JF-17 Block II, A Final Thunder & The FC-20

Pakistan and China have recently concluded a final agreement for the
manufacture of a second batch of JF-17s. According to well-vetted
sources from Pakdef (Eagle Hannan), these 50 jets are the final form of
the JF-17s. The aircraft will be manufactured at Kamra, Pakistan, but
will be flown to China for additional work. This work is said to relate
to a new generation of avionics and sensor suite.


The Block II JF-17 is believed to have AESA radars similar to those
observed on the J-10B. The integrated avionics, sensors and EW suite is
entirely Chinese and is believed to be at the level of Europes best
planes. The AESA radar is a slightly smaller version of the one being
utilized for the J-10B. The radar is highly sophisticated and its
installation is beyond the present capacity at PAC Kamra and will thus
require the aircraft to take a trip to Nanjing, China.


The Block II will be the standard version to be used in the PAF with the
older Block Is to be retired after the end of production for the first
150 aircraft. This suggests that the structural changes needed to
convert the Block Is to Block II standard are significant, suggesting
considerable changes to the revised edition. The following are believed
to be some of the key changes:


1. AESA radar


2. Comprehensive upgrades for low RCS profile including cockpit glass,
RAM paint, refined structure, completely new nose structure for AESA,
significant increase in the use of composites and retractable refueling
probe.


3. Awaited integration of A-Darter missiles from Brazil / South Africa with HOBS capability and Brazilian HMS.


4. The BVR missile is the SD-10B which has been found more than a match
for the AMRAAM-120 C5s. An unknown Meteor class missile is in the works
beyond the SD-10Bs.

A significant export order has been secured and an entire squadron is
being dedicated for training and familiarization of foreign pilots
(Source: Eagle Hannan, Pakdef).


Contrary to conflicting reports in the media, this writer believes that
the order for the FC-20s were finalized and that this order has
increased to 58 planes. Given the recent crisis post-Abbottabad, the PAF
is being beefed up in a hurry and the FC-20s will play a critical role
in the defence of the Western sector. Given the nature of the
mountainous terrain and the inability to use the F-16s, these platforms
along with the JF-17 will prove to be of significant deterrence value.
China is believed to be sacrificing its own production requirements to
meet PAF's needs in a hurry and unbelievable financial terms appear to
have been extended.


These FC-20s are a highly lethal version of the original and incorporate
AESA radars, a high degree of composite use, low observability features
and an advanced integrated avionics suite. The wide HUD visible on the
J-11s are also believed to have been utilized. In Eagle Hannan's recent
update, he notes that the wings have been modified and include over 50%
composite use. He also makes the surprising claim that the canard
fore-planes have been modified. Both these factors indicate a
significant structural and aerodynamic revamp that would require
significant changes even in the FBW.Such a revamp was already suspected
given the canted nose and the DSI bump.


The same source also indicates that the plane (FC-20) has been praised
by pilots and capable of incredible maneuvers including the Cobra so
famously performed by the FLANKERs. He notes that FC-20 not only
performs this maneuver but also performs it better, recovering
significantly faster. While this maneuver is not of great military
importance, the maneuverability and Fly-By-Wire (FBW) maturity this
indicates, suggest that the FC-20 is a well-evolved and lethal machine.


Eagle Hannan also indicates that the Pakistan Navy is interested in the
J-11Bs with Russian engines. This appears to be counter-intuitive given
the sensitive nature of Russia's copyright relations with China.
However, it is possible that Pakistan may attempt to placate this
sensitivity by buying Russian engines and paying royalties. It is also
possible that Russia is smarting from India's recent rejection of
Russian military gear and move towards Western sources. These all make
for a great deal of controversy and are likely to keep arm-chair
generals and military analysts busy in the foreseeable future.What is
clear is that Pakistan and the PAF will get a significant boost, in fact
a major leap in capabilities in the next 12-24 months.

Source: Grand Strategy

China Agree To Give J-20/FC-20 5th Generation Stealth Fighter to Pakistan

China agree to give J-20/FC-20 5th Generation Stealth Fighter to Pakistan" Ahmad Mukhtar Pakistani Defence Minister Said after returning from China.

The J-20 is a single-seat, twin-engine aircraft, bigger and heavier than
the Sukhoi T-50 and the F-22. Comparison with ground-service vehicles
points to an overall length of 75 ft. and a wingspan of 45 ft. or more,
which would suggest a takeoff weight in the 75,000-80,000-lb. class with
no external load. That in turn implies a generous internal fuel
capacity. The overall length is close to that of the 1960s General
Dynamics F-111, which carries 34,000 lb. of fuel. 

The J-20 has a canard delta layout (like Chengdu’s J-10) with two
canted, all-moving vertical stabilizers (like the T-50) and smaller
canted ventral fins. The stealth body shaping is similar to that of the
F-22. The flat body sides are aligned with the canted tails, the
wing-body junction is clean, and there is a sharp chine line around the
forward fuselage. The cant angles are greater than they are on the
Lockheed Martin F-35, and the frameless canopy is similar to that of the
F-22. 

The engines are most likely members of the Russian Saturn AL-31F family,
also used on the J-10. The production version will require
yet-to-mature indigenous engines. The inlets use diverterless supersonic
inlet (DSI) technology, first adopted for the F-35 but also used by
Chengdu on the J-10B—the newest version of the J-10—and the
Sino-Pakistani JF-17 Thunder.

China Successfully Develops New-Generation Air To Air Missile

China has achieved what some foreign
experts once thought was impossible — it has independently developed a
next-generation air-to-air missile without assistance from foreign
specialists or borrowed technology.

Designed by Fan Huitao, the
deputy director of the Air-to-Air Missile Research Institute under the
Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the missile, known as the "Key
Model," successfully passed the designed type approval test and achieved
an excellent result, with all seven missiles hitting their targets.

Its
successful development indicates that China already fully possesses the
ability to independently develop internationally-advanced air-to-air
missiles. It is a historic breakthrough in China's air-to-air missile
development and has met the Chinese Air Force's requirement for the
model to be designed, produced, delivered and made combat effective
within one year. The new missile offers the military and country another
trump card.

The Key Model is an international-advanced AAM
model. It is a secret weapon for gaining air superiority. It plays a
crucial role in reinforcing the power of national defense and
strengthening the influence of China.

However, it is very hard
to develop and only a few developed countries around the world possess
such a capability. The complicated system of the model and the
high-grade, high-precision and advanced technologies needed to develop
it has never been seen in the development of other models.

Foreign
military experts once believed that employing foreign specialists as
chief designers was the only way for China to succeed. Even some Chinese
experts believed that the success rate of developing this kind of
missile was not high when relying only on the current technical
conditions of China. This was because China did not have any documents
to refer to and could not use a shortcut.

The successful
completion of the missile is the culmination of Fan Huitao's career in
the aviation industry. After Fan graduated from Northwestern
Poly-technical University with a major in aircraft engines in April
1986, he went to Luoyang and devoted himself to the field of air-to-air
missiles.

In 2000, Fan took over as the chief model designer and
began to lead a group in researching China's new-generation air-to-air
missile. 

Source:By People's Daily Online

Chinese Farmers Perplex By Watermelon Explosion

By ONE Liners Agency
May 21, 2011

Watermelon explosion phenomenon in China

CHINA NEWS – Watermelon explosion seems a new agricultural disaster in China where farmers in eastern China region have been baffled by series of watermelon explosions.

In Jiangsu province, farmers are loosing acres of fruit because of sudden explosion of watermelons. Housewives are particularly apprehensive about this phenomenon, fearing that watermelons are not safe to eat. Earlier state media reported melons were administered with a plant growth chemical forchlorfenuron.

But the explosion phenomenon is also reported in chemical-free melons and agricultural experts puzzled and still to find any explanation for that.

It is a common practice in China where farmers spray growth stimulant chemicals for a better promotion. In summers watermelons are ubiquitous in the markets when people prefer watermelons to assuage heat. But this year the harmless fruit has actually given rise to food safety scandal.

Watermelons are ubiquitous in the Beijing summer, when most households keep a chilled melon in the fridge to alleviate the summer heat. But this year the innocuous fruit has given rise to its very own food safety scandal.

Earlier this year, China saw several food safety scandals such tainted port, “recycled” cooking oil, rice laced with heavy metals. Food is a thing to be considered in China after the melamine scandal that poisoned thousands of children with toxic infant formula. Even in urban areas, upper-middle class people grow their own small vegetable plot outside the city to ensure quality.

China To Supply 50 JF-17 Thunders to Pakistan on Emergency Basis

Pakistani Local news station GEO has  broad-casted  that China will Supply  50 JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighters to Pakistan on Emergency  basis. The fighter Jets Are manufactured In Pakitans PAC.

China Suffers From Demographic Crisis, Questioning About One-child Policy

By BOB Goswami
May 19, 2011

CHINA NEWS - Almost three decades back, China's communist government took a draconian measure to curb its population - the brutal and coercive one-child policy, which inevitably fell into the ditch of aghast criticism among Chinese and outsiders alike, though some murmur acknowledged the grudging law, appreciating the initiative to control its exponential growth.

Queerly, new census figures display a different demographic problem, showing the nation in last couple of years has been suffering from low birth rate. Based on the nationwide census, the latest figures released on April 28, 2011 show a steep decline in overall population growth rate, falling down to 0.57% in 2000-10, half the rate of 1.07% in the previous decade. The total fertility rate has also dropped dramatically from 2.1 to 1.4, which actually stabilizing the population.

The problem accelerates by it aging population, which goes up to 13.3% in above 60 age group compared to 2000 10.3%. In the same period under 14 age group declined from 23% to 17%. This trend not only lowers the population rate but also place greater burdens on youth population who need to support their elder family members. Once China was considered a nation with rising population of working-age adults, but present scenario seems topple the image, ending its great "demographic dividend".

Moreover, China's one-child policy has egged on it gender prejudice. As usual in oriental culture, boys are more preferred gender and causes dire gender imbalance. Like China, In India the matter is a serious concern for the government without coercive population controls. Chinese socio-culture society largely affects on the decision of gender base prejudice, as people ensure that their one permissible child must be a baby boy. The policy was introduced in 1978 adopted by the Chinese government to alleviate social, economic, and environmental problems. But soon it led to female infanticide, sex selective abortions, abandoned or orphaned children and adoption.

The current census highlighted very little improvement is being made to restrain this trend. The sex ratio in China is not healthy where there were reported 118 boys for every 100 girls in 2010. It is estimated that in about 20-25 years, there will not be enough brides for almost a fifth of today’s boys, destabilizing the demographic coordination.

The census results are likely to augment the debate between despot communist government and vocal academic demographers asking for a respite from the one-child policy.

The government however, denies the policy is extraneous. Citing examples, the government says about 400m births were prevented, which helped the nations to grow.

“The momentum of fast growth in our population has been controlled effectively thanks to the family-planning policy.” Ma Jiantang, head of China’s National Bureau of Statistics said.

China executes convicted killer after raising sentence

China has executed a convicted murderer after raising his suspended death sentence following a new conviction for attacking another prisoner, state media said on Wednesday.

Xiao Mouping was executed on Tuesday in the southern city of Meizhou, Guangdong province, the local Yangcheng Evening News reported.

Xiao was sentenced to death with a 2-year suspension in 2008 after a court in Meizhou found him guilty of murder, the newspaper said without giving details of the murder case.

In May 2009, 1 week after his punishment for taking a shower outside regulated hours, Xiao attacked a cellmate who he believed had informed prison authorities of the breach. The cellmate suffered minor injuries in the attack, the newspaper said.

Xiao's execution followed a rare case of a court raising a suspended death sentence.

Subject to good behaviour in prison during the two-year suspension, such sentences were normally commuted to up to 20 years in prison until recently. A new rule from May 1 allows courts to impose minimum sentences of 25 years for the most serious offenders whose suspended death sentences are commuted.

China is believed to execute more people annually than the rest of the world put together, but statistics on death sentences and executions are kept secret.

In an annual report in March, London-based Amnesty International said it recorded 527 reported executions in China last year, adding that China was believed to have executed thousands more.

The government claims to have limited the use of capital punishment since introducing a mandatory review of all death sentences by the Supreme People's Court in 2007.

But China retains the death penalty for dozens of offences, including drug trafficking, serious corruption and other non-violent crimes.

Source: Deutsche Presse-Agentur, May 18, 2011

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Chinese Media Officially Unveils J-15 Flying Shark Carrier-Based Fighter Jet

Chinese state media released on 25 April the first official close-up
pictures of the J-15, which is expected to become the first
carrier-based multirole fighter for the People's Liberation Army Navy
(PLAN).

The pictures, which showed folding wings, a shortened
tailcone and strengthened landing gear, were released a day after
Chinese defence web sites posted images of the aircraft outside an
Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) facility in Shenyang. The
images are the first showing the J-15, nicknamed the 'Flying Shark', in
standard PLAN grey.

Analysts believe that Shenyang Aircraft
Corporation, an AVIC subsidiary, obtained a prototype of the
Russian-made Sukhoi Su-33 from Ukraine in 2001 and used it to design the
J-15, reportedly improving the avionics and guidance systems. The J-15
is believed to have carried out its first test flight in mid-2009.

The
release of images comes amid unconfirmed reports that another defence
manufacturer may have test-flown China's first vertical/short take-off
and landing (VSTOL) prototype aircraft - reportedly also based on an
Su-33 - earlier in April.

Although China's Ministry of National
Defence has yet to confirm the news, reports claim the J-18 Hong Ying
(Red Eagle) also has foldable wings and will be carrier based.

Chinese Ford Class Super Aircraft Carrier

US & China To Boost Military Ties

US military will lay out the red carpet next week for China's military
chief as Washington renews its effort to forge a defence dialogue with
Beijing despite tensions and mutual distrust.


People's Liberation Army (PLA) Chief of General Staff Chen Bingde starts
a week-long visit Sunday to the United States, the first trip to
America by the country's top-ranking officer in seven years, officials
said.


Chen will tour four military bases, deliver a speech to American
officers and hold talks with his US counterpart, Admiral Mike Mullen,
Defence Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a
senior defence official said Friday.


"We've pulled out all the stops" for the visit, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters.


Military relations between the two economic powers have been strained
and lagged behind diplomatic and trade ties, with Beijing objecting to
US arms sales to Taiwan while Washington has voiced concern about
China's military buildup.


Gates and other US officials have appealed to China to agree to a more
reliable dialogue that could help defuse tensions and avoid potential
misunderstandings, similar to ties that were built up between the
Americans and the Soviets during the Cold War.


"What we're really looking for is a relationship that there's some
mutual transparency and trust developed between us. So that if there is
some incident or some disagreement, it's a relationship that we can
depend on," the official said.


The Pentagon did not expect a breakthrough during Chen's visit but the
official said Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, hoped to
persuade Chen to agree to more regularly scheduled discussions.


"We will discuss options for more contact, with some established rhythm,
periodic phone conversations, something like that," he said.


The last US visit by a senior leader from the PLA was in 2009, when
General Xu Caihou came to Washington and toured military bases.


When the US defence secretary paid a high-profile visit to Beijing in
January, the Chinese military upstaged Gates with an inaugural test
flight of the country's J-20 stealth fighter.


Chen was expected to offer his view of military relations at a speech on
Wednesday at National Defence University after holding talks on Tuesday
with Mullen and senior military staff in "the tank" meeting room at the
Pentagon.


Over the course of the week, the Chinese general is due to get a
first-hand look at US naval warships in Norfolk, Virginia, a "live fire"
exercise at Fort Stewart army base in Georgia, fighter aircraft at
Nellis Air Force in Nevada and the military's National Training Centre
in California.


Chen also plans to attend a concert Monday at Washington's Kennedy
Centre with bands from the US Army and the PLA performing. US officials
said it will mark the first time a PLA band has ever played in the
United States.


Chen's visit comes after the United States said Wednesday it wanted to
set guidelines with Beijing on the use of space, voicing worries that
the Asian power is increasingly able to destroy or jam satellites.

China Orders TV Stations To Hang Spy And Crime Dramas

By MALILA Harris

CHINA NEWS - In its latest imposition, China has regulated all TV Stations across the nation to stop telecasting detective shows, spy thriller, crime dramas and even time-travel series for the next three months. The ordered come from the Chinese head command, commanding to stop all TV shows with immediate effect.

Next month China’s Communist Party will commemorate its 90 years of its founding and the government asked TV stations to program shows that extols the party image and history of red wagon instead entertainment baloney.

In an order Beijing asked TV stations to show the program praising the party, and expect one billion television viewers to glue to TV watching a predisposed patriotic propaganda that will lionize the party image on July 1.

It is not everyone obeys with the order calmly but uproar over the dictatorship is quite dominant in different intellectual and artistic sectors. In an interview Wang Weiping, the deputy chief of the drama department called this a "propaganda period".

There are already dozens of dramas glorifying the party’s founding have been made and could be broadcast by stations.

Many private TV stations have already postponed their regular drama and serials, such as Oriental TV in Shanghai said it had postponed popular spy drama Qing Mang. Instead of spy series, a comedy about mothers and their daughters-in-law has been decided to be shown.

An official in Oriental TV said that the government has time to time instructed them to show what they want people to see. He said they were quite habitual to rearrange things at short intervals.

The next three months people of China will be shown the development of Marxism-Leninism in China, and different success stories of the Communist Party, glorifying the culture, military rules, economics and international diplomacy.

EU snoozes and loses Latin American trade?

While the EU wastes time and effort with internal squabbles, is anyone paying attention to its external trade agenda?

Well, to be fair, the Commission has done some decent things in this area lately - the South Korea Free Trade Agreement for one. But a recent report from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL in Spanish) should be cause for concern. It reveals that, if predicted growth targets continue, China is tipped to overtake the EU as Latin America and the Caribbean’s second biggest trading partner in 2014.

According to CEPAL, in 1990, Latin America’s exports to the EU reached 25%, while imports from the EU were 20%. In 2009, this exchange had reduced dramatically to 14% for both exports and imports.

In recognition of this downward trend, last year the EU, under the rotating Spanish Presidency, relaunched negotiations for an EU-Mercosur Association Agreement. An EU-Mercosur deal would pave the way for a new phase in regional trade relations, with the creation of one of the world’s largest free trade zone, boasting a population of 750 million.

Latin America is a key growth market. Mercosur countries’ economies have shown resilience in the face of the international economic crisis, after initial difficulties, the economies are now bouncing back and are expected to grow between 7.5% - 9.5% this year. As their economies grow, so does their negotiating position in international fora. In contrast, the eurozone’s entrenched economic difficulties weaken the EU’s hand. As member states’ austerity measures reduce demand within the bloc, the EU desperately needs to bolster its trade relationship with other export markets.

Negotiations are expected to conclude on 8 July, however, whether or not a deal can be struck remains to be seen. Not unexpectedly, negotiations are tough as both sides must agree to major reciprocal concessions on trade – with focus on industrial products, agriculture and intellectual property rights. A report by the Commission’s Joint Research Centre, conveniently leaked to Reuters this week, claims that European farmers could lose more than €3bn in annual revenue by 2020 and up to 33,000 farm jobs if the current draft EU-Mercosur trade deal is approved. The Reuters article does note at the end, however, that the current deal would bring general net benefits of €4.5bn to both regions.

As the EU’s role in the world becomes ever more faded, it’s more necessary than ever that EU leaders lift their heads out of the sand and focus more energy on trading with the world. The EU cannot afford to snooze and lose Latin America’s trade.

Rubenstein: China Will Reclaim Its World Economic Dominance
Carlyle Group's David Rubenstein says China will once again sit atop the world's economies in the 21st century, making it an extremely attractive place to invest

Police Killer Put to Death in East China

A man who killed 4 policemen and a civilian in east China's Shandong Province early this year was executed on Tuesday.

Liu Jianjun, 51, was given the death penalty for his crimes, which included murder and illegal possession of guns and ammunition, according to the verdict issued on March 14 by the Intermediate People's Court of Tai'an City in Shandong.

Liu Jianjun and his brother Liu Lumin shot and killed the police who entered their home to question them over the murder of a man who died on Dec. 29, 2010.

The duo carried out the shooting with a homemade pistol and a double-barreled shotgun in Tai'an on Jan. 4.

After gunning down the officers, the 2 men fled the scene, hijacking four cars and shooting two drivers before their car collided with a police wagon.

The brothers continued to fire after police cornered them.

Liu Lumin, who was wounded in the shootout, shot and killed himself and Liu Jianjun was captured while attempting suicide.

On April 13, the Higher People's Court of Shandong Province rejected the appeal of Liu Jianjun and supported the death penalty issued by the Intermediate People's Court of Tai'an.

Liu Jianmin, 56 and another brother, was also sentenced in March to life imprisonment for his role as an accessory in the December 2010 murder.

Source: CRIEnglish.com, April 26, 2011

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China Starts Moral Crusading Against Kirti Monastery

By MALILA Harris


CHINA NEWS – China in its new strategy to derogate the image of Kirti Monastery, smearing reputation by raising questions on moral character of monks. In the night of April 21, Chinese government drove away over 300 monks of the monastery in Ngaba Country of Sichuan Province, with more arrest seen likely to follow on April 22.

Earlier, on April 19, Chinese foreign ministry had expressed the normalcy in the monastery despite reports of frequent clashes between monks and police. Independent reports say the monastery had been closed by the authority and not even food being supplied at time. Moreover, monks being arrested without charges and tortured and a forceful education in patriotism are being carried out there. International media reporters are banned to enter the area and neighboring Tibetan areas.

China has been thwarting the reputation of the monastery, alleging monks for morally guilty conduct against dissidents. Tibetan monks and lamas had been subjected to such allegation before during Chinese democratic 1959 reform and the Cultural Revolution period (1966-76).

According to the government, the monks are given “legal education” due to some “illegal activities” such as prostitution, drinking in the monastery and gambling. There are also reported by the government authorities to publicized pornographic videos by the monks. They are accused of disrupting social order and blamed for the strife in the Tibetan Plateau.

The government report also publicized an elaborate story of self-immolation and death of the young monk named Phuntsog, creating unrest in the area. While the eyewitness says the young monk was ruthlessly thrashed by the police after the flame was put out.

China also contradicts its own report, which said the young monk was 20 years old, but according to the new government report claimed he was 16.