World Millitary Power

Sino-Russian military cooperation is about to reach its highest point since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, according to an article in the Military-Industrial Courier, a weekly illustrated newspaper based in Moscow, on Nov. 12.

Russia earned US$1.9 billion through selling military equipment and supplies to China in 2011, according to the paper. Senior officials from Rosoboronexport, the state intermediary agency for Russia's exports/imports of defense-related and dual use products, technologies and services, told the newspaper that this number had increased to US$2.1 billion in 2012. The largest two sales were 52 Mil Mi-171E helicopters worth US$600 million and 140 Saturn AL-31F engines worth US$700 million.

According to unverified reports, Chinese fighters such as the Sukhoi Su-27 and the Sukhoi Su-30, both Russian-made imports, as well as the Chinese-made Shenyang J-11B/BS, the Shenyang J-15 and the Shenyang J-16, will be equipped with these AL-31F engines. Currently three of China's indigenous fighter aircraft are using Russian-built engines such as the Saturn AL-31F used in the Shenyang J-11B, the Saturn AL-31FN used in the Chengdu J10 and the Klimov RD-93 used in the FC-1 Xiaolong. China's H-6 strategic bomber also has a Russian Soloviev D-30KP2 engine. Similar engines will be installed into China's new Xian Y-20 cargo plane in the future.

China has also decided to introduce advanced 117S engines from Russia along with Sukhoi Su-35 fighters. These new engines will be modified for China's stealth aircraft including the Chengdu J-20 and the Shenyang J-31 since the nation is still unable to design suitable engines for its fifth generation fighter aircraft. Sources from Rosoboronexport also stated that Russia has offered assistance to China for the development of its many domestically developed weapon systems as well.

Those weapon systems include the PL-12 air-to-air missile, the HQ-16 surface-to-air missile, the Hongdu L-15 trainer, the WZ-10 attack helicopter, the FC-1 Xiaolong fighter and the Type 054A frigate. China is currently negotiating with Russia over the import of four major weapon systems in the near future. The first sale will be of 24 Sukhoi Su-35 fighters which will extend the fighting capability of the PLA Air Force over the airspace of Taiwan and the Diaoyutai islands, which are known as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan.

The second sale will be of S-400 surface-to-air missiles, which can enhance China's air defense capability in any possible conflict between the PLA and the ROC Air Force or the Japan Air Self Defense Force in the East China Sea. These missiles are capable of locking on to aircraft as soon as they take off from air bases in Taiwan and Japan. The third sale will be of 34 Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A strategic transport aircraft, which will help the PLA to increase its force projection capability. The final sale will be, China's purchase of the Russian Lada-class submarine which would help in the event of a confrontation with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force beneath the waters of the disputed Diaoyutai islands.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com