China’s Soviet-build aircraft carrier Liaoning could be as easily sunk as the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, the Nikkei Shimbun reported yesterday.
The Russian guided-missile cruiser Moskva sank on Thursday last week after Ukraine said it struck the ship with locally made Neptune anti-ship missiles. Russia has denied the ship was hit, instead saying it sank after a fire broke out on the vessel.
The ease with which the Moskva was sunk has shocked Chinese defense officials, who fear the Liaoning could be similarly vulnerable in a military conflict, the Nikkei reported.
Photo: Screengrab from video of Ministry of National Defense
The Liaoning was originally the Kuznetsov-class carrier Varyag, which China bought from Ukraine in an unfinished state after it was stripped of equipment.
Beijing also purchased the hulls of two other Soviet-era carriers, the Kiev and the Minsk, for study and refitting.
All three ships were laid down in the Mykolaiv Shipyard in Ukraine, the paper said.
Armor standards used in Russian warships built during the Cold War suggest that the Liaoning might not fare any better than the Moskva against anti-ship missiles, the newspaper cited an expert as saying.
Should a conflict break out in the Taiwan Strait, the Chinese navy might avoid deploying the Liaoning, as the ship could be too vulnerable, the expert said.
While China’s newer Shandong and yet-unnamed third carrier likely have improved defenses, they would remain in missile range when sailing toward Taiwan or the Pacific, they said.
That Russia — widely considered to have overwhelming superiority in equipment, troop numbers and financial resources — would flounder in its invasion of Ukraine has disturbed the Chinese government, they said.
Taiwan is protected by the sea and could use its mountain ranges as natural fortifications, which makes the nation a harder target than Ukraine, the expert said, adding that China is more vulnerable than Russia to sanctions due to its reliance on energy and food imports.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Taiwanese defense official said that Taiwan is buying 100 ground-launched Harpoon anti-ship missiles in addition to variants that can be fired from ships, submarines and aircraft.
The number and type of missiles to be purchased are based on the projection that Taiwan needs to sink 70 percent of a hostile amphibious ship group to stop an invasion plan from being executed, they said.
Defense International magazine news editor Chen Kuo-ming (陳國銘) said that Taiwan is better armed than Ukraine in terms of anti-ship missiles.
China must use its capital ships to escort an amphibious vessel group in an invasion of Taiwan, he said, adding that Taiwan’s Hsiung Feng III missiles can hit targets anywhere in the Strait.
The Taiwanese military’s emphasis on mobility and variety of launch platforms for its anti-ship missiles are broadly correct, Chen said, adding that miniaturizing Hsiung Feng II missiles for use by fighter aircraft should be considered for increased tactical flexibility.
In related news, the Ministry of National Defense in a classified report to the Legislative Yuan yesterday revealed that Hsiung Sheng surface-to-surface cruise missiles can be mounted with high-explosive or cluster munition warheads.
That means the Hsiung Sheng — which has a range of 1,000km to 1,200km — could attack ground targets in China, including fortified command centers and airfields, by using the warheads, a source familiar with the report said.
The missiles would supply long-range precision strike capability for the military’s deterrence strategy, the source said.
The ministry has asked for a budget of NT$16.1 billion (US$550.45 million) for the missiles from this year to 2025.
Taiwan would have the capacity to produce 113 missiles per year after the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s manufacturing facilities come online, it said.
The number of missiles the military would actually obtain has not been made public.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS