was sitting on a panel with the U.S. Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations Rear Adm. Jeff Harley and the President of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force's Command and Staff College, Vice Admiral Umio Otsuka, discussing the role of naval power in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Yubai's statement came in response to Otsuka criticizing the land reclamation activities of "certain state actors"  in the region. "Land reclamation conducted by some countries has been a problem in the South China Sea (and) we have to admit that the rule of law is at risk in this region. The JMSDF will secure the credibility of a deterrence capability and seek a multilateral framework in the Indo-Pacific region," he said.

Otsuka also expressed his worries that commercial fishing fleets are used as maritime militias defending territory claimed by Beijing. "This may provoke, sooner or later, a debate how the conflict between military and maritime militia, if any, should be handled," he stated. The Japanese admiral warned that China's activities could turn the area from "an ocean of peace" to an "ocean of war." However, Yubai cautioned:

I'm firmly convinced that the problems around the South China Sea, so far, can be successfully solved with the joint efforts and consultation of the hosting countries around the South China Sea.

He added:

China has conducted consultation with countries in the South China Sea... the principle we adopt is peaceful utilization and joint development (of the sea). The real situation is that safety of navigation can now be assured.

He also mentioned that China and the United States are working on a code of conduct for aircraft encounters, which will reduce the likelihood of conflict, according to Yubai.

Meanwhile, according to satellite photographs taken on behalf of a D.C.-based think tank, China is set to begin construction of a third airstrip on the on Mischief Reef, an artificial islands Beijing has created in the Spratly archipelago.

[spuwho]

"Consultation with the other countries"

Not according to the Phillippines. The Phillippine Govt. Has been trying for over 20 years to have some sort of "consultation" on jurisdiction in the South China Sea and has been rebuffed everytime.

That is why they went and filed a legal complaint through UNESCO. A complaint that the Chinese has ignored repeatedly.

[BridgeTroll]

http://freebeacon.com/national-security/chinese-jet-in-second-near-collision-with-u-s-spy-plane/

Chinese Jet in Second Near-Collision with U.S. Spy Plane

PLA jet flies close to nose of RC-135 over East China Sea


   
BY:  Bill Gertz   
September 22, 2015 5:00 am

A Chinese interceptor jet conducted a second dangerous pass near a U.S. surveillance aircraft over Asian waters—weeks before a state visit to the United States by Chinese leader Xi Jinping that begins Tuesday.

The latest incident took place over the East China Sea near Japan's Senkaku Islands when a Chinese interceptor flew in front of an RC-135 electronic intelligence-gathering jet, nearly colliding with the aircraft.

It was the second time a Chinese aircraft nearly collided with a U.S. surveillance jet. The last incident took place in August 2014 over the nearby South China Sea.

Pentagon and U.S. Pacific Command spokesmen declined to provide details of the latest encounter but did not dispute that it took place.

"I have nothing for you regarding the incident you mention," said Cmdr. Bill Urban, a Pentagon spokesman.

The latest U.S.-China aerial confrontation was mentioned indirectly by Adm. Harry Harris, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, during Senate Armed Services Committee testimony last week.

Harris called the 2014 incident "a very dangerous event," referring to the barrel roll conducted by a Chinese jet over the top of a P-8 maritime surveillance aircraft as "a dangerous maneuver in acrobatic circles, let along in an intercept regime in an open ocean."

"And we most recently have seen that again, but I'll give the system credit for that intervening period of time, we've seen very few dangerous activities by the Chinese following that August 2014 incident," Harris said.

Harris, without mentioning the RC-135 incident, said the decline in dangerous aerial encounters until the latest incident was due to military and political relationships worked out with the Chinese.

Asked about a second recent dangerous aerial encounter mentioned by the admiral, a Pacific Command spokesman at first said "there is no new P-8 incident."

Questioned later about the RC-135 incident, the spokesman, Capt. Darryn James, refused to provide details and referred questions to the Pentagon.

Two Pentagon officials, speaking on background, described the East China Sea encounter as a dangerous and unprofessional aerial intercept that was similar to the 2014 near collision between a Chinese J-11 interceptor and Navy P-8 maritime patrol aircraft in the nearby South China Sea.

The J-11 came within 50 feet of the P-8 as it was conducting surveillance, in an attempt to coerce the surveillance aircraft to depart.

In the recent East China Sea incident, the Chinese interceptor crossed very close to the nose of the RC-135 near the Senkaku Islands—the location of a major dispute over ownership of the islands located south of Japan's Okinawa and north of Taiwan.

Disclosure of the dangerous Chinese jet encounter comes a day before Xi begins an official state visit to the United States. The incident is likely to embarrass the Communist Party secretary who arrives in Seattle on Tuesday. He is scheduled to meet President Obama later this week.

Xi's visit is also expected to raise two contentious issues: large-scale Chinese hacking of U.S. government and private-sector databases and the theft of data on tens of millions of Americans. China also has raised tensions as a result of disputes over maritime claims in the South China Sea and East China Sea.

Xi is also contending with a wavering Chinese economy that has caused stock markets around the world to drop sharply in recent weeks.

The Chinese leader, who recently was seen in a major military parade riding in the back of a limousine as he reviewed thousands of Chinese troops, tanks, missiles, and aircraft, will be hosted at a White House state dinner, an honor normally reserved for U.S. allies.

The dangerous aerial encounter is a setback for the Pentagon's aggressive military diplomacy with China, which President Obama has made a centerpiece of Pentagon policy.

Critics in Congress, including Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Randy Forbes (R., Va.), chairman of the House Armed Services subcommittee on sea power, have called on the Obama administration to cut back on military exchanges that are not producing results.

The Pentagon recently concluded an agreement outlining what it calls rules of the road for encounters at sea that are designed to prevent further dangerous ship-to-ship incidents like the 2013 near-collision in the South China Sea.

On Dec. 5, 2013, a Chinese amphibious ship sailed directly in front of the guided missile cruiser USS Cowpens and stopped, forcing the Cowpens to sharply alter course to avoid hitting the Chinese vessel.

The Obama administration announced at the November 2014 summit between Obama and Xi that the Pentagon and Chinese military had concluded a memorandum of understanding on "rules of behavior" for the safety of air and sea encounters.

Pentagon officials have said the rules for maritime encounters are clearer than those for aerial intercepts.

Talks in Beijing on the aerial rules have been bogged down in Chinese demands that the United States halt all aerial surveillance near China's coasts, something the Pentagon so far has refused to accept.

Harris, the Pacom commander, said last week that he has ordered his component commanders to continue to conduct operations when challenged by Chinese jets or naval forces.

What I've told the component commanders of the Pacific fleet and Pacific air forces to tell their pilots and crews to do is to continue to insist on our right to operate in international airspace and maritime space," Harris said.

"When challenged by Chinese fighter aircraft, our aircraft ought to maintain a professional flight profiles, predictable flight profiles, and we have the means to record that activity and then we'll see what happens."

The area where the incident occurred has been the focus of a major dispute between Beijing and Tokyo over the ownership of the Senkakus.

Senior U.S. officials, while claiming neutrality in Asian maritime disputes, have invoked the U.S.-Japan defense treaty several times in recent years, stating that U.S. forces would defend Japan if the islands are attacked.

Further heightening tensions, China in November 2013 unilaterally imposed an air defense identification zone over the East China Sea, claiming control over a security zone covering the Senkakus and several South Korean islands.

China is claiming ownership of the Senkakus, which it calls the "Diaoyu Islands," though they have been under Japanese authority for decades. The waters around the islands are believed to contain large reserves of undersea gas and oil coveted by both countries.

The Chinese have demanded that all aircraft entering the zone seek permission and submit flight plans. China has threatened to use military forces to enforce the zone, but so far has not done so.

The United States, Japan, and South Korea have said they do not recognize the air defense zone.

Officials said the most recent aerial encounter between the United States and China was less dangerous than the 2014 encounter between the J-11 and the P-8.

The Pentagon called the 2014 intercept "aggressive" and "dangerous" and threatened to cut off military relations with the People's Liberation Army unless the maneuvers were halted.

Defense officials have said that aerial intercepts remain an unresolved issue between the two countries. National Security Adviser Susan Rice, during a visit to Beijing last fall, was told by Chinese officials that China is demanding that the United States halt all surveillance flights along Chinese coasts.

Urban, the Pentagon spokesman, while not providing details of the East China Sea incident, defended the Pentagon's efforts to seek to lower the risk of dangerous encounters.

"The department has made tremendous progress with respect to reducing risk between our operational forces and those of the People's Republic of China (PRC)," Urban said.

"Over the past year, we have seen improvements in PRC behavior, specifically the safety and professionalism with which they intercept our aircraft."

Additionally, the Pentagon has "robust, existing mechanisms to deal with incidents between our operating forces, such as the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement," he said.

Rick Fisher, a China military analyst with the International Assessment and Strategy Center, said the latest aerial encounter should not go unchallenged.

"Threatening intercepts over the East and South China seas require a very firm U.S. response," Fisher said.

"The first step should be increased flights. But there must also be a deliberate program of expanding air defense cooperation with Japan and the Philippines."

Fisher urged states in the region to conduct joint aircraft deployments to Japanese air fields in the Sakishima Islands and said that the United States should offer the Philippines air defense systems and training to bolster its defenses.

[spuwho]

Lets see....we will stop listening on you if you stop hacking us.

We will stop a legal activity in international airspace so you can stop doing something illegal.

Yep, makes sense to me!