Pay attention sleepyheads: Russia sends cruise missiles to China for new warships

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Russia sends cruise missiles to China for new warships

By Bill Gertz THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Russia recently delivered the first shipment of supersonic cruise missiles to China for a new missile destroyer and more of the weapons will be sent later this year, Pentagon officials said Thursday. The deployment of the 24 SSN-22 anti-ship cruise missiles on a Chinese Sovremenny-class destroyer is the most significant recent weapons development by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) naval forces, according to Navy officials. The missile shipment was sent by a manufacturer from the Pacific port of Vladivostok to China within the past several weeks, said officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The missiles will be deployed on China's new Sovremenny-class guided-missile destroyer, the first of two advanced warships bought by the PLA navy. The first guided-missile destroyer sailed to China earlier this year without the sea-skimming anti-ship missiles. A second delivery of the high-speed missiles is expected in the next several months, the officials said. Naval officials told The Washington Times the cruise-missile destroyer represents a major boost in Chinese surface warship firepower. "The Sovremenny arrival is obviously the big issue that really did change the capability of the surface force," one official said. The arrival of the first missiles, known as Sunburns, was reported to senior officials in intelligence reports Thursday. Details were disclosed by two Russian news agencies on Monday and Tuesday. The missile delivery comes at an awkward time for the Clinton administration as it seeks to lobby Congress for passage of a trade bill to help China. The president has said improving trade relations with China will boost U.S. national security. The administration last month also refused to authorize the sale to Taiwan of four Aegis radar-equipped missile destroyers and high-speed anti-radiation missiles that could be used by Taiwan's forces to counter the new warships. Taiwan arms sales have been blocked by pro-China officials at the White House and State Department who fear U.S. transfers will upset Beijing. Russian weapons designers originally built the SSN-22 for the Soviet Navy to use against U.S. warships during the Cold War. The missile has a range of between 80 and 85 miles. Its supersonic speed is what makes the missile a major threat. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, California Republican and sponsor of a bill to punish Russia for the missile transfers, said the anti-ship missiles could be used against Americans in the future. "The Chinese communists now have the ability to sink American aircraft carriers and kill thousands of Americans," Mr. Rohrabacher said in an interview. "If they ever decide to use these weapons, the American people have a right to ask who's to blame. But maybe we should ask that question before Americans start dying." A bill sponsored by Mr. Rohrabacher passed the House International Relations Committee two weeks ago that would block any U.S. debt relief for the Russian government if future Sunburn missile sales are not stopped. The full House could vote on the measure in the next several weeks. Richard Fisher, a specialist on the Chinese military with the Jamestown Foundation, said Russia's delivery of the missile weeks after the Clinton administration's rejection of guided missile ships to Taiwan is "a humiliation on top of a retreat." "From Eisenhower to Bush, the operative American policy was to promote deterrence on the Taiwan Strait by selling Taiwan's military a technical edge over the PRC," Mr. Fisher said. "In the year 2000, the Clinton administration has abandoned this long-standing U.S. policy and has decreased deterrence for the foreseeable future." Mr. Fisher said Taiwan's navy currently is defenseless against the supersonic cruise missile deployed on the new Chinese warship. "It has no defensive system that can take out this missile besides a pre-emptive attack on the destroyer itself, which increases instability on the Taiwan Strait," he said. As for U.S. ships, any Navy ships operating outside the protection of aircraft carrier battle groups or Aegis ships "are dead meat for the Sunburn." The Navy officials said the purchase of Russian warships and advanced missiles is part of a buildup of naval forces by Beijing in case it decides to use force against Taiwan, which the communist government views as a Chinese province. "I don't think the Chinese military is in a big hurry to deal with Taiwan militarily," one official said. However, if a conflict erupts, China's military leaders "recognize that if called on, they will go, they have to go, and the systems they are getting will have some capability to do that," the official said. China also has four advanced Kilo submarines and has purchased Su-27 fighter-bombers from Moscow. The weapons purchases are part of a growing strategic partnership between Moscow and Beijing, an alliance based in part on opposition to the United States. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit Beijing in July as a sign of the developing alliance. According to the Navy officials, China's short-term military goal is to develop or buy the forces needed for fighting Taiwan. The longer-term objective is to build better command, control and communications systems that will assist their war-fighting capabilities, they said. "They are focused on the Taiwan scenario, and all their efforts have been recently on systems that are important for Taiwan," the official said. Capt. Craig Quigley, a Pentagon spokesman, recently sought to play down the Russian warship sale as not a new development.

-- Earth to Jim Cooke (@ .), May 19, 2000

Answers

Pay attention sleepyheads: Russia sends cruise missiles to China for new warships

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TB2K spinoff uncensored : One Thread

Russia sends cruise missiles to China for new warships

By Bill Gertz THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Russia recently delivered the first shipment of supersonic cruise missiles to China for a new missile destroyer and more of the weapons will be sent later this year, Pentagon officials said Th

ursday. The deployment of the 24 SSN-22 anti-ship cruise missiles on a Chinese Sovremenny-class destroyer is the

most significant recent weapons development by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) naval forces, according to Navy officials. The missile shipment was sent by a manufacturer from the Pacific port of Vladivostok to China within the past several weeks, said officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The miss

iles will be deployed on China's new Sovremenny-class guided-missile destroyer, the

first of two advanced warships bought by the PLA navy. The first guided-missile destroyer sailed to China earlier this year without the sea-skimming anti-ship missiles. A second delivery of the high-speed missiles is expected in the next seve

ral months, the officials said. Naval officials told The Washington Times the cruise-missile destroyer represents a major boost in Chinese surface warship firepower. "The Sovremenny arrival is obviously the big issue that really did change the capability of the surface force,"

one official said. The arrival of the first missiles, known as Sunburns, was reported to senior officials in intelligence reports Thursday. Details were disclosed by two Russian news agencies on Monday and Tuesday. The missile deli

very comes at an awkward time for the Clinton administration as it seeks to lobby Congress for passage of a trade bill to help China. The president has said improving trade relations with China will boost U.S. national security. The administration last month also refused to authorize the sale to Taiwan of four Aegis radar-equipped missile destroyers and high-speed anti-radiation missiles that

could be used by Taiwan's forces to counter the new warships. Taiwan arms sales have been blocked by pro-China officials at the White House and State Department who fear U.S. transfers will upset Beijin

g. Russian weapons designers originally built the SSN-22 for the Soviet Navy to use against U.S. warships during the Cold War. The missile has a range of between 80 and 85 miles. Its supersonic speed is what makes the missile a major th

reat. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, California Republican and sponsor of a bill to punish Russia for the missile transfers, said the anti-ship missiles could be used against Americans in the

future. "The Chinese communists now have the ability to sink American aircraft carriers and kill thousands of Americans," Mr. Rohrabacher said in an interview. "If they ever decide to use these weapons, the Ame

rican people have a right to ask who's to blame. But maybe we should ask that question before Americans start dying." A bill sponsored by Mr. Rohrabacher passed the House International Relations Committee two weeks ago that would block any U.S. debt relief for the Russian government if future Sunburn missile sales are not stopped. The full House could vote on the measure in the next several

weeks. Richard Fisher, a specialist on the Chinese military with the Jamestown Foundation, said Russia's delivery of the missile weeks after the Clinton administration's rejection of gui

d missile ships to Taiwan is "a humiliation on top of a retreat." "From Eisenhower to Bush, the operative American policy was to promote deterrence on the Taiwan Strait by selling Taiwan's military a technical edge over the PRC," Mr. Fisher said. "In the year 2000, the Clinton administration has abandoned this long-standing U.S. policy

and has decreased deterrence for the foreseeable future." Mr. Fisher said Taiwan's navy currently is defenseless against the super

sonic cruise missile deployed on the new Chinese warship. "It has no defensive system that can take out this missile besides a pre- emptive attack on the destroyer itself, which increases instability on the Taiwan Strait," he said. As for U.S. ships, any Navy ships operating outside

the protection of aircraft carrier battle groups or Aegis ships "are dead meat for the Sunburn." The Navy officials said the purc

hase of Russian warships and advanced missiles is part of a buildup of naval forces by Beijing in case it decides to use force against Taiwan, which the communist government views as a Chinese prov

ince. "I don't think the Chinese military is in a big hurry to deal with Taiwan militarily," one official said. However, if a conflict erupts, China's military leaders "recognize that if called on, they will go, they have to go, and the syst

ems they are getting will have some capability to do that," the official said. China also has four adva

nced Kilo submarines and has purchased Su-27 fighter-bombers from Moscow. The weapons purchases are part of a growing strategic partnership between Moscow and Beijing, an alliance based in part on oppo

sition to the United States. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit Beijing in July as a sign of the developing alliance. According to the Navy offi

cials, China's short-term military goal is to develop or buy the forces needed for fighting Taiwan. The longer-term objective is to build better command, control and communications systems that will assist their war-fighting capabil

ities, they said. "They are focused on the Taiwan scenario, and all their efforts have been recently on systems that are important for Taiwan," the official said. Capt. Craig Quigley, a Pentagon spokesman, recently sought to play down the Russian warship sale as not a new development.

-- Earth to Jim Cooke (@ .), May 19, 2000

THIS IS BETTER......



-- .lol (.,,..@.,,..com), May 19, 2000.


Earth:

Was this some kind of big shock to you? There are many military sites that have been discussing it for a number of years.

The Sovremennyy class destroyer sale happened three years ago with the first unit delivered in January. Part of the deal was always 24 SSN-22 Sunburn antiship missiles per vessel. Without them, the Sovremennyy destroyers are just big gunboats. One of the reasons why Taiwan wanted Arleigh Burke class destroyers was for the Aegis system that is capable of defeating this missile. Without Aegis class anti- missile systems, the Sunburn is a lethal missile against surface targets.

The difficulty the Chinese Navy has is how to protect these two destroyers from submarine attack. The Sunburn has a range of about 95 miles so they would have to get the destroyers out in the Taiwan Strait to effectivly attack Taiwanese vessels. Chinese antisubmarine warfare if very primitive and the Taiwanese Navy has four very modern Dutch built submarines that have SubHarpoon missiles with a range or about 75 miles. Either of these destroyers could be damaged or sunk by one of these subs before the destroyers could even leave port.

Also, to put things in perspective, the Taiwanese Navy has 30 destroyers and frigates armed with either Harpoon or Taiwanese copies of the Harpoon missile. They also have fighter aircraft armed with Exocet missiles.

At this point, the Taiwanese need some Aegis equiped ships to counter the Sunburn directly but, even without it, they can still put up a good fight.

-- Jim Cooke (JJCooke@yahoo.com), May 19, 2000.


The administration last month also refused to authorize the sale to Taiwan of four Aegis radar-equipped missile destroyers and high- speed anti-radiation missiles that could be used by Taiwan's forces to counter the new warships.

The Clinton administration has all but given the green light to China to take Taiwan by military means. Hey, trade is trade and the Chinese really are good sources of campaign money for the Clintons!

-- FactFinder (FactFinder@bzn.com), May 19, 2000.


The administration last month also refused to authorize the sale to Taiwan of four Aegis radar-equipped missile destroyers and high- speed anti-radiation missiles that could be used by Taiwan's forces to counter the new warships.

Sorry, left out the source: http://www.washtimes.com/national/default- 2000519231533.htm

-- FactFinder (FactFinder@bzn.com), May 19, 2000.


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