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China Plans a Surprise
November
28, 2006: Chinese military publications have featured a number of articles
stressing that the best way to deal with U.S. air power is with modern
air-to-surface (SAM) missiles. One article stressed that Yugoslavia (in 1999)
and Iraq (in 1991 and 2003) would have done better if they had invested more in
such systems. Practicing what they preach, China has not only purchased dozens
of Russian S-300 (SA-10) launchers, and hundreds of missiles, but has
apparently licensed Russian missile technology for these own HQ9 and HQ16 SAM.
The HQ9 is similar to the U.S. "Patriot," and is deployed on land, and in
ships. HQ9 is supposed to have a max range of 100 kilometers, weigh 1.3 tons
and have a passive (no broadcasting) seeker in the missile. The HQ16 is also
apparently developed with Russian help, and is more advanced S-300 type system.
The Chinese believe that with enough state-of-the-art SAMs and they can break
the USAF. The Americans have kept quiet about all this, if only because for the
Chinese strategy to work, U.S. SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) weapons
will have to be rendered less effective. Thus the intense interest Chinese
spies have had in American stealth aircraft technology (the better to defeat
it) and airborne electronics (ditto). If China is able to obtain enough
information about U.S. SEAD systems, the Chinese air defense will be
formidable, and able to severely damage any American attacking force. However,
you usually won't know how well prepared the Chinese are until there's an
actual war. It is, after all, a question of, "who knows what?"
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