December 13, 2000

China will buy four Russian A-50 AWACS radar aircraft. The A-50 uses 20 year old technology and is much less capable than the US AWACS. But the Chinese want something that will enable them to launch an effective air offensive against Taiwan and the A-50 was all they could get. China will also finance the development of an updated A-50. In Chechnya, a rebel ambush 30 kilometers east of Grozny backfired and Russian troops killed 19 rebels while suffering no losses. The Russians have been improving their tactics to deal with rebel attacks. New vehicles, weapons and training have been introduced, with particular attention to dealing with ambushes. The key anti-ambush item is air support.