Japan joins huge US-led Resolute Force Pacific air exercise
SHINNOSUKE NAGATOMI
TOKYO -- Japan's Air Self-Defense Force is participating in a major training exercise conducted by the U.S. Air Force around Japan, in what observers say is a show of unity intended to boost deterrence against China.
Resolute Force Pacific (REFORPAC), running until Aug. 4, will take place in multiple locations in the Pacific including Hawaii, Guam, Japan and international airspace, according to U.S. Pacific Air Forces.
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Yomiuri Shimbun
15 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
How Pakistan Shot down India's Cutting-Edge Fighter Using Chinese Gear
ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI, August 2 (Reuters) – Just after midnight on May 7, the screen in the Pakistan Air Force's operations room lit up in red with the positions of dozens of active enemy planes across the border in India. Air Chief Mshl. Zaheer Sidhu had been sleeping on a mattress just off that room for days in anticipation of an Indian assault. New Delhi had blamed Islamabad for backing militants who carried out an attack the previous month in Indian Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians. Despite Islamabad denying any involvement, India had vowed a response, which came in the early hours of May 7 with air strikes on Pakistan. Sidhu ordered Pakistan's prized Chinese-made J-10C jets to scramble. A senior Pakistani Air Force (PAF) official, who was present in the operations room, said Sidhu instructed his staff to target Rafales, a French-made fighter that is the jewel of India's fleet and had never been downed in battle. 'He wanted Rafales,' said the official. The hour-long fight, which took place in darkness, involved some 110 aircraft, experts estimate, making it the world's largest air battle in decades. The J-10s shot down at least one Rafale, Reuters reported in May, citing U.S. officials. Its downing surprised many in the military community and raised questions about the effectiveness of Western military hardware against untested Chinese alternatives. Shares of Dassault which makes the Rafale, dipped after reports the fighter had been shot down. Indonesia, which has outstanding Rafale orders, has said it is now considering purchasing J-10s – a major boost to China's efforts to sell the aircraft overseas. But Reuters interviews with two Indian officials and three of their Pakistani counterparts found that the performance of the Rafale wasn't the key problem: Central to its downing was an Indian intelligence failure concerning the range of the China-made PL-15 missile fired by the J-10 fighter. China and Pakistan are the only countries to operate both J-10s, known as Vigorous Dragons, and PL-15s. The faulty intelligence gave the Rafale pilots a false sense of confidence they were out of Pakistani firing distance, which they believed was only around 150 km, the Indian officials said, referring to the widely cited range of PL-15's export variant. 'We ambushed them,' the PAF official said, adding that Islamabad conducted an electronic warfare assault on Delhi's systems in an attempt to confuse Indian pilots. Indian officials dispute the effectiveness of those efforts. 'The Indians were not expecting to be shot at,' said Justin Bronk, air warfare expert at London's Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think-tank. 'And the PL-15 is clearly very capable at long range.' The PL-15 that hit the Rafale was fired from around 200km (124.27 mi) away, according to Pakistani officials, and even farther according to Indian officials. That would make it among the longest-range air-to-air strikes recorded. India's defense and foreign ministries did not return requests for comment about the intelligence mistakes. Delhi hasn't acknowledged a Rafale being shot down, but France's air chief told reporters in June that he had seen evidence of the loss of that fighter and two other aircraft flown by India, including a Russian-made Sukhoi. A top Dassault executive also told French lawmakers that month that India had lost a Rafale in operations, though he didn't have specific details. Pakistan's military referred to past comments by a spokesperson who said that its professional preparedness and resolve was more important than the weaponry it had deployed. China's defense ministry did not respond to Reuters' questions. Dassault and UAC, the manufacturer of the Sukhoi, also did not return requests for comment. 'SITUATIONAL AWARENESS' Reuters spoke to eight Pakistani and two Indian officials to piece together an account of the aerial battle, which marked the start of four days of fighting between the two nuclear-armed neighbors that caused alarm in Washington. The officials all spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss national security matters. Not only did Islamabad have the element of surprise with its missiles' range, the Pakistani and Indian officials said, but it managed to more efficiently connect its military hardware to surveillance on the ground and in the air, providing it with a clearer picture of the battlefield. Such networks, known as 'kill chains,' have become a crucial element of modern warfare. Four Pakistani officials said they created a 'kill chain,' or a multi-domain operation, by linking air, land and space sensors. The network included a Pakistani-developed system, Data Link 17, which connected Chinese military hardware with other equipment, including a Swedish-made surveillance plane, two Pakistani officials said. The system allowed the J-10s flying closer to India to obtain radar feeds from the surveillance plane cruising further away, meaning the Chinese-made fighters could turn their radars off and fly undetected, according to experts. Pakistan's military did not respond to requests for comment on this point. Delhi is trying to set up a similar network, the Indian officials said, adding that their process was more complicated because the country sourced aircraft from a wide range of exporters. Retired U.K. Air Mshl. Greg Bagwell, now a fellow at RUSI, said the episode didn't conclusively prove the superiority of either Chinese or Western air assets but it showed the importance of having the right information and using it. 'The winner in this was the side that had the best situational awareness,' said Bagwell. CHANGE IN TACTICS After India in the early hours of May 7 struck targets in Pakistan that it called terrorist infrastructure, Sidhu ordered his squadrons to switch from defense to attack. Five PAF officials said India had deployed some 70 planes, which was more than they had expected and provided Islamabad's PL-15s with a target-rich environment. India has not said how many planes were used. The May 7 battle marked the first big air contest of the modern era in which weaponry is used to strike targets beyond visual range, said Bagwell, noting both India and Pakistan's planes remained well within their airspaces across the duration of the fight. Five Pakistani officials said an electronic assault on Indian sensors and communications systems reduced the situational awareness of the Rafale's pilots. The two Indian officials said the Rafales were not blinded during the skirmishes and that Indian satellites were not jammed. But they acknowledged that Pakistan appeared to have disrupted the Sukhoi, whose systems Delhi is now upgrading. Other Indian security officials have deflected questions away from the Rafale, a centerpiece of India's military modernization, to the orders given to the air force. India's defense attaché in Jakarta told a university seminar that Delhi had lost some aircraft 'only because of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack (Pakistan's) military establishments and their air defenses.' India's chief of defense staff Gen. Anil Chauhan previously told Reuters that Delhi quickly 'rectified tactics' after the initial losses. After the May 7 air battle, India began targeting Pakistani military infrastructure and asserting its strength in the skies. Its Indian-made BrahMos supersonic cruise missile repeatedly sliced through Pakistan's air defenses, according to officials on both sides. On May 10, India said it struck at least nine air bases and radar sites in Pakistan. It also hit a surveillance plane parked in a hangar in southern Pakistan, according to Indian and Pakistani officials. A ceasefire was agreed later that day, after U.S. officials held talks with both sides. 'LIVE INPUTS' In the aftermath of the episode, India's deputy army chief Lt. Gen. Rahul Singh accused Pakistan of receiving 'live inputs' from China during the battles, implying radar and satellite feeds. He did not provide evidence and Islamabad denies the allegation. When asked at a July briefing about Beijing's military partnership with Pakistan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters the work was 'part of the normal cooperation between the two countries and does not target any third party.' Beijing's air chief Lt. Gen. Wang Gang visited Pakistan in July to discuss how Islamabad had used Chinese equipment to put together the 'kill chain' for the Rafale, two PAF officials said. China did not respond when asked about that interaction. The Pakistani military said in a statement in July that Wang had expressed 'keen interest in learning from PAF's battle-proven experience in Multi Domain Operations.'
Nikkei Asia
2 days ago
- Nikkei Asia
Letter from Nikkei Asia's editor: Thailand and Cambodia step back from the brink
Hello from Tokyo. A ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia, following an escalation in clashes that began on Thursday last week, took effect at 0:00 a.m. on Tuesday. At Nikkei Asia, we provided continuous coverage throughout the weekend via live blogs and breaking news updates. When reports emerged that Thailand had deployed F-16 fighter jets against Cambodia, our newsroom braced for the worst: the possibility of full-scale war between the two nations. Fortunately, the conflict -- which claimed more than 40 lives and displaced around 300,000 people -- was halted through mediation by Malaysia, the current chair of ASEAN. Although sporadic violence continued in places even after the ceasefire, the truce -- fragile as it may seem -- has taken hold. For a detailed look at the ceasefire and behind-the-scenes analysis of the two militaries, please read our coverage here. This episode has underscored the fragility of ties among some Southeast Asian nations. Had tensions between Thailand and Cambodia escalated further -- especially amid the ongoing civil war in Myanmar -- it would have delivered a serious blow to the region's economy and political stability. That the crisis was contained within the ASEAN framework is significant. Maintaining regional peace is essential for the bloc at a time when it faces challenges such as intensifying U.S.-China tensions and high tariffs from the Trump administration. Nikkei Asia has a major editorial bureau in Bangkok, and contributing writers in Cambodia helped drive our coverage of the recent events. As editor-in-chief, I am deeply concerned about rising tensions in the region. At the same time, I also take great pride in how our journalists continue to deliver timely, responsible and impartial reporting during crises -- one of our greatest strengths. I invite you to log in to Nikkei Asia and explore our reporting on the turbulent period that unfolded. Nikkei Forum in Melbourne Lastly, I have an announcement. On Aug. 18, Nikkei will host the Nikkei Forum in Melbourne, where experts and our Sydney-based reporters will explore the deepening business and economic ties between Japan and Australia. Online viewing is free, so please register to join the discussion! My suggested reads 1. Australia's auto market is one of the most competitive in the world, and Chinese makers want a bigger slice of it. Our reporter in Sydney visited the imposing off-road track known as Beer O'Clock Hill to see how companies like GWM aim to prove they have both the tech and toughness to muscle out rival brands. 2. Tourism-related stocks in Thailand -- from airlines to hotels and retailers -- have slumped amid falling foreign visitor numbers, particularly from China, making the country's equity market one of the region's worst performers. As our reporter in Bangkok notes, ongoing tensions with Cambodia, despite a ceasefire agreement, may further dampen travel demand and pressure the sector. 3. Faith-based businesses in Malaysia are staging events attracting thousands of people from across the region as demand rises for accessible spiritual inspiration. With tickets, sponsors, merch and vendor booths, these gatherings -- held for both Muslims and Christians -- could easily be mistaken for pop concerts or cultural festivals, just with a higher purpose. Wishing you a wonderful weekend! Akito Tanaka Sign up for the weekly Editor-in-chief's picks newsletter here. Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram
Asahi Shimbun
4 days ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Plans for ammo dump incense residents of science city
The entrance to Ground Self-Defense Force base Vice Camp Hosono in Seika, Kyoto Prefecture, on July 2 (Kazuyuki Hiraoka) Residents of a science city close to Kyoto that is known for its many cultural and research facilities are up in arms over a plan by the Defense Ministry to build more ammunition storage sites at a Ground Self-Defense Force base there. The ministry will begin the expansion program at Vice Camp Hosono in Seika, a town in Keihanna Science City, in August. Plans call for 14 ammunition storage buildings to be built under the Defense Buildup Program established by the government in late 2022. The sites will have the largest storage capacity in Japan. The type of ammunition to be stored has not been disclosed, adding to the concerns among residents. The ministry plans to construct 70 or so additional ammunition storage facilities across Japan by fiscal 2027. The Defense Buildup Program allocates 61.6 billion yen ($416 million) for new storages sites from fiscal 2023 through fiscal 2025, with about half, or 30.4 billion yen, designated for building storage facilities at Vice Camp Hosono. On July 1, seven senior officials from the ministry's Kinki-Chubu Defense Bureau briefed the Seika town assembly on the project that will begin with earthwork in August. The ministry expects the eight buildings will be completed by the end of fiscal 2027. Construction of the remaining six facilities will follow as soon as the site is ready. With a growing population of 250,000-plus, Keihanna Science City compasses eight cities and towns in Kyoto, Osaka and Nara Prefectures over an area of about 15,000 hectares. It is home to more than 150 public and private research facilities and seven universities as well as many residential areas. The government included possessing counterstrike capabilities in security-related documents it arbitrarily revised and then released in late 2022. With China's military buildup in mind, the government deployed troops to the furthermost Nansei chain of islands close to Taiwan to operate missile batteries. During the briefing, assembly members raised numerous issues. They wanted to know whether long-range missiles for attacking enemy bases would be stored there and what safety measures would be taken to protect residents from accidents, such as an ammunition dump exploding. The ministry officials refused to divulge specifics for fear of compromising the SDF's capabilities there. However, they pledge to 'secure a sufficient safety radius' based on the Explosives Control Law and related legislation. A briefing on the construction project was also held on the evening of July 22 for Kyotanabe city residents, and about 90 people attended. Like those in the Seika town assembly, the residents clamored for details. Many wondered how such a project could be approved 'without knowing what will be stored in our backyard.' Others pressed for more explanation about storing missiles with 'enormous destructive power' and the consequences of a serious accident. Most questions centered on the type of ammunition to be stored, but the ministry stayed mum. Similar briefing sessions were held for Seika town residents on July 24 and 26. Vice Camp Hosono is surrounded by residential areas and research institutions. Area residents established a network in March last year to demand clarification on the types of ammunition to be stored, along with other issues. The network collected more than 10,000 signatures and submitted the petition to the Defense Ministry. After listening to the explanation from the ministry, Mayumi Kureha, co-representative of the resident network, said, 'It heightened our fears that long-range missiles will be stored.' TOMAHAWK POSSIBITLITY Journalist Yujin Fuse, an expert in the national security field, noted that Vice Camp Hosono sprawls over 466 hectares, roughly the size of 100 Tokyo Domes. 'In addition to its size, the fact that the facility is surrounded by mountains, making it invisible to everybody, increases its strategic value as a military site,' he said. In the event of a Taiwan contingency, troops, weapons and ammunition from the main islands of the Japanese archipelago would be sent to the Nansei islands. A maritime transport unit centered on the GSDF was introduced in April to support this operation. The Maritime SDF bases in Kure in Hiroshima Prefecture and Hanshin in Kobe will serve as key hubs for the new unit. 'Vice Camp Hosono is just about an hour away from the Hanshin base via expressway. Its accessibility is also a major advantage,' Fuse said. U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles, which have a range of 1,600 kilometers or more and are intended for counterstrike purposes, are expected to be deployed on the MSDF's Aegis warships. Vice Camp Hosono will be jointly operated with the MSDF in the future. Given that there is a base for Aegis warships in the city of Maizuru in Kyoto Prefecture, 'Vice Camp Hosono is an obvious storage site,' Fuse said. What impact could this have on civilian life? 'The risk of accidental explosions during peacetime will increase,' he said. 'And in wartime, it could become a primary target for enemy attacks.'
