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Mint
3 days ago
- Business
- Mint
America let its military-industrial might wither. China's is booming.
Adapting to the dual challenge of China's military and its economy has been a focus of U.S. administrations for years. America is losing ground. Modern warfare is a contest of industrial might, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine has shown. Both sides are burning through arsenals of artillery shells, rockets and military vehicles. Automated factories now spit out drones day and night. Even an old-fashioned howitzer requires precision manufacturing. The U.S. won World War II in part by producing more of everything—from bullets to food—than its enemies. One California shipyard in 1942 assembled a supply ship in less than five days. America is no longer capable of that kind of manufacturing feat. Today, the country that can make the most of almost everything is China. Its products run the gamut from basic chemicals to advanced machinery. With tensions rising between the U.S. and China, the two countries' industrial capacity is coming into focus as a key battleground in any conflict. China's economic growth has allowed it to build a military that rivals the U.S. A single Chinese shipbuilder last year produced more commercial ships by tonnage than the entire U.S. shipbuilding industry has made since World War II, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. The scale of China's commercial shipbuilding subsidizes its production of naval vessels and, in a war, capacity could be shifted from freighters to warships. Since 2000, China has built more than twice as many naval vessels as the U.S., according to defense intelligence company Janes. China's air force and navy are closing the gap with the U.S., though many American platforms are considered more advanced than their Chinese counterparts. Naval firepower offers a prime example. China's ability to launch cruise missiles and other rockets at sea is closing a big combat gap with the U.S. Many of China's manufacturers aren't in the military sector but could easily be repurposed to arms-making or support in a war. China not only has more factories, it is also modernizing them faster, with technologies such as 5G private networks for automation. That means it can more quickly and efficiently link manufacturing equipment to designers and users, updating products at speeds that traditional manufacturing can't achieve. In Ukraine, constant feedback from front-line troops to drone makers has allowed the country to make rapid advances in robotic aircraft. That also means China can more easily accelerate production. The country has far more industrial robots too, supplementing its enormous labor advantage. Wars aren't just about military equipment. Every plane, ship and tank needs fuel, spare parts and ammunition. Their crews need food, water and medical care. Those support functions entail vast logistics networks, most of which rely on ships and China has more of the vessels needed to sustain troops. Even if the U.S. is able to expand its fleet of commercial cargo ships, it lacks sailors to staff them. By some estimates, the U.S. now has fewer than 10,000 commercial sailors—though the number is uncertain because the government stopped tracking them years ago. China has almost 200 times as many merchant mariners. China also has more of the raw materials needed for modern warfare. The country's control of the world's rare earth mines and processing plants—needed to build missiles, planes, and submarines—would allow it to more easily replenish losses in an extended conflict. Chinese companies have largely brushed off U.S. attempts to loosen their grip on the world's critical minerals. If the U.S. faced a major conflict, it would need to reorient industries and workers, as it did in the two world wars of the 20th century. China's workforce is already in position, with an army of manufacturing workers that dwarfs other nations. Write to Jon Emont at Daniel Michaels at Ming Li at and Jason French at
The National
3 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Jet jamming: Fighter plane future rests on mastering electronic warfare
The ferocity of the shots fired in the recent India - Pakistan conflict have quietened but the skirmish is already having an impact on global air forces. Jamming devices are now considered essential, experts have told The National. A major investigation among Western powers is under way to understand how potentially three French-built Rafales were lost to Pakistan's Chinese made J-10Cs, alongside the worrying development of long-range aerial warfare. As Russia's invasion of Ukraine is proving, it's not the alluring curved lines of missiles that are essential to survival, but the energy emitted from unseen weapons. 'Operating in high-threat environments, electronic warfare (EW) is a must have, it's not an optional extra any more if you're going to survive in contested airspace,' said Gareth Jennings, air power editor of Janes, the defence intelligence company. As the Ukraine and Gaza conflicts are also demonstrating, modern warfare is evolving at rapid speeds among many weapons systems, with survival dependent on innovation and skill. It should be a wake-up call to nations that need to upgrade their aircraft defences with EW, a British military source said. Aerial prowess The Kashmir clash has demonstrated not only the high level of professionalism shown by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) but also the emerging quality of Chinese-manufactured jets and missiles. The ability of the Pakistanis to operate a complex defence using airborne and ground radar co-ordinating its fighters has already unnerved Western onlookers. 'The West now knows it faces an extremely capable, integrated air and missile defence and it is also clear that China in the air domain is probably sliding ahead of Russia,' said Frank Ledwidge, a former military intelligence officer. The ability of the PAF's J-10C fighters and 'beyond visual range' PL-15E missiles that took down potentially five Indian air force fighters at a distance of more than 100km, has been noted. Once fired, the PL-15E is blasted by a rocket booster to hypersonic speed of Mach 5 (6,200kph) then guided on to its target by the J-10C fighter's radar. In the closing stages, it switches to its Aesa (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar with a second burst of speed being injected 10km from a target, making it difficult to evade. It is unclear if the older generation Indian Rafales were fitted with Aesa that could have allowed them to jam both the Pakistan fighter and the missile in its closing stages with a beam of focused electronic noise. There is also a suggestion that India was totally unprepared for the level of sophistication facing them, with all their aircraft shot down over home territory where they possibly thought they were safe. Worried West The incident is prompting reassessments for major defence companies, not only for Dassault, which makes the Rafale, but also the European manufacturers of Typhoon and US aircraft companies. 'There's a lot of work from an intelligence perspective, trying to understand the capability in terms of the missiles, their range and speed and therefore why the air defences didn't work or didn't prevent it,' a leading defence company insider told The National. Vital to understanding the losses will be how the Rafale's electronic warfare systems worked and the skill of the pilots using them. Like the Typhoon, the Rafale is called a '4.5 generation' fighter, highly capable with good defensive measures and a proven operational capability, but until this month operating against countries without serious air power. Essential to the Rafale's survival against missiles such as the PL-15 are its Spectra (Self-Protection Equipment Countering Threats to Rafale Aircraft) jamming system to protect it against missiles. It is not known to what extent India has Spectra, or if it was used during the engagement, 'but in terms of the Pakistani capabilities, "it certainly shows that they're not inferior to the Indian Air Force in any way,' Mr Jennings said. While India has an earlier version of the aircraft, analysts have stated that the newest F4 variant has greater range, better weapons and significantly more cyber capabilities, and with the Spectra even more jamming power making it 'more defendable' against missiles such as the PL-15. Air advantage The Typhoon will also soon be equipped with the Leonardo-designed Mark Two Radar, which can fire 'pulses of energy against surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles' that would give it greater capability, said military analyst Francis Tusa, editor of Defence Eye. However, he argued that the Rafale F5 model, coming into service in 2028, has also got 'really serious connectivity' that would arguably be greater than the US made F-35. Which introduces the argument that the 4.5 generation fighters might, with the right EW suites, fare as well as the stealth technology of aircraft such as the F-35, which largely rely on radar cloaking to prevent attacks. Once locked-on by a missile it is largely down to pilot skill to avoid destruction, as apparently demonstrated by a US F-35 pilot targeted by a Houthi missile in the recent conflict. None invincible Both Typhoon and Rafale have been on combat operations across the Middle East and North Africa, from Libya to Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen and Mali, without any losses. But Rafale has been the only one involved in air-to-air combat. The key now for all countries with expensive 4.5 generation aircraft, costing around $120 million each, will be to equip them for what modern warfare is throwing at them at pace. 'None of these aircraft are invincible, and there's absolutely no reason why a Rafale competently handled using good tactics and a decent pilot shouldn't take down a J-10 or any other aircraft,' said Mr Jennings. Ultimately it is going to be down to small fractions of technological edge or pilot skill that ensures survivability in future aerial combat.
Sydney Morning Herald
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Prabowo's warm words for Albanese are tinged by a Russian shadow
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has made a point of condemning Russia while in Indonesia on his first overseas trip since the election, as the Kremlin tries to expand its influence in the region. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto rolled out the warmth and pageantry for Albanese and his entourage when they flew into Jakarta for high-level talks on Thursday. The meeting comes weeks after respected military website Janes reported that Russia had lodged a formal request to base warplanes in Indonesia's easternmost province, Papua, just 1400 kilometres from the Australian mainland – a report Indonesia's Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin later denied. After meeting Prabowo, Albanese declared in a joint leaders' statement on Thursday that he would support Indonesia's bid to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. 'This is the fastest-growing region of the world in human history, and Indonesia is central to that growth,' he said, before Prabowo, a former special forces commander with a murky human rights record, personally drove him to a banquet on a golf buggy. Earlier, Albanese railed against Russia during a news conference in Jakarta hours before his meeting with Prabowo, who visited Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin last year as president-elect. 'Russia, of course, will try to increase its influence,' Albanese said, while dodging questions about what Moscow has or has not asked of Prabowo and the Indonesians. 'We make very clear our position when it comes to Russia around the world – be it the brutal invasion of Ukraine, its interference in cybersecurity issues as well, its tolerance of criminal organisations that have been involved in that – are anathema to our values.'
The Age
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Prabowo's warm words for Albanese are tinged by a Russian shadow
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has made a point of condemning Russia while in Indonesia on his first overseas trip since the election, as the Kremlin tries to expand its influence in the region. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto rolled out the warmth and pageantry for Albanese and his entourage when they flew into Jakarta for high-level talks on Thursday. The meeting comes weeks after respected military website Janes reported that Russia had lodged a formal request to base warplanes in Indonesia's easternmost province, Papua, just 1400 kilometres from the Australian mainland – a report Indonesia's Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin later denied. After meeting Prabowo, Albanese declared in a joint leaders' statement on Thursday that he would support Indonesia's bid to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. 'This is the fastest-growing region of the world in human history, and Indonesia is central to that growth,' he said, before Prabowo, a former special forces commander with a murky human rights record, personally drove him to a banquet on a golf buggy. Earlier, Albanese railed against Russia during a news conference in Jakarta hours before his meeting with Prabowo, who visited Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin last year as president-elect. 'Russia, of course, will try to increase its influence,' Albanese said, while dodging questions about what Moscow has or has not asked of Prabowo and the Indonesians. 'We make very clear our position when it comes to Russia around the world – be it the brutal invasion of Ukraine, its interference in cybersecurity issues as well, its tolerance of criminal organisations that have been involved in that – are anathema to our values.'
The Star
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
India-Pakistan: conflict with no clear winner
PARIS: A ceasefire between India and Pakistan has calmed fears of all-out war and despite conflicting claims, experts say no clear victor emerged in the brief conflict between the nuclear-armed foes. - No clear winner - Both South Asian countries claim to have achieved their goals in their worst conflict since 1999, without admitting significant losses. Four days of intense fighting began last Wednesday (May 7) when India launched strikes against what it described as "terrorist infrastructure" in Pakistan. India claims Pakistan backs the militants it says were behind an April attack in which 26 people were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir -- a charge Islamabad denies. "If victory is defined by who lost the most manned aircraft, then India certainly lost this one," said Ashley Tellis of the Carnegie think tank. "But India also succeeded in effectively interdicting a range of Pakistani surface targets and imposing significant costs on Pakistan," Tellis told AFP. "Both sides continue to claim air-to-air kills, but clear evidence remains unavailable at the time of writing," said Fabian Hoffmann from the University of Oslo. "What stands out is the extensive use of conventional long-range strike systems by both sides to target military infrastructure deep within enemy territory, including sites near their capitals," he added. - Nuclear powers - While slow to begin with, the international community, including the United States, eventually intervened, alarmed by the possibility of further escalation. Hoffmann said the bitter foes showed little restraint despite the absence of "deliberate strikes on critical civilian infrastructure". "Any shift in that direction would... potentially bring the conflict closer to the threshold of nuclear use," said Hoffmann. The global trend towards violence, especially by states facing internal turmoil, demands greater international vigilance, according to Tellis. The fact that both countries are nuclear powers "makes the conventional balances all the more important. But the fact remains that neither side has a decisive conventional edge in a short war," said Tellis. - Drones on the frontline - Like other modern conflicts, this one confirmed the "widespread" use of drones for warfare, according to Oishee Majumdar from British intelligence firm Janes. Israel Aerospace Industries' exploding drones Harop and Harpy, as well as reconnaissance drone Heron were used by India, Majumdar told AFP. According to specialist site Military Balance, India also deployed Indian drones Nishant and Drishti. Indian media said New Delhi also used French SCALP and Indian BrahMos cruise missiles, and AASM Hammer bombs developed by France's Safran. The Pakistani army used Songar drones developed by Turkey's Asisguard, according to Janes. Military Balance said Islamabad was also armed with Chinese combat and reconnaissance drones -- CH-3 and CH-4, Wing Loong -- and Turkey's Akinci and TB2 drones. - Chinese neutrality? - At the start of the conflict, China urged restraint from both sides and promised to play a "constructive role". But experts say Beijing has clearly picked a side. China said it considered Pakistan an "ironclad friend" and that it "understands Pakistan's legitimate security concerns", said Chietigj Bajpaee from think tank Chatham House. Bajpaee also said that "over 80 percent of Pakistan's arms imports over the last five years have come from China". "Beijing supplies Islamabad with key systems" including the HQ-9/P surface-to-air missile system, the LY-80 medium-range air defence and FM-90 defence systems, said John Spencer, an ex-US army officer and researcher at the Modern War Institute. But Islamabad's "reliance on Chinese exports has created a brittle illusion of strength", said Spencer, adding that the systems are "designed to provide layered protection" but "failed" against India's strikes last week. - Rafale jet claims - Pakistan claims to have shot down five Indian fighter jets, including three advanced French Rafale aircraft, all of which were in Indian airspace at the time. India has not disclosed any losses. Rafale maker Dassault did not comment. According to a European military source, it is "very unlikely" that three Rafales were destroyed, but "credible" that at least one was. Analysts suggest that Indian aircraft were shot down by a Chinese air-to-air missile, the PL-15E, with a range of 145 kilometres (90 miles) in the version acquired by Islamabad, and whose debris was found in Indian territory. "India lost at least one Rafale to a Pakistani J-10C firing a PL-15 air-to-air missile in an ultra-long-range air engagement," said Carnegie's Tellis. This type of missile can target a position while remaining undetected "until its own radar is activated a few dozen kilometres away, or a few seconds" from its target, according to a French fighter pilot interviewed by AFP. "You can't escape it". - AFP
