Last week, China demonstrated its fast growing military technology by showcasing a slew of cutting-edge gear at the country’s largest airshow.
The biennial exhibition, hosted in the southern city of Zhuhai, offers a rare public insight into Beijing’s military and industrial capabilities.
The 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, officially known as Airshow China 2024, was held at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition Centre in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province.
Experts believe that many of China’s new weaponry are being produced to compete with the United States (US), as Beijing attempts to modernize its armed forces and demonstrate its rising military power in Asia.
This year’s show featured a wide array of new weapons systems, including fighter jets and missiles, and, for the first time, a dedicated area for drones, highlighting their increasingly crucial role in warfare, including the Ukraine conflict and any potential future confrontations over Taiwan.
The six-day exhibition in Beijing showcased four new weapon systems, including the J35-A stealth fighter, HQ-19 anti-ballistic missile system, and drone mothership ‘Jetank’. The J-35A is China’s second stealth fighter, following the J-20, which entered service in 2017. It has been compared to the US F-35 but is powered by two engines. The J-35A can execute both air-to-air combat missions and precise strikes on ground and naval targets, with its internal weapons bay carrying various precision-guided munitions.
The HQ-19 anti-ballistic missile system, a next-generation surface-to-air missile system, has drawn comparisons to the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system. Mounted on an 8×8 high-mobility vehicle, it carries six interceptor missiles and is capable of rapid redeployment. It is designed to intercept ballistic missiles outside the atmosphere, extending interception capabilities compared to earlier models like the HQ-9. Chinese experts claim it can even intercept hypersonic glide vehicles, which are challenging due to their unpredictable trajectories.
The Jetank is a massive drone mothership with a wingspan of 25 meters and a maximum takeoff weight of 16 tonnes. It can carry payloads of up to six tonnes, has eight external hardpoints for missiles and bombs, and its mission module can be swiftly replaced to deploy smaller drones. It is described as a “significant innovation” as it takes the concept of a naval aircraft carrier to the air, allowing numerous drones to be launched into battle.
Lastly, the stealth drone ship ‘Orca’, also known as the JARI-USV-A, is the world’s largest uncrewed warship with radar-evasion capabilities. It weighs 500 tonnes, measures 58 meters in length, can travel up to 40 knots with a range of 4,000 nautical miles, and is equipped with phased array radars, a vertical launch system for missiles, and facilities for unmanned helicopters and underwater sensors. The Orca is capable of tasks such as “beyond visual range fire strike,” air and missile defense, and anti-submarine search and strike.
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Source: Business Standard
