China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force could be on the brink of purchasing 48 Sukhoi 35 (Su-35) multirole air superiority fighters, in what has been described as one of the largest arms deals between the two countries in recent years.
A Russian Federation Ministry of Defence source told the Russian-language Kommersant business newspaper recently that the request for the Su-35s, made last year, was valued at more than US$4 billion, or about US$85 million per aircraft.
The two sides have “practically agreed” to the deal, the source said.
The Su-35 is a 4-plus-plus-generation multirole air superiority fighter that is just now entering service in the Russian Air Force, which has also ordered 48 in a deal that runs through 2015.
In addition to having some stealth and supercruise characteristics, the Su-35 is expected to be equipped with advanced passive electronically scanned array (PESA) radar systems.
The acquisition could further tip the balance of air power in the Taiwan Strait in China’s favor, as Taiwan remains unsuccessful in its requests to obtain 66 F-16C/Ds from the US, an aircraft that is almost a full generation behind the Su-35 (China’s J-20 and the US’ F-22 and F-35 are so-called fifth-generation aircraft).
However, fears of technological theft could add complexity to the Su-35 deal.
According to Jane’s Defence Weekly, Moscow has demanded guarantees that key technologies included in the aircraft — such as the PESA radar and engines — will not be reverse-engineered by China for export.
One official said Russia would only allow the deal to proceed if China purchased a minimum of 24 aircraft.
Last year, China canceled an order for 95 Su-27s for local assembly after Shenyang Aircraft Corp (瀋陽飛機) launched serial production of the J-11 fighter, which experts regard as a near copycat of the Su-27.
Meanwhile, China also reportedly requested an unspecified number of Almaz-Antei S-400 long-range air defense systems from Moscow in November 2010, hoping those could be delivered by 2015. However, Jane’s reported that production problems could make delivery impossible before 2017.
China already has more than a dozen Russian-made S-300PMU2 “Favorit” air defense systems in operation, which have a range of about 200km. About eight battalions, recently deployed in Fujian Province, could shoot down aircraft within some sectors of Taiwanese airspace. The S-400 has a range of approximately 400km, or about twice that of the US-made Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) system deployed by Taiwan.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique