Posted on 10/03/2004 8:21:24 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
China Seeks Heavylift Aircraft
Jane’s Defence Weekly (JDW) reported on 16 September 2004 that China is approaching Ukraine for heavylift aircraft to boost its long-distance strategic power projection capabilities for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). JDW cites its sources in Beijing that China has launched preliminary talks with Ukraine on the potential acquisition and/or licensed production of Antonov heavylift transport aircraft.
It is understood that China may be interested in purchasing few Antonov An-124 (NATO codename: Condor) four-engine freighters, the world’s largest production aircraft with a maximum payload of 120 tonnes. Additionally, China may also consider the even larger six-engine An-225 Mriya (Dream) freighter, which is the largest aircraft ever built in the history of mankind, with a maximum payload of 250 tonnes.
With its unique transport capabilities and the high performance, the An-124 will provide China with the strategic airlift capabilities it does not possess currently. The PLAAF currently operates fourteen IL-76MD military transport aircraft, each of which can carry 140 troops or 125 paratroops. The An-124 can carry 448 troops or 268 paratroops, or 16 pallets of cargos for airdrops, each weighting up to 4.5 tonnes, outperforming any strategic transport aircraft in service with the Western air forces.
Another important reason that may have attracted China to pursue the An-124 is the potential opportunity of technology transfer or licensed production of the aircraft. The Chinese aviation industry has been long to build a large, modern transport aircraft for both civil and military purposes. Following the several failed attempts to build large commercial airliners jointly with McDonnell Douglas and Airbus in the 1990s, China may well turn to countries like Ukraine and Russia for helps.
It is possible that China may purchase few planes for initial evaluations before further deals are made. It is also possible that the aircraft will be acquired through commercial airlines to keep a low profile.
However, according to the previous experience, a deal like this may has a long way to go before any meaningful result is produced. Politics and international relations may also play important roles. In addition, should China obtained the An-124 or An-225 successfully, the limited number of airfields in China with necessary facilities for the taking-off and landing of the outsized aircraft may well limit its effectiveness.
http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/fla/index.html
Isn't airlift the missing piece in allowing the PRC to invade Taiwan? That, and tanker support for combat aircraft?
Well they do have tankers (think they converted a few of their own old transports) & are also buying the Russian/Uzbek IL-78 Midas tanker.Besides ,Taiwan is little over 100 miles away from the mainland-tankers are not vital ,esp for planes like the SU-27/30 & J-8 & why should not forget the 400-500 odd missiles they have aimed at Taiwan.Their airlift capability is not great as of now & that's why they are buying these monsters & more IL-76s & also the MI-17s helos-both of these will be the workhorse of the PLA.I think airborne troops & a small number of seaborne special ops personnel will be the first troops to land on Taiwan(after the air/missile barrage)-these will secure facilities for the heavy duty stuff including landing ships & these heavy transport jets.China doesn't have a great amphibious assault capability & they don't seem to be interested in a large force for now,unlike what many folks here think.Any amphibious assault, on a relatively well defended island like Taiwan ,would be real messy even for the USN,let alone the PLA.
I have always heard that Taiwan has enough American war technology to make an invasion by the PLA the MESSIEST sort of affair.
Basketball could be played inside.
well your statement would have been 100% accurate 10-15 yrs ago.Not necessarily now-Taiwan's main European suppliers(& pretty much everyone else) ,France & the Netherlands have said they won't sell anymore weaponry to them & American Aegis equipped ships,8 diesel electric subs & a lot of other weapons are nowhere in sight.They have a total of 2 subs capable of going into combat (the other 2 are over 60 yrs old) & most of their surface ships don't have anything more than SM-1s(nothing to defend against the scores of Chinese ballistic missiles) & their airforce F-16s & Mirage-2005s are facing more than a decent match in China's SU-27/30 series.Any invasion of Taiwan will not be a cakewalk,but it would be far easier than it would have been 10 years ago.Moreover ,China is buying more Russian systems & soon European ones too-so the gap will widen.
Well that would be a very long 100 miles for Chinese ships if American subs and aircraft intervene wouldnt it?
well my view is that as long as Iraq lasts,I don't think there would be the political will to go to war with China over Taiwan-it would be too costly economically,diplomatically & militarily.The Russians,Australia,EU(including Britain) & Singapore have all thrown their weight with China on Taiwan,though the US may rush military supplies to Taiwan & lead a diplomatic charge against them.Moreover we also have to remember China has a number of not so well behaved allies-North Korea,Pakistan & Iran.This though is my own amateur opinion & neednt be connected with reality!!!!!
It's gonna happen in the not too distant future...
Or even better ... multiple overnight delivery options to Europe/Russia for commerce.
What counts is not the size of the plane, but the cost, in $/ton/mile. Fuel economy and maintenence cost (and downtime) are big factors
"well my view is that as long as Iraq lasts,I don't think there would be the political will to go to war with China over Taiwan"
Don't we have a treaty with Tiawan? I thought China's only calculation would be whether we COULD spare the forces due to other commitments?
I have always expected China to try to cross the strait sooner or later.
I'd call it a combination of indoctrination & a yearning for "great power status".China is on the verge of being a superpower-it's industrial & economic might & growing military clout are a sign of that,but Taiwan remains a gaping hole.What good is it being a superpower,when you can't take control of an island (relatively) the size of a peanut??If & when China retakes Taiwan,it will be the stepping stone to being a real power,not a paper tiger.
Good point, but I remember having to setup several shipments for overnight that just would NOT fit inside a standard cargo plane at all. If it doesn't fit in an AN-225 .... well it won't fit on a truck at all.
Well ,the mutual defense treaty of 54 was done away with by Pres Carter in 79,when he signed the Taiwan Relations Act,which promised to give arms of a "defensive nature" & do everything to maintain peace & stability in the region ie doesn't necessarily promise to go to war for Taiwan's sake.Bush may have said the right words,but there is little action on selling Taiwan much needed Aegis equipped destroyers & 8 diesel/electric subs(no European nation will supply the design).
China is building up her war capabilities or maybe they just want to be able to ship stuff to the US with planes.
AN 224 = Fighter fodder.
Yep-provided any of Taiwan's fighters survive the opening missile & air operations.
Interior of the An 225
It was built for the following missions:
a) transportation of cargoes inside the cabin;
b) transportation of oversized cargoes mounted outside the fuselage; and
c) to act as a carrier or first stage for various aerospace systems.
I guess that c is what they are thinking about.
For "huge", take a look at the Hindenburg. At 882 feet, it was more than three times longer than the An-124 that has a length of 247 feet.
The Boeing 747 put in for comparison in the drawing is 231 feet in length.
We never should have stopped building huge flying craft.
It's all just a co-incidence.
The Largest Consumer Market in the Galaxy wouldn't go to WAR? Not with all those appliances, 3-car garages, and Nintendo games at risk...
or would they?
With all due respect, what makes you think you're not the one indoctrinated (I'm not trying to be confrontational here). But, I noticed that there is alot of hostility amongst some Americans towards China's claim to Taiwan. The Taiwan issue is very important to the Chinese people.
Canada claims Quebec, the UK claims Northern Ireland. Yet, there doesn't seem to be as much animosity to those claims as China's to Taiwan. Russia already did to Chechnya what many fear China will do to Taiwan, in that they have already bombed Chechnya to ensure they stay in the fold. And yet the bombing of Chechnya has not evoked the hostilities in America as China's claim on Taiwan.
With both INF non compliant missiles (and the TELs for them) and this sort of airlift located in the PRC, there lies a major backstabbing opportunity for Russia. Within the course of a single day, DF-21s (which are nothing more than more current versions of SS-20s) could be suddenly deployed to places such as Kaliningrad, the Trans-Caucuses and Easternmost Siberia, where they could clearly multiply nuclear forces in an unimaginably short time. And why limit it? Consider also Cuba, Syria and others. Suddenly, it would be like the Cuban Missile Crisis on steroids.
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