Latest news with #SongZhongping
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Chinese state media says Fujian aircraft carrier may be commissioned by end of year
The Fujian , China's most advanced aircraft carrier, is expected to be commissioned by the end of the year, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Advertisement In a feature broadcast on Tuesday, the third anniversary of the ship's launch, Wei Dongxu, a CCTV military commentator, said: 'The sea trials of the Fujian have made very good progress and it is expected to enter service this year.' On Monday state media dropped another hint that the ship would soon be entering service by referring to an 'era' when the Chinese navy would have three carriers Satellite images of the ship circulating on social media over the weekend showed 36 newly painted spaces on the flight deck for warplanes, a higher capacity than the country's two existing carriers. Song Zhongping, a military commentator and former PLA instructor, said the new markings suggested that the Fujian 'is getting prepared to be commissioned'. Advertisement 'The aircraft carrier will [then] enter trial service to continue testing the adaptability and coordination between the carrier and aircraft or other weapon systems,' he said.
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- South China Morning Post
China hints Fujian aircraft carrier may soon be commissioned
The Fujian , China's most advanced aircraft carrier, is expected to be commissioned soon based on new images circulating on social media. On Monday state media dropped another hint that the ship would soon be entering service by referring to an 'era' when the Chinese navy would have three carriers New satellite images of the ship circulating on social media showed 36 newly painted spaces on the flight deck for warplanes, a higher capacity than the country's two existing carriers. Song Zhongping, a military commentator and former PLA instructor, said the new markings suggested that the Fujian 'is getting prepared to be commissioned'. 'The aircraft carrier will [then] enter trial service to continue testing the adaptability and coordination between the carrier and aircraft or other weapon systems,' he said. Song said it was possible that more sea trials would be conducted before the Fujian formally entered service by the end of the year, as more take-off and landing tests and carrier group coordination exercises were needed. But they could also be conducted during the trial service period, he added.
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
‘Nothing new': US Army parade holds no surprises for Chinese military minds
The US Army's parade through Washington on Saturday offered no surprises, Chinese military observers said, while cautioning that the full force of American power was not on show. The parade for the US Army's 250th anniversary showcased a range of American equipment, including Abrams tanks, Paladin artillery, robot dogs, reconnaissance drones, AH-64 Apache helicopters and Joint Light Tactical Vehicles. Most of the technology is well known, with machinery such as the Abrams tanks deployed widely in conflicts ranging from the Middle East to Ukraine. The US equipment also has well-established Chinese equivalents, such as China's Z-20 helicopter , which is considered comparable to America's Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk. The Z-20 has advanced fly-by-wire controls, a five-blade main rotor for improved lift and range, powerful domestic engines and enhanced defensive systems. Less is known about newer equipment such as the drones and robot dogs, and the roles those weapons would play in a conflict Song Zhongping, a military commentator and former People's Liberation Army (PLA) instructor, said that many of the US Army's weapons were developed well before their Chinese counterparts, and although there had been upgrades in recent years, there were 'some shortcomings to a certain extent' in the American equipment.
India.com
07-06-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Big tension for US as China unveils killer nuclear missile 200 times, dangerous than atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Nagasaki, name is..., range...
China, a close ally of Pakistan and long rumored to have a secret nuclear arms program, has for the first time opened up about important information regarding one of its nuclear weapons. The historic disclosure marks a shift in Beijing's typically opaque defense posture and comes amid rising tensions with the United States. China's state television CCTV has for the first time made public some of the most critical specifications of one of the nation's nuclear missiles. China's nuclear program has always been extremely sensitive, especially as to the details of certain missile capabilities and deployments, and it was unclear why the details of the DF-5, a Chinese intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), had been released. According to a report by the South China Morning Post, official Chinese disclosures usually rely on vague language and steer clear of specific weapon details. However, in a rare move, Monday's broadcast revealed that the two-stage missile—described as China's 'first-generation strategic ICBM'—is capable of carrying a single nuclear warhead with an explosive yield ranging between 3 and 4 megatons of TNT. Additionally, the report also noted that the missile has a maximum range of 12,000 kilometers (7,460 miles), making it capable of reaching targets across the continental United States and Western Europe. It added that the missile's accuracy is within 500 meters (1,600 feet)—a level of precision considered crucial in modern military strategy. Furthermore, the report mentioned that the missile was '32.6 metres in length with a diameter of 3.35 metres and a launch weight of 183 tonnes'. The yield of the warhead of the missile – up to 4 megatons – is approximately 200 times higher than atomic bombs, which were dropped by the US at Hiroshima and Nagasaki towards the end of World War II. Former instructor with the People's Liberation Army, Song Zhongping, explained that the DF-5 missile—developed in the early 1970s and officially entering service in 1981—has been a cornerstone of China's nuclear deterrent. 'Without the DF-5, China wouldn't be regarded as a nation with credible intercontinental strike capability. It was instrumental in China's emergence as a nuclear power, demonstrating to the world that China must be taken seriously,' Former People's Liberation Army instructor Song Zhongping said the missile was quoted as saying by South China Morning Post. The main land-based missile in the American arsenal is the Minuteman III, which has been operational since 1970 and is equipped with a single nuclear warhead. China, meanwhile, has been gradually updating its missile forces. It now deploys improved versions of the DF-5 capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads, as well as newer and more mobile missiles such as the DF-31 and DF-41, marking a marked improvement in its strategic capabilities. The Pentagon reported a year ago that China had over 600 deployed warheads, a figure it predicted would exceed 1,000 in 2030. It also estimated that China had 320 missile silos at three main facilities after constructing new ones and upgrading its old ones. Beijing has a no-first-use doctrine of nuclear weapons and has stated that it will not use them against non-nuclear countries.
Economic Times
07-06-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
China discloses chilling details of monstrous DF-5B missiles with nukes 200 times destructive than Hiroshima bomb, capable of striking the entire US
Live Events Strategic implications Why now? (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel In a rare disclosure, China 's state broadcaster, CCTV , has released key specifications of the DF-5B intercontinental ballistic missile ICBM ), a powerful silo-based weapon capable of delivering nuclear strikes across the continental United release comes at a time of geopolitical and economic tensions between China and the West, particularly the US, over issues ranging from Taiwan to military expansion in the South China Sea. With a range of 12,000 kilometers and a warhead yield up to 4 megatons, the DF-5B represents a significant component of China's growing nuclear deterrence DF-5B is a two-stage, silo-based ICBM developed in the early 1970s and deployed in 1981. It measures 32.6 meters in length, has a diameter of 3.35 meters, and weighs approximately 183 missile is capable of delivering a single nuclear warhead with an explosive yield between 3 and 4 megatons of TNT, making it roughly 200 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Its range extends up to 7,460 miles (12,000 kilometers), allowing it to reach targets across the continental United States and Western Europe. Analysts see the disclosure of the DF-5B's capabilities as a strategic move to demonstrate China's nuclear deterrence strength. The missile's range and payload capacity position it as a formidable component of China's nuclear triad, ensuring a credible second-strike capability. This development comes amid rising tensions with the United States, particularly concerning security dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region. Former PLA instructor Song Zhongping stated to the South China Morning Post that the DF-5 was vital in establishing China's intercontinental nuclear capability.'Without the DF-5, China wouldn't be regarded as a nation with credible intercontinental strike capability. It was instrumental in China's emergence as a nuclear power, demonstrating to the world that China must be taken seriously,' he also suggested that the disclosure might be a calculated step towards introducing next-generation, silo-based public unveiling of the DF-5B's specifications may signal a shift in China's approach to transparency regarding its military capabilities. By disclosing such information, China could aim to project confidence in its defense posture and deter potential adversaries. This move also aligns with broader efforts to modernize and expand its nuclear forces, ensuring parity with other major nuclear September 25, 2024, the Chinese Ministry of National Defence announced that the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) had test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the South Pacific. Analysts suggested that the missile utilized in this test was likely a modernized version of the Pentagon's assessment indicated that China possesses more than 600 operational nuclear warheads, with expectations that this number will exceed 1,000 by 2030. Furthermore, the US Department of Defense estimated that China has established around 320 missile silos at three major besides India, China is the only country that adheres to a no-first-use policy regarding nuclear weapons, asserting that it will not engage in their use against non-nuclear states.
