China Military News & Updates

Soham

DFI TEAM
Senior Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2009
Messages
1,972
Likes
91
Country flag
^^^
Lol! I feel bad for the Nigerians.

The fact that their domestic weapons are world-class might have some truth, because after all, they are copies of the real "world-class" weapons throughout the world.
 

VayuSena1

Professional
Joined
Mar 30, 2009
Messages
200
Likes
16
It seems that Westerners have a hobby of cutting down India's size by marking Indian territories as disputed areas. I think it is time we educate them about our country's size and her right to certain territories and start marking Western countries as they ORIGINALLY were.
 

Daredevil

On Vacation!
Super Mod
Joined
Apr 5, 2009
Messages
11,615
Likes
5,772
China’s Silent Warfare

China’s Silent Warfare

By Bhaskar Roy

The recent discovery of Chinese cyber warfare attacks on foreign computers, on communication computers of visiting dignitaries, and espionage activities to assist a friendly country is building weapons of mass destruction (WMDI) has refocused international attention on the developing spectrum of China’s military doctrine.

Espionage is a tool used by almost every country. Cyber warfare is not a tool of the Chinese only. But there are limits to which trust between countries are violated with impunity, followed by denial, something which is the hallmark of Chinese authorities. Entities of permanent members of the UN Security Council, who continue WMD proliferation even today, must be condemned in no uncertain term.

Earlier this month (April 04), a U.S. District Court indicted a Chinese metals trading company on 118 counts for shipping prohibited and dual use metals and alloys to Iran, using US banks fraudulently. The Chinese company, LIMMT Economic and Trade Company was sanctioned in 2006 by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for providing material support for Iran’s missile programme. In this case the LIMMT used eight shell or front companies to transact finances for Iranian companies. Most of these banks have excellent filtering process to detect commodities transacted, but in this case certain critical identification and descriptions of the material were stripped, circumventing detection.

Among the material shipped by LIMMT to the Iranian Defence Industries Organization were 15, 000 kgs of an aluminum alloy used almost exclusively to make long range missiles. Other material shipped could be used in the nuclear industry. The US court is also moving to extradite the LIMMT manager, Li Fangwei from China for trial.

China backed, howsoever reluctantly, three UN Security Council sanctions against supply of certain sensitive material to Iran.

The question is not whether Iran has the right to make long range missiles or not. It is that China, a responsible member of the international community violated the very document it signed. This, of course, is nothing new. It always denies when caught, claiming its foreign transfers and activities in the military field are responsible acts. There are credible reports to say that Chinese nuclear weapons entities may still be assisting Pakistan in miniaturizing nuclear warheads.

The Australian media revealed recently that Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his delegation were under constant Chinese cyber attacks when they visited China last August. The Australians have now tightened communication security for their official delegations visiting China.

Australian government officials say that they were alarmed by this blatant attack by Chinese cyber spies. They say this is now a serious concern, and the country’s security agencies, the ASIO and the Defence Signals Directorate are spending huge amount to further secure government networks.

The point to note here is that Prime Minister Rudd, who speaks Mandarin fluently, has been very friendly towards China. Mr. Rudd and some of his colleagues have demonstrated strong pro-China inclination both in trade and strategic issues. Australia withdrew from the Japan-proposed quadrilateral security co-operation between Tokyo, Washington, Canberra and New Delhi, which was perceived to contain China. This proposal was not destined to take off, but Australia took the first step out.

The Kevin Rudd government went overboard to grant China lease in iron and coal mines, sale of uranium ore and other benefits. It has now come to light that Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon is embroiled in a controversy over free trips to China, paid by a Chinese-Australian businesswoman Helen Liu. Cases of Chinese espionage agencies using expatriate Chinese is legend. Descendants of overseas Chinese continue to nurture strong ties with their erstwhile motherland.

The sad lesson that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd may have learnt is that the Chinese have no friends. They only have interests.

In another instance, a group of researchers at Canada’s Information Warfare Monitor (IWF) discovered that Chinese cyber spies have been entering government and banking computers all over the world. The IWF report stated that 1,295 computers in 103 countries have been compromised. The intrusions were not aimed to only deface websites or ‘phishing’. The intruders were ‘whaling’. In computer language, that means procuring specific information. Since the IWM was tasked by the Dalai Lama’s office for this job, the Chinese authorities described this discovery as the Dalai Lama’s propaganda. But independent researchers at other places have come up with similar findings. The Chinese would be embarrassed because government and defence computers of their closest ally and friend, Pakistan, have also been whaled by the Chinese cyber spies.

The Chinese actions are deniable since there are more than three million citizens in the country, and enthusiastic nationalists could be attacking on their own. This is a possibility. But some investigation have led to a military signals establishment in Hainan Island province. Other investigations have led to the location of operators in Beijing’s military district. According to IWM, Hainan is the base of the Lingshui Signals Intelligence facility and the Third Technical Department of People Liberation Army (PLA). The Second Department of the PLA deals with human intelligence and the Third Department with technical intelligence.

Computers in Indian Embassies, the Indian Foreign Ministry, the Defence Ministry and even the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) have been attacked from locations in China. The issue was apparently not raised by the Indian government because the Chinese will flatly deny. Instead, the government took action to further secure the sensitive computers and communication networks. In cyber warfare, however, the technologies in attack and security are in constant competition and no security can be said to be 100 per cent safe at any time.

A brief look at the Chinese information/communication companies with large presence overseas becomes necessary. One of them is the Huawei Technologies started by a former PLA telecommunications officer, Ren Zhengfeio. There would be nothing wrong with this since many former military officers went on to start their own ventures. Except for the fact that the company was started in 1998 with seed money from the PLA General Staff Department’s Telecommunication Department. This information does not figure in Huawei’s company profile which is, otherwise, quite exhaustive. This information comes from the CIA’s unclassified reporting quoting ‘clandestine reporting’, and Taiwanese sources. The effort by Huawei to hide the information naturally raiser questions, since the PLA owns many companies quite openly.

It is now known that Huawei was involved in Saddam Hussein’s communication network when Iraq was under international sanctions after the first Iraq war. It was also involved with the Afghan Taliban government’s telecommunication set up till the US bombing of Afghanistan in 2001. ZTE is another Chinese information technology company working in the same mould as the Huawei Technology.

It is also reported, and not denied by the Chinese, that Huawei engineers handle classified communication of top Chinese leaders visiting abroad. It, therefore, goes without question that the company with high expertise would be involved in intelligence activities given its international reach. Huawei has been proved to be in the business of intellectual property theft, for example with the US Company CISCO. The company has presence in India.

Huawei is not the only Chinese company involved in this business. There are other Chinese companies and expects under cover of students or researchers in the USA and Europe.

According to some Hong Kong media reports in early 1990s, then Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who was also the Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), China’s highest military body, had directed agencies to concentrate on Europe to collect military technology and cutting edge civilian technology intelligence. The emphasis was on computer, communication, stealth weapons including satellite, radiation, and radio frequency technology.

It is well known that China’s civilian sectors and the military work in tandem whenever necessary. With the emphasis on Informationalization Warfare, there is a growing concern that entire communication networks in potential enemy countries could be bugged to be activated remotely when the need arises. These silent, no contact strategic weapons is known as “Assassin’s Mace” weapons.

As the recent revelations suggest, in such no contact silent warfare strategy, China does not differentiate between friends and foes. This is China’s silent ‘Great Game’, in which the objective is to control all in the quest for world leadership.

Peace time is the blest time to prepare for such warfare and place the “Assassins” in position. India’s strategic planners and business sectors will have to review these developments forthwith.

http://southasiaanalysis.org/papers32/paper3147.html
 

bhramos

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2009
Messages
25,625
Likes
37,233
Country flag
China to develop sophisticated marine weapon systems

China to develop sophisticated marine weapon systems


Large surface combat ships, supersonic cruise aircraft, high-speed intelligent torpedoes... These are a few sophisticated marine weapons China plans to build.

"The Navy will move faster in researching and building new-generation weapons to boost the ability to fight in regional sea wars under the circumstance of information technology," Navy Commander Admiral Wu Shengli told Xinhua in an exclusive interview -- one week ahead of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army Navy.

In addition to ships, aircraft and torpedoes, long-range missiles with high accuracy, submarines with superb invisibility and endurance and electronic weapons and facilities are also on the Navy's agenda.

He said the Navy would have more equipment for offshore repair, high-seas dispatch, large-scale rescue and supply among others.

According to Wu, the Navy will incorporate the capacity for non-war military actions to the integrated construction of the army's power, especially emergency offshore search and rescue and anti-terrorism activities.

Since 2003, President Hu Jintao has repeatedly inspected the country's Navy and made suggestions on its construction.

"The navy force should be strengthened and modernized under the guidance of the Deng Xiaoping Theory and the 'Three Represents' to serve the country and its people more effectively," said Hu when meeting with representatives of the navy's 10th Party congress on Dec. 27, 2006.

China has huge strategic benefits in sea areas and current threats to our country's security come mostly from the seas, said Hu, who is also chairman of the Central Military Commission.

Hu urged the Navy to achieve sound and fast development and enhance the defensive operations with information technology.

Admiral Wu Shengli said regrouping the army system, optimizing army structure and distribution in battlefields were among the issues for more discussion during the new round of the Navy construction.

In 2009, the Chinese Navy would continue its missions in the Gulf of Aden and waters off the Somali coast to protect merchant vessels against spreading piracy.

The Gulf of Aden is one of the world's busiest shipping routes, which about 1,000 Chinese vessels pass through each year.

Previous reports said more than 40 naval vessels will join a grand international fleet around April 23 in a display to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PLA Navy.

The navies of 15 countries have pledged to send ships to the east port city of Qingdao as part of the celebrations and at least 28 foreign countries will send delegations, said the officer with the Navy's headquarters.

The officer said the celebrations will be an opportunity for foreign navies to have intensive and close observation of the PLA Navy's facilities and personnel.


http://www.china.org.cn/china/news/2...t_17614362.htm
 

Daredevil

On Vacation!
Super Mod
Joined
Apr 5, 2009
Messages
11,615
Likes
5,772
China wants to join Navy initiative on Indian Ocean, MEA says no need

China wants to join Navy initiative on Indian Ocean, MEA says no need

Pranab Dhal Samanta Posted online: Tuesday , Apr 21, 2009 at 0333 hrs

New Delhi : Pushing for a greater say in the Indian Ocean region, China has sounded out the Indian Navy that it wants to be inducted in some form into the 33-member Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) initiative started by India last year. But the Ministry of External Affairs has turned down the request.

It’s learnt that the Navy conveyed the Chinese interest to the MEA which promptly rebuffed the move, saying there was no justification to involve China in the Indian Ocean.

Sources said Chinese Navy officials had approached their Indian counterparts to explore ways to accommodate Beijing as either an observer or associate member ahead of Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta’s ongoing week-long visit to China.

The Navy, on its part, informed the MEA and asked it to consider the informal request. But given that China’s long-term ambition is to counter Indian influence in the Indian Ocean, the MEA said there was no strategic rationale to let China be associated with IONS as it was strictly restricted to littoral states of the Indian Ocean.

While UK is part of the initiative because its still owns Diego Garcia, the US request too is pending on technical grounds even though it has bases in the region. Admiral Mehta, who is on a visit to China until April 25, was keen that he has an answer when he is in Qingdao for the international fleet review.

It is, however, learnt that India is keen on having a Naval attache posted in Beijing besides the Army attache.

Given that the 1962 memories have still not faded away for the two armies to foster a meaningful relationship, the assessment in New Delhi is that interaction between the two navies could be more productive.

In fact, the Defence Ministry is pushing for some 30 new posts for military officials in various Indian missions across the world. The armed forces are also keen to have an Air attache posted in Beijing. India is said to have already broached the topic with China and will now formally make a proposal.

While explaining this, sources said, the idea to step up interaction between the navies should not be stretched to giving Beijing access to IONS as it does not even meet the basic criteria for any sort of association. It is important to note here that China had rushed ships to Somalia after the Indian Navy moved its ships into the area for anti-piracy patrols.

Gaining access to Indian Ocean has been a long-term strategic objective for China. In pursuing this objective, China started partnering India’s neighbours to build strategic ports like the one in Gwadar, Pakistan. It is also funding the Hambantota port development project in Sri Lanka besides bidding for the Colombo South Port. In this context, New Delhi is keen that while bilateral relations between the two navies ought to be improved, it is still premature to involve China in any multilateral forum on the Indian Ocean.

The IONS currently has 33 members, including India, and was started last year with India hosting the inaugural event. The next symposium is in 2010 and the venue is till to be finalised.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/c...ive-on-indian-ocean-mea-says-no-need/449437/0
 
Joined
Feb 16, 2009
Messages
29,799
Likes
48,280
Country flag
Chinese meddling is in full swing, and they were so proud to get the ADB loan rejected, they must be dreaming they could be part of IONS
 

F-14

Global Defence Moderator
Senior Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2009
Messages
1,563
Likes
27
god damm it they have the PacRim region for tem self dont they ???
 

EnlightenedMonk

Member of The Month JULY 2009
Senior Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2009
Messages
3,831
Likes
28
They have worldwide ambitions... and its upto us to make sure that they "ambitions" vis-a-vis the Indian ocean don't materialise...

Indian Ocean is our "area"... and nobody else meddles with our front yard...
 

pyromaniac

Founding Member
Regular Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2009
Messages
535
Likes
16
China planning huge navy upgrade

Beijing: China's navy will develop a new generation of warships and aircraft to give it much longer-range capabilities, its commander-in-chief said in comments published Thursday.

Admiral Wu Shengli told the state-run China Daily newspaper the Chinese navy wanted to develop hardware such as large combat warships, stealth submarines with abilities to travel further and supersonic cruise aircraft.

More accurate long-range missiles, deep-sea torpedoes and a general upgrade of information technology were also in the pipeline, according to Wu.

"The navy will establish a maritime defence system that corresponds with the need to protect China's maritime security and economic development," Wu said.

The English-language China Daily, which the government uses to deliver messages to a foreign audience, printed his comments on its front page and said it had obtained a rare interview with such a high-ranking military figure.

It quoted other Chinese military figures as saying that Wu's reference to building large warships referred to highly-publicised plans to build an aircraft carrier, but also other unspecified vessels.

Chinese Defence Minister Liang Guanglie was quoted in state media last month saying China no longer wanted to be the only major global power without an aircraft carrier.

Wu's comments also further indicate the Chinese leadership does not intend to back down amid complaints from the US and its allies about China's dramatic military build-up in recent years.

The Pentagon said in a report last month that the Chinese military's pursuit of sophisticated weaponry was altering Asia's military balance and could be used to enforce Beijing's claims over disputed territories.

China has kept up major investment in its armed forces and made advances in high-tech weaponry that outpace other countries in the region, the report said.

It also repeated US accusations that China is not being transparent about its military build-up and is underestimating its defence budget, claims Beijing denies.

China announced in March that its defence budget would rise 15.3 percent this year to 472.9 billion yuan (69 billion dollars).

http://www.defencetalk.com/china-planning-huge-navy-upgrade-commander-17949/
 

pyromaniac

Founding Member
Regular Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2009
Messages
535
Likes
16
I am surprised why no country has had the guyts to demand actions or at least answers from the Chinese government. China routinely does this to every country and if I remember right, they even attacked the German PM's Laptop when she was there in China to promote peaceful and constructive relations between the Chinese. The Chinese are turning into the next USSR while the USA is going the way of the British Empire.
 
Joined
Feb 16, 2009
Messages
29,799
Likes
48,280
Country flag
32 Million Reasons To Fear A War With China

http://www.businessinsider.com/32-million-reasons-to-fear-a-war-with-china-2009-4


32 Million Reasons To Fear A War With China
Joe Weisenthal|Apr. 12, 2009, 11:30 AM|



According to a new study, sex selection in China will create an excess 32 million boys of reproductive age in China over the coming generation.

NYT: This disparity seems to surpass that of any other country, they said — a finding, they wrote, that was perhaps unsurprising in light of China’s one-child policy.

They attributed the imbalance almost entirely to couples’ decisions to abort female fetuses.

The trend toward more male than female children intensified steadily after 1986, they said, as ultrasound tests and abortion became more available. “Sex-selective abortion accounts for almost all the excess males,” the paper said.

It's been said frequently that China may be the first country on earth to get old before it gets rich, simply due to the one-child-per-family policy.

But this huge male-female gap has scary geopolitical implications. Let's face it, a nation full of single males is bound to be dangerous and volatile, with a voracious desire to sublimate sexual frustration into bigger and bigger toys: guns and missiles. That's what single males the world over gravitate towards, and our best hope is that virtual reality and internet cafes full of first-person shooting games does the trick. But we doubt it will. Many will hope to graduate towards the real thing.

Beyond that, there are other reasons to fear that a war with China may eventually be in the cards. Ever heard of something called "taxation without representation"? Yeah, we had a war about it here. As we attempt to inflate our way out of debt, we're essentially taxing those who save our dollars. Turns out, most of them are in China. And the Chinese might not be crazy about being aggressively taxed by a foreign government.

So take that, add the 32 million single males, and throw in some natural resource hoarding for good measure and you got trouble. Then all you need is a small sparking of the powder keg, and it's on.
 

Sailor

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2009
Messages
591
Likes
6
Bloody good article Lethalforce. Why do they keep saying you're dumb?
 
Joined
Feb 16, 2009
Messages
29,799
Likes
48,280
Country flag
PAKISTAN’S BALLISTIC MISSILE ARSENAL: Development and Acquisition Philosophy

http://www.saag.org/common/uploaded_files/paper148.html



PAKISTAN’S BALLISTIC MISSILE ARSENAL: Development and Acquisition Philosophy

by Dr. Subhash Kapila


The decade of the 1990s witnessed the dramatic emergence of Pakistan’s nuclear weaponisation programme that had begun in 1960's. It would have been logical to expect that a missile delivery programme for its nuclear weapons would be conducted concurrently. However, the outlines of an integrated Pakistani missile development plan began to appear only in the 1980s, though experimentation with sound ranging rockets had begun in the earlier decade.

Pakistan’s missile programme is termed as dramatic because in a short span commencing in 1991 this country has demonstrated the development of a long range potent missile arsenal with nuclear warhead capabilities. When measured against Pakistan’s technological expertise, industrial infrastructure and hi-tech R&D capabilities, it becomes obvious that Pakistan’s missile arsenal has come into being with total external assistance and aid.

Strategically, at the turn of the millennium, Pakistan can justifiably boast that not only has it offset India’s overwhelming conventional superiority by its nuclear weaponisation , but also has outstripped India’s missile development programmes which have proceeded slowly both due to domestic and external restraints.

Pakistan Missile Development /Acquisition Programme - The Stimulus

Multiple stimuli existed for Pakistan to go into over-drive for an accelerated missile development and acquisition programme. The decade of the 1990's could better be termed as a ‘Pakistan missile acquisition decade’ rather than a development one. There were more acquisitions than development.

Pakistan was impelled by the following stimuli, when contemporary developments are analysed:

* Pakistan had achieved nuclear weapons capability by 1987, but its only means of delivery were aircraft, basically the US-F16s.

* United States embargo on F-16 deliveries as a result of Pressler Amendment rendered Pakistan’s nuclear weapons capability vulnerable.

* Ballistic missiles had emerged as more potently destructive weapons and cost-effective options by 1990-91. This was evident from the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, the war in Afghanistan and the Gulf War.

* China, by, now had emerged as a source of ready supply of ballistic missiles for the Islamic world.

* Pakistan’s strategic nexus with China enabled an easy and assured access for build-up of Pakistan’s missile arsenal as it was for Pakistan’s nuclear weaponisation with Chinese help.

The stage was thus propitiously set for build -up of Pakistan’s missile arsenal. Unlike its struggle to acquire wherewithal for nuclear weapons production, Pakistan faced no problem in missile acquisition or production.

Pakistan’s Missile Development and Acquisition Philosophy

Strategically, Pakistan was aware that in terms of a missile build-up, it was running against time. Pakistan had nuclear weapons, but with aircraft delivery capability only. Aircraft had limitations both in terms of range of delivery of nuclear weapons and so also penetration of India’s air-defence systems. Pakistan was also sensitive to the indigenous development of India’s integrated missile development programme. India’s programme was slow but potent and threatening for Pakistan.

Pakistan’s missile build-up philosophy, therefore, differed markedly from India’s. Analysis of events, indicate that Pakistan’s missile build-up philosophy was grounded on the following guidelines:

* Speed was the uppermost imperative in terms of build-up of Pakistan’s missile arsenal

* Direct off- the- shelf acquisition of missiles for Pak arsenal was Priority I requirement .

* Indigenous Pakistani missile development programme was Priority II. Or, at best , to proceed concurrently.

* The indigenous Pakistani missile development and production programme should not waste time on indigenous R&D. It should follow a dual-track path:

Track I

Assembly of imported missiles in Pakistan from what at best could be termed as SKDs (semi knocked down) kits and CKDs (completely knocked down) kits.

Track II

Indigenous fabrication of above missiles sub-systems and propellants in a graduated manner. Track I would enable a quantitative jump in indigenous Pakistan’s missile production expertise.

The above philosophy finds reflection in Pakistan’s missile arsenal, both in terms of composition and capabilities.

Pakistan’s Missile Arsenal: Composition and Capabilities

Pakistan’s missile arsenal when discussed in the media or in academic publications tends to get listed as one long list. Further, Pakistan’s deception measures in relation to its missile arsenal tends to confuse analysts by giving HATF serial numbers to subsequent developments. This is aimed at both for passing off latest acquisitions as indigenous and confounding analysts.

For a more orderly analysis of Pakistan’s missile arsenal and also in terms of range, propulsions systems and capabilities the Pakistani arsenal needs to be viewed in the following groupings:

* HATF series

* GHAURI series

* SHAHEEN series

* M-11 (direct imports from China)

The following table lists capabilities and characteristics

PAKISTAN'S MISSILE ARSENAL: Composition,Capabilities and Characteristics

Missile Year of Testing/
Acquisition Range in km Warhead Weight in Kg

Propulsion
Stages Propellant
Origin Deploy-
ment
Status

HATF1


1989


80


500


Single Solid
Indigenous

O
HATF 1A 1992 100 500 Single Solid Indigenous

O
HATF II 1989 300 500 Two Solid PRC (M11) D
HATF III 1997 600-800 500

Two Solid
PRC D
GHAURI I 1998 1500 500-750 Single Liquid DPRK/PRC T
GHAURI II 1999 1500-2300 700 Two Liquid DPRK/PRC T
SHAHEEN I 1999 750 1000 Two Solid PRC (M 9) T
SHAHEEN II 2000 2500 1000 Two Solid PRC T
M-11 1991-1998 300 500-800 Two Solid PRC S

Notes:
1. Deployment Status: D =Development O = Operational S= Storage T- Tested
2. HATF II is said to be an indigenous version of China M-11 missile.
3. GHAURI series are reported to be direct acquisitions from DPRK, off-the-shelf, but given Pakistani names. PRC facilitated this. Indigenous versions of GHAURI when fabricated would hold Chinese command and control systems.
4. GHAURI II has inputs from China's CSS-2 and also from Saudi Arabia.
5. SHAHEEN I is reported to be the Pakistani version of M-9 (China)

The groupings of Pakistani missile arsenal analysed thus also finds reflection in terms of distribution of development and fabrication within Pakistan, which is as follows:

Missile Series Propellant Pakistan Development/Fabrication Scientists
HATF Solid SUPARCO (Initially) Now likely NDC
GHAURI Liquid AQ Khan Research Lab Kahuta Dr. AQ Khan
SHAHEEN Solid PAEC National Defence Complex (NDC) Fathehganj Prof. Samar Mubarak Mund

In terms of analysis of missiles by ranges as per international classification standards the Pakistani missiles can be categorised as under:

* SRBM- HATF series, SHAHEEN 1 and M-11

* MRBM- GHAURI series

* IRBM - SHAHEEN II

Note: In terms of US classification system both GHAURI and SHAHEEN series are IRBMs

Thus Pakistan in a short span has been able to buildup its missile targeting capabilities to IRBM ranges.

Pakistan’s Missile Targeting Strategy

Pakistani missile targeting strategies can be analysed from the above groupings in terms of ranges and characteristics. From a deductive analysis, the targeting strategy in terms of the different series appears to be as under. (See Map)

PakMissile.jpg (116330 bytes)

Note:
1. All ranges shown are maximum ranges claimed by Pakistan
2. Pakistan long range missiles cover all of India's metropolitan cities.
3. Pakistan's main strategic interest is likely to be Mumbai and Peninsular India in which lie most of India's sensitive installations and infrastructure.

* HATF Series - HATF series formed the initial component of the Pakistani missile arsenal. It was also planned as a counter to India’s Prithvi missile. Besides the nuclear capability of HATF II and III, in the conventional mode it was designed as an offensive weapon to knock off Indian armour concentrations. In the defensive mode, it would be used in dual roles to destroy Indian bridge-heads in Pakistani territory . Its chief use could be said to be along Pakistani borders with India, both inside and outside.

* GHAURI series - With its extended range, the GHAURI series could effectively reach virtually the whole of India but it seems that the strategic targeting of this missile would be more towards Mumbai and Peninsular India in which lie India’s most sensitive installations. GHAURI is a mobile system and could be used for counter-value-strikes. Pakistan claims that GHAURI can carry nuclear, chemical and anti-tank warheads.

* SHAHEEN series - SHAHEEN II unveiled on Pakistan Day Parade this year (March 23,2000) is Pakistan’s answer to India’s Agni II. It has as an all India coverage, but can be said to have Mumbai and Peninsular India as the main target. With its ground mobility and solid state propellant systems it should logically form the backbone of Pakistani nuclear deterrent. With mobility comes survivability and therefore the SHAHEEN II could impart to Pakistan a second strike capability in the future.

The above is a broad analysis of Pakistani’s missile targeting strategy. Detailed analysis is outside the scope of this paper. Suffice it to say, that other than large scale population centres of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in North India heartland there are no lucrative or counter- value targets for Pakistan. In the past analysts have carried out checks on the Indian Muslim population concentrations in North India and came to the conclusion that because of high proportion of Indian Muslim population in these urban centres, Pakistan would be unlikely to target them. However in a recent interview on BBC, General Pervez Musharraf, the military ruler of Pakistan, when questioned on this aspect, first hesitated to answer and when pressed by the British interviewer stated to the effect that nothing is precluded, if Pakistan’s supreme national interests are in jeopardy i.e. Indian Muslims are dispensable

Future Perspectives

In terms of future perspectives , the following can be said about Pakistan’s missile build-up:

* Pakistan’s missile force would form the main delivery system for its nuclear weapons.

* Pakistan’s emphasis on a "credible minimum deterrent" would call for matching responses to India’s missile developments in terms of ranges and payloads. This would imply that the GHAURI and SHAHEEN series would receive priorities in terms of range and payload modifications.

* Pakistani SRBMs and MRBMs priorities would be more to build up numbers to withstand both conventional and nuclear attrition.

* In terms of ICBM capability, Pakistan would definitely aspire for it, but a host of factors are stacked against her. Even China, Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and missiles benefactor would hesitate to impart ICBM capability to Pakistan, for strategic reasons.

Despite the dismal state of Pakistan’s economy, her nuclear weapons and missiles build-up programmes have never stood impeded. China for strategic reasons and oil-rich Middle East countries for Islamic solidarity reasons have provided the wherewithal and finances. Substantial amounts of drug money also stands ploughed into these programmes by the Pakistani military.

In terms of future perspectives, it can be said that Pakistan’s missile build-up would continue unabated.

Conclusion

Pakistan’s missile build-up all along has been India-centric. Unlike India, which has to take the China threat into consideration, Pakistan has the luxury to focus its entire missile build-up on Indian developments.

Strategically, Pakistan has today not only offset India’s overwhelming conventional military superiority by its nuclear weaponisation but also acquired a missile force which in terms of speed of acquisition outstrips India’s pace of development of missiles. China prominently and DPRK by proxy have significantly contributed to Pakistan’s missile build-up. China has even provided a complete plant in 1995 to produce M-11 nuclear capable M-11 missiles and their variants in Pakistan. China has persistently defied international non-proliferation norms and US pressures against Chinese proliferation of WMD’s in Pakistan. No indicators are available to suggest that China would desist in future too. China’s South Asian policy objective to strategically de-stabilise India would continue unabated, despite protestations to the contrary.

India has no political or military options to limit Pakistan’s nuclear weaponisation and missile build-up. Pakistan can only be limited by India imposing an economically unaffordable counter-buildup in these fields- uneconomical for Pakistan and her benefactors too. Needless to say that this is an imperative if peace and stability have to prevail in South Asia.
 

Su-47

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2009
Messages
282
Likes
40
all other nations in the world should produce more girls, and abort the boys. this way, when that huge 32 million strong macho chinese army comes to make trouble, let the women out. that'll stop them in their tracks!
 

johnee

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2009
Messages
3,473
Likes
499
all other nations in the world should produce more girls, and abort the boys. this way, when that huge 32 million strong macho chinese army comes to make trouble, let the women out. that'll stop them in their tracks!
hmm......or those girly population may just ATTRACT an attack from the macho chinese army! that would be like showing a red flag to a bull.:ax:
 

Daredevil

On Vacation!
Super Mod
Joined
Apr 5, 2009
Messages
11,615
Likes
5,772
all other nations in the world should produce more girls, and abort the boys. this way, when that huge 32 million strong macho chinese army comes to make trouble, let the women out. that'll stop them in their tracks!
That way you are going to procreate more Chinese at the cost of world.
 

venkat

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2009
Messages
907
Likes
203
LF! you have not mentioned in your table about RAAD ALCM, which they claim to be nuke capable!
 
Joined
Feb 16, 2009
Messages
29,799
Likes
48,280
Country flag
There are reports to meet the shortage Chinese are "importing" girls from neighboring countries also many chinese families make arrangements with other families who have girls to reserve them for their sons in the future(at a cost??).
 

Global Defence

New threads

Articles

Top