BEIJING: Several recent events, from an eagle-eyed spotting of an image on Google Earth to an overt military delivery from Russia, suggest that China is continuing its rapid expansion of a submarine fleet that would be particularly useful in a conflict with the United States over Taiwan, analysts and military officials said.
American and other Western military analysts estimate that China has more than 30 advanced and increasingly stealthy submarines, and dozens of older, obsolete types. By the end of the decade, they say, China will have more submarines than the United States, although it will still lag behind in overall ability.
"I would say that the U.S. feels a strong threat from Chinese submarines," said Andrei Chang, an expert on Chinese and Taiwan military forces and editor of Kanwa Defense Review. "China now has more submarines than Russia, and the speed they are building them is amazing."
The United States Navy developed a range of antisubmarine sensors and weapons in the cold war that are still considered the world's best. But fighting submarines has been less of a military priority since then, experts say.
Several events have shed light on the growth and technological advances in China's fleet.
いくつかの出来事が中国艦隊の拡張と技術的進歩を解明する。
In late 2006, one of China's new Song-class conventional submarines remained undetected as it shadowed the American aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, although the exact details of the encounter remain the subject of continuing debate. It then surfaced well within torpedo range.
To some China experts in the United States military, that was an aggressive signal to Washington that China could challenge the United States Navy in waters around Taiwan. It also showed that Chinese submarine technology had advanced more rapidly than some experts had expected.
"The U.S. had no idea it was there," said Allan Behm, a security analyst in Canberra, Australia, and a former senior Australian Defense Department official. "This is the great capability of very quiet, conventional submarines."
In July, in another sign of technological progress, China displayed photographs and models of its new Shang-class nuclear-powered attack submarine at an exhibition in Beijing. Two submarines of that class are in service, the official People's Daily newspaper reported then.
In October, Hans Kristensen, a nuclear weapons researcher with the Federation of American Scientists, spotted a Google Earth satellite image that appeared to show two of China's Jin-class nuclear powered ballistic missile submarines. Some military analysts were surprised that China had built a second submarine of that class so soon after the first, in 2004.
And to put the improvement of its fleet on a fast track, China has also taken delivery of 12 advanced Kilo-class conventional submarines from Russia, military experts say. Experts say the designs of the newest Chinese submarines show evidence of technical assistance from Russia.
Many foreign security experts, including senior Pentagon analysts, say China's main objective in upgrading its submarine fleet is the ability to delay or deter a United States intervention on behalf of Taiwan. China regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has warned regularly that it would use force to prevent Taiwan from moving toward formal independence.
Stealthy submarines with torpedoes and antiship missiles would pose a direct threat to the deployment of American aircraft carrier battle groups, likely the first line of response to a Taiwan crisis, security experts say.
The Pentagon is monitoring China closely, officials say. "Chinese submarines have very impressive capabilities, and their numbers are increasing," the senior American military commander in Asia, Admiral Timothy Keating, said in Beijing recently.
BEIJING: Several recent events, from an eagle-eyed spotting of an image on Google Earth to an overt military delivery from Russia, suggest that China is continuing its rapid expansion of a submarine fleet that would be particularly useful in a conflict with the United States over Taiwan, analysts and military officials said.
American and other Western military analysts estimate that China has more than 30 advanced and increasingly stealthy submarines, and dozens of older, obsolete types. By the end of the decade, they say, China will have more submarines than the United States, although it will still lag behind in overall ability.
"I would say that the U.S. feels a strong threat from Chinese submarines," said Andrei Chang, an expert on Chinese and Taiwan military forces and editor of Kanwa Defense Review. "China now has more submarines than Russia, and the speed they are building them is amazing."
The United States Navy developed a range of antisubmarine sensors and weapons in the cold war that are still considered the world's best. But fighting submarines has been less of a military priority since then, experts say.
Several events have shed light on the growth and technological advances in China's fleet.
いくつかの出来事が中国艦隊の拡張と技術的進歩を解明する。
In late 2006, one of China's new Song-class conventional submarines remained undetected as it shadowed the American aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, although the exact details of the encounter remain the subject of continuing debate. It then surfaced well within torpedo range.
To some China experts in the United States military, that was an aggressive signal to Washington that China could challenge the United States Navy in waters around Taiwan. It also showed that Chinese submarine technology had advanced more rapidly than some experts had expected.
"The U.S. had no idea it was there," said Allan Behm, a security analyst in Canberra, Australia, and a former senior Australian Defense Department official. "This is the great capability of very quiet, conventional submarines."
In July, in another sign of technological progress, China displayed photographs and models of its new Shang-class nuclear-powered attack submarine at an exhibition in Beijing. Two submarines of that class are in service, the official People's Daily newspaper reported then.
In October, Hans Kristensen, a nuclear weapons researcher with the Federation of American Scientists, spotted a Google Earth satellite image that appeared to show two of China's Jin-class nuclear powered ballistic missile submarines. Some military analysts were surprised that China had built a second submarine of that class so soon after the first, in 2004.
And to put the improvement of its fleet on a fast track, China has also taken delivery of 12 advanced Kilo-class conventional submarines from Russia, military experts say. Experts say the designs of the newest Chinese submarines show evidence of technical assistance from Russia.
Many foreign security experts, including senior Pentagon analysts, say China's main objective in upgrading its submarine fleet is the ability to delay or deter a United States intervention on behalf of Taiwan. China regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has warned regularly that it would use force to prevent Taiwan from moving toward formal independence.
Stealthy submarines with torpedoes and antiship missiles would pose a direct threat to the deployment of American aircraft carrier battle groups, likely the first line of response to a Taiwan crisis, security experts say.
The Pentagon is monitoring China closely, officials say. "Chinese submarines have very impressive capabilities, and their numbers are increasing," the senior American military commander in Asia, Admiral Timothy Keating, said in Beijing recently.
ブログランキングに参戦中！応援（クリック）宜しくお願いします！
＞国際協調主義に基づきクラスタ禁止条約に賛意を示したのは正解です。これで日本が東アジアで軍事緊張を生み出さない穏健平和国家ヴォルフ少佐クラスター爆弾禁止から思ったことクラスターなど無用日本が持ってるクラスターは旧式で、使っても新型の装甲車両には
ほとんど効果が無いと言われるし、小銃弾対応の防弾服が行き渡り得る
正規軍兵士に対する効果も思ったほクラスター無用論者米韓同盟の終焉：アメリカの対中抑止と中国寄りのアジア韓国が事大主義なのは地理的・国力的に仕方ないのかもしれませんね＾＾；
ちなみに韓国が中国を嫌っている以上に中国は韓国を嫌っている、というのもどこかで見かけた気ヴォルフ少佐米韓同盟の終焉：アメリカの対中抑止と中国寄りのアジア米韓の関係はソ連と中国という共産圏の脅威の時代の名残であって、現在アメリカの関心事は圧倒的に中東でしょう。
ただし韓国が中国寄りかといえば、先日の五輪聖火リレ文太イスラエル大規模軍事演習／オバマとイスラエルロビー彼は「イランを攻撃したら辞任する」とも言っていましたね。
＞中東一帯で済めばいいんですがね
第三次世界大戦フラグがｒｙ
そうでなくても世界経済に及ぼす影響はヴォルフ少佐イスラエル大規模軍事演習／オバマとイスラエルロビー確かにイラク戦争の際にもイスラエル・ロビーはいろいろやってましたからねぇ。
某教授の言葉を借りるなら「唯一ではないが重要な要素」であることは間違いないでしょうねhideomi米韓同盟の終焉：アメリカの対中抑止と中国寄りのアジア自分も中国にバンドワゴンするのはちょっと嫌ですね〜ｗ
＞情勢にあわせてのらりくらりとしつつ、その間できるだけひっそりこっそり自国を守れるように防衛に力いれてくヴォルフ少佐米韓同盟の終焉：アメリカの対中抑止と中国寄りのアジア日本は昔からバンドワゴンできた感じですからねぇ・・。
感情的には嫌なんですが、現在の日本の状況を見てるとある意味仕方ないといいますか、ベストではないけれどベタとおりすがり。米韓同盟の終焉：アメリカの対中抑止と中国寄りのアジアアメリカとしては当然それを狙っているでしょうね。
福田は中国にバンドワゴンする気なのかな（笑）ヴォルフ少佐米韓同盟の終焉：アメリカの対中抑止と中国寄りのアジア日本としてはバックパッシングされる可能性が。ひょっとしたら福田氏はそれを見据えて親中的な行動をとっているのかもしれませんね。hideomi