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News18
a day ago
- Politics
- News18
'Operation Spider's Web' Spooks China As It Fears Taiwan Could Copy Ukraine's Drone Tactics
Last Updated: Chinese analysts warn of 'infiltration' threats after Ukraine's covert drone strikes deep inside Russia. Ukrainian forces' drone strikes on airbases deep within Russian territory, despite lacking long-range missiles or strategic bombers, are now a source of concern for China as it contemplates 'reunification" with Taiwan, according to a report by the South China Morning Post. The operation, dubbed Spider's Web, involved smuggling drones into Russia undetected, utilising unsuspecting drivers to transport them in modified containers close to key airbases. From these locations, drones were launched remotely to destroy high-value targets like surveillance aircraft and long-range bombers parked on the tarmac. The Russian bases targeted in the operation included Belaya airbase in Irkutsk, situated approximately 4,000 km from Ukraine's border, where strategic nuclear-capable bombers such as the Tu-95, Tu-160, and Tu-22 were targeted. Another base in Amur, near the Chinese border and roughly 8,000 km from Ukraine, was also attacked. According to a report by the South China Morning Post, the operation's success has alarmed Chinese military experts, particularly regarding a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait. Chinese military aviation analyst and former air force member Fu Qianshao noted the implications extend beyond Russia. 'Such attacks could easily be carried out by secret services or in special military operations," Fu told the South China Morning Post. He cautioned that China must 'guard against enemy forces infiltrating military bases in such a way", highlighting vulnerabilities deep within its expansive territory. Like Russia, China possesses numerous military bases scattered thousands of kilometres inland, within what it considers its 'strategic rear area". Supporting this perspective, Timothy Heath, senior international defence researcher at the US-based Rand Corporation, stated that Operation Spider's Web demonstrated how drones can threaten even the most distant and well-protected military sites. 'Drones can be deployed close to a target and are difficult to defend against," Heath explained. 'It also showed that there are few truly safe spaces in war zones anymore". Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published: June 07, 2025, 21:58 IST
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
How Ukraine's Operation Spider's Web attack on Russia holds important lessons for China
Ukrainian attacks targeting airbases deep inside Russian territory despite lacking long-range missiles or bombers could offer important lessons about modern warfare in the event of any conflict in the Taiwan Strait. Under the operation, code-named Spider's Web , Ukraine smuggled drones into Russian territory undetected and hired unwitting drivers to transport them in modified containers to locations near airbases, some of them thousands of kilometres from Ukraine's border. The drones were then launched remotely to destroy surveillance planes and long-range bombers as they sat on the tarmac. The innovative approach was not just a damaging surprise for Moscow , but also a 'wake-up moment' for militaries around the world, according to US Air Force Chief of Staff David Allvin. He said the attack showed that 'seemingly impenetrable locations' might no longer be so safe in the era of rapidly evolving drone technology and asymmetric warfare, adding that such tactics could 'create dilemmas' for both attackers and defenders. 'The lesson is not just for Russia,' said Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation analyst and former member of the air force. '[Such attacks] could easily be carried out by secret services or in special military operations.' The lesson for China is that it would need 'to guard against enemy forces infiltrating military bases in such a way', Fu said.
South China Morning Post
07-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Egyptian pilot on board China's J-10 fighter jet renews arms sale speculation
Footage that appears to show an Egyptian military officer sitting in a Chinese fighter jet during the joint Eagles of Civilisation 2025 exercise has fuelled speculation that Cairo might be considering adding the J-10C to its air force. Advertisement The carefully presented scene was released on Monday by China's state broadcaster CCTV and showed the officer in the back seat of a tandem-seat J-10S – the trainer version of the Chengdu J-10 Vigorous Dragon multirole combat aircraft – as it prepared for take-off. The 18-day exercise, which concluded on Sunday, was the first joint air training between China and Egypt, a long-standing ally of the US in the Middle East, and was seen by analysts as an indicator of the possible sale of Chinese jets to the North African nation. The exercise followed months of back-and-forth reports about Cairo's potential purchase of the latest model J-10C, which has been compared to upgraded versions of the US F-16 Fighting Falcon and was also deployed to Egypt for the joint training. China's close ally Pakistan bought a batch of J-10C jets in 2021 and a deal with Egypt would not only expand Beijing's arms exports to a key US ally, but could also reshape the regional geopolitical landscape, analysts said. Advertisement Chinese military analyst Fu Qianshao, who noted that it was rare for a foreign pilot to be invited to sit in the back seat of a J-10S, said the move signalled mutual trust and friendship between the two militaries.
South China Morning Post
09-04-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
WWII bomber base enlisted for US power projection against China in the Pacific
A remote US airbase in the western Pacific – best known as the departure point for the planes that dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki – has been reclaimed from the jungle to pose an asymmetrical threat to the Chinese mainland, analysts said. Advertisement The US$120 million reconstruction of North Field on Tinian Island – just 193km (120 miles) north of Guam – has included at least 1.86 million square metres (20 million sq ft) of runway and other infrastructure. The North Field airbase on Tinian Island. Photo: Google Maps According to the US Air Force, the restored airfield will serve as a power projection platform for its agile combat employment strategy (ACE) – a set of concepts aimed at increasing flexibility and resilience while complicating enemy targeting. The scale of the project was revealed by a series of commercial satellite images published by military website The War Zone and dating from December 2023, a month before work began, to January this year. The images show the airfield's distinctive grid layout – said to have been based on the streets of Manhattan by the wartime personnel who built it – gradually emerging from the tropical jungle. Advertisement Beijing-based military analyst Fu Qianshao said North Field's grid pattern – made up of four 2,500-metre (8,500ft) runways and associated taxiways and ramps – and the US strategy of dispersing its forces gave it a relatively strong survivability rating.
