1. An electromagnetic railgun was preemptively put on awarship
At the beginning of 2018, the photos showing China's assault ship fitting with a mysterious cannon on its bow spread rapidly on the Internet. Unlike conventional guns use gun barrel and a chemical energy to send projectiles, an electromagnetic railgun uses electromagnetic force to propel a projectile at a very high speed. An electromagnetic railgun offers potential advantages over traditional ones.
2. DF-26 ballistic missileentered service
On April 26, Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesman for China’s Ministry of National Defense, announced at the press conference that after the trial and operational test, the Dongfeng-26 (DF-26) ballistic missile has officially commissioned to the PLA Rocket Force.
The DF-26 is a new-generation of medium-and-long range missile developed and manufactured by China,featuring the proprietary intellectual property rights, being capable of both rapid nuclear counter strikes and conventional warheads, capable of launching precision strikes on both land andsea, with a number of new technologiesapplied to the missile leading to ahigh degree of universalization, improved integration, and information.
3.The long-rumored H-20 stealth bomber
The Aviation Industry Corporation of China, Ltd. (AVIC) released a promo footage entitled “Takeoff of Big Country” on May 8, 2018. The video ended with a shadowy wide shot of bomber-looking aircraft. Since then, China Central Television (CCTV) ’s documentary “Military Soul Forever” also mentioned“significant progress has been made in the development of the new long-range strategic bomber, H-20”.
4. China’s domestically-made aircraft carrier conducted sea trials for four times
On May 13, China’s first home-built aircraft carrier, which has received much attention, began its maiden sea trial from the port of Dalian. Subsequently, it carried out three sea trials on August 26, October 28 and December 27 respectively. The aircraft carrier was designed and fully developed domestically, and a number of upgrades were carried out based on the application of the Liaoning.
5.Sea trial for Type 055,a 10,000-ton class guided-missile destroyer
On August 24, China’sfirst homegrown 10,000 – ton class guided-missile destroyer Type 055 left the shipyard to commence its initial set of sea trials. It is regarded as the “Guardian Sword” of the Chinese aircraft carrier formation and is “Asia’s largest, most sophisticated and most lethal combat ships of the world class”accredited by the American media reports. According to news released on July 3, two Type 055 destroyers were launched simultaneously, which is rarely seen. Experts believed that this indicated the design of the ships has become mature enough, and it has entered the era of mass construction, batch launching, and batch armoring.
6. A thrust-vectoring J-10B demonstrator aircraft shocks the audience
On November 6, at the opening scene of Airshow China in Zhuhai, a thrust-vectoring J-10B demonstrator aircraft successively staged high-speed stalled maneuvering movements such as “Cobra Maneuvering” and “Foliage Gone”, which attracted a great deal of attention from both domestic and foreign media.
According to the introduction, thrust vectoring technology uses engine nozzles to change its direction, allowing the aircraft to change direction more quickly than using the control surfaces on the wings and tail.
7. J-20 stealth fighter displays its bomb bays
An echelon of J-20 stealth fighters publicly demonstrated their internal bomb bays and weapon configuration for the first time in the airshow at Airshow Chinain Zhuhai on November 11,commemorating the 69th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force with the performance that shocked the audience.
Chinese experts said that the J-20 fighter howling through the sky with their missile bays opened, indicating that it has possessed the ability to mount new medium- and long-range and short-range air-to-air missiles to perform operational missions.
8. Frequent appearance of New members of drone family
The CH-7, or Rainbow-7, China’s newest stealth combat drone, was unveiled for the first time at the Zhuhai Airshow in November, making China one of the few countries in the world with the ability to develop high-altitude, high-speed and stealth drones. The aircraft has strong stealth and penetration abilities to perform fire suppression, electronic warfare and reconnaissance operations in high-risk environments.
Wing Loong 1-D, China’s first multi-purpose all-composite unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), made its debut in flighton December 23. The use of all-composite structure optimized aerodynamic layout, and replacement of high-powered engines, has significantly improved the drone in terms of take-off weight, communication, internal loading and plug-in capabilities.
9. Successful transformation of Yun-20 transport aircraft for aerial refueling
Russia’snews agency Sputnik said on December 8 that the aerial tanker modified from the Yun-20 transport aircraft had successfully made its first flight. The report speculated that the newly modified tanker can carry about 70 tons of oil fulfilling the air refueling needs of six to eight J-11 series or J-20 fighters. This large-scale tanker will effectively solve the problem of air refueling of China’s naval and air force heavy fighters and will also take China’s space-based nuclear deterrent to a new level.
Expert comments
An expert from the PLA Air Force Fu Qianshao: Among the domestically-made weapons selected this time, the PLA Air Force equipment accounts for five kinds, which can be divided into three categories, namely, mature products for export, the unveiling of the new models going into service, and the expected new equipment.
The air force equipment also proves that the Chinese aviation industry has made major breakthroughs in many advanced technologies. For example, J-20 bomb bays proves that China has become one of the few countries that can independently develop stealth fighters, and its original designs such as side bomb bays, are even better than the United States. The emergence of thrust vector technology fills the domestic gap and can greatly improve the maneuverability, takeoff and landing performance and safety of fighters.
Chinese naval expert Li Jie: China’s first domestically-made aircraft carrier, the Type 055 destroyer and the electromagnetic railgun represent respectively the present, the next few years and the future of the Chinese navy. The four sea trials for the first domestically-made aircraft carrier this year laid the solid foundation for the subsequent construction of larger aircraft carriers. The Type 055 destroyer features outstanding information warfare capabilities and is the core force of the next-generation Chinese naval formations. The electromagnetic railgun provides new ideas for future weapon development.
Yang Chengjun, a Chinese missile expert: The DF-26 ballistic missile, China's first land-based ballistic missile with both nuclear and conventional warheads, is characterized by shorter response time, fewer supporting equipment, higher accuracy and precision strikes range.
