A long-range strike exercise held by the US Strategic Command earlier this month may have been intended as a practice run for a future contingency involving China, military analysts have said.
The exercise, codenamed Operation Chimichanga, was held at the US military’s Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex near Eilson Air Force Base, Alaska, and involved a variety of combat aircraft and bombers, including F-22 Raptor stealth fighters, B-1 bombers, E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system (AWACS) and KC-135 Stratotankers air-refueling aircraft.
US Air Force F-16s from Misawa Air Base in northern Japan also took part in the exercise.
Other than a short press release detailing the type of aircraft and weapons used during the exercise, the US Air Force has remained relatively low-key on the matter and did not refer to any specific contingency or scenario.
Major Scott Lanis, 168th Operations Group chief of scheduling, said the more than 168,000km2 of airspace at the complex provided a diverse training environment that allowed pilots to train realistically and jointly in situations similar to those they would face in combat.
The exercise allowed different aircraft to work together in a simulated strike environment, to practice interoperability while simultaneously traveling long distances and receiving air-refueling support, a notice on the exercise said.
This was also the first time that increment 3.1, a recent F-22 hardware and software upgrade that provides the F-22 with the means to find and engage ground targets, was used in a large force employment exercise.
The exercise on April 4 involved launches of a combination of real and computer-simulated weapons at mock targets scattered across the Joint Pacific Alaska Range.
Although the nation-wide joint exercise was officially aimed at validating the long-range capabilities of the B-1s and the ability of F-22s and F-16s to escort them into an anti-access target area, military analysts have speculated that it was also aimed at validating evolving US Air Force tactics and concepts for military operations against either China in the Pacific theater of operations, or possibly North Korea.
One of the main focuses of Chinese military modernization in recent years has been anti-access/area-denial capabilities to delay or prevent US forces from intervening in an armed conflict over Taiwan.
In addition to the Dong Feng-21D anti-ship missile currently under development, China has erected an impressive network of surface-to-air missiles to counter enemy aircraft, mostly through acquisitions from Russia.
Meanwhile, the joint Maritime Cooperation Sino-Russian naval exercises in the Yellow Sea entered their second day yesterday. In all, 25 naval vessels, 13 aircraft, nine helicopters and two special -fighting groups are taking part in the exercise, the largest in years. The People’s Liberation Army Navy has deployed missile destroyers, missile frigates, missile boats, a support vessel and a hospital ship for the exercises, which are scheduled to finish on Friday.
Chinese submarines will reportedly act as an opposing force attacking the joint fleet as part of anti-submarine warfare exercises.
While the Russian Navy’s cruiser Varyag is participating in the exercise off Shandong Province, China’s own refurbished Varyag aircraft carrier embarked on its fifth sea trial on Friday, though it is not expected to participate in the joint exercises with Russia.
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
RSS