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Business Standard
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Business Standard
China's Fujian carrier on sea trials, J-35 stealth fighters begin testing
China's most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, has completed its eighth and reportedly most 'intensive' sea trial, according to state media CCTV. Video of the carrier sailing from Shanghai's Jiangnan Shipyard into open waters was shared by the broadcaster on Sunday local time, with maritime traffic restrictions issued in the surrounding area. The Fujian is the Chinese navy's third aircraft carrier and the first to be equipped with electromagnetic catapults, a key feature that allows for the launch of heavier and more advanced aircraft. With a displacement of over 80,000 tonnes, it is the largest conventionally powered warship in the world. The carrier was launched in June 2022 and began sea trials in May 2024. CCTV reported that the carrier's fifth-generation stealth fighters, known as the J-35, have also undergone tests. While it did not confirm whether the jets were launched from the Fujian, prior sea trials have shown indications, such as tyre marks, that limited 'touch-and-go' operations may have taken place. What is the J-35 fighter jet? The J-35, also referred to as the FC-31 in earlier development stages, is China's carrier-based fifth-generation stealth fighter. Designed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, it is intended to match the capabilities of the American F-35C. The jet features low-observable stealth characteristics, twin engines, an internal weapons bay, and advanced avionics, making it suitable for carrier operations in high-threat environments. Manufacturing of the J-35 began in the late 2010s following early prototype tests of the FC-31, which first flew in 2012. The navy's version, modified for catapult-assisted takeoff and arrested recovery, has undergone extensive redesigns, including reinforced landing gear, folding wings, and upgraded radar systems. The J-35 is a key component of China's push to develop a modern, blue-water navy capable of projecting power far beyond its shores. Once fully operational with the Fujian, the combination is expected to significantly boost the People's Liberation Army Navy's (PLAN) capacity for long-range missions and offshore defence. Earlier reported indicate that Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has approved the purchase of 40 J-35A fifth-generation stealth fighter jets at the end of last year, expected to be delivered by early 2026. This agreement marks China's first export of such advanced military technology and is a significant milestone in the defense partnership between the two nations. These stealth fighters are expected to replace Pakistan's ageing fleet of American F-16s and French Mirage fighters. China military spending and modernisation drive China has been steadily increasing its military spending over the last few years, maintaining its position as the world's second-largest defence spender after the United States. For 2025, Beijing has announced a 7.2 per cent rise in its defence budget, bringing total military expenditures to approximately $266 billion. For reference, the US' defence budget for the same year is $895 billion and Russia $126 billion. India, meanwhile, has allocated around $75 billion for its 2025 defence budget. China also boasts the world's largest navy. The budget hike comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, and as trade tensions continue with the US.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Chinese brinkmanship challenges Japan and US in East China Sea, Liaoning aircraft carrier sends its fighters near disputed islands
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel On the waters off Kuba Island in the East China Sea, less than 200 kilometers from Japan's Senkaku Islands, a growing sense of unease swept through Tokyo's defense circles over the weekend. The Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier, along with four People's Liberation Army Navy destroyers, was spotted executing take-off and landing exercises involving fighter jets and helicopters, alarmingly close to Japan's southwestern marked the first time Beijing has deployed the Liaoning for such operations in the East China Sea, a highly sensitive and contested maritime zone. The Japanese Defense Ministry confirmed the development late Sunday, May 25, noting that the Chinese carrier group was operating in waters north of the Senkakus, a territory administered by Japan but claimed by China as the Diaoyu read: China's Jiutian SS-UAV spooks US, challenges its air superiority, but can it outfly latest air defenses? Japan's Air Self-Defense Force scrambled fighter jets in response to the drills, though no violations of airspace were reported. Nonetheless, the proximity of China's warships to Japanese territory signaled more than a routine naval exercise, it was a calculated move, one that has put both Japan and its ally, the United States, on high Senkaku Islands, nationalized by Japan in 2012, fall under the protective umbrella of Article 5 of the US-Japan security treaty . This means that any attack on the islands is considered an attack on Japan, and by extension, an attack on US interests. By edging closer to the islands, China is not only challenging Japanese sovereignty but also poking at the credibility of US commitments in the this month, those tensions escalated further when a Chinese Coast Guard helicopter violated Japanese airspace around the Senkakus. The intrusion marked only the fourth time a Chinese aircraft has entered Japanese airspace, but the first time it was a helicopter. The incident followed a civilian Japanese plane's flight through the area, drawing even more attention to Beijing's determination to normalize its presence in the disputed read: US Hellscape military doctrine aims to fight China without soldiers on the frontline Chinese government vessels have now maintained a near-constant presence in the region. As of Monday, May 26, Chinese patrol ships had entered the area for 189 consecutive days. In 2024, Beijing's vessels were logged in the waters for a record-breaking 355 days, a clear effort to establish control and reframe the narrative of the Liaoning tightens its grip on the East China Sea, eyes are also on China's third and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian. State-run media revealed that the warship is undergoing intensive sea trials, including tests for its new electromagnetic catapult system, a leap in capability that could drastically increase the carrier's daily sortie to Chinese military analyst Cao Weidong, the launch system will allow China to 'seize air and maritime supremacy,' a phrase that rings ominously across defense communities in both Tokyo and September, 2024, the Liaoning also entered Japan's contiguous zone, waters extending 24 nautical miles from the coast, further pushing the boundaries of China's naval activity. Beijing later claimed its aircraft intrusions were accidental, but the pattern points toward a slow, methodical strategy to wear down regional resistance.
Indian Express
19-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Top 10 naval powers in the world (2025): Where does Indian Navy rank?
Top 10 Powerful and Strongest Navy in the World 2025: Amid rising geopolitical uncertainty, there has been a rise in global military expenditure to $2718 billion, with the share of global gross domestic product (GDP) devoted to the military increasing to 2.5 per cent last year. In addition to air forces and military personnel, having a formidable presence of naval powers is crucial, as it protects a country's shores from threats, deters potential aggressors, and maintains stability and peace in international waters. The United States Navy continues to dominate as the most powerful naval force in the world, followed closely by China's rapidly expanding People's Liberation Army Navy, Russia, and India, each rapidly modernising and expanding their fleets to enhance strategic reach and maritime dominance In the 2025 Global Firepower rankings, we look at the strongest navy fleets globally by tonnage, as it offers a more accurate measure of a country's maritime power than simply counting the number of ships. Source: Global Firepower Rankings 2025 When evaluating naval fleet strength based on the total number of warships and submarines, China has the largest fleet, comprising a total of 700 vessels. The United States follows with 440, and Russia ranks third with 419. Interestingly, Sweden and Indonesia also make it into the global top five, with fleet strengths of 331 and 308, respectively. This is noteworthy since they rank 42nd and 11th, respectively, in terms of naval tonnage. The US is the world's leading naval power, with the TrV (True Value Rating) being the highest at 323.9, with Russia and China having significant naval capabilities. Following the US, China has emerged as a major naval and maritime power, and notably, it leads in the Indo-Pacific region with 319.8 TrV, whereas India ranks a distant second regionally and seventh globally, with a TrV of 100.5. In the Global Firepower Rankings 2025, following the USA and China, India stands in the 5th position globally, with its fleet total tonnage of 593,603 tonnes, and secures the 6th position with 293 vessels based on fleet strength. Meanwhile, Pakistan ranks 27th with 121 vessels in terms of fleet strength and 28th with a total tonnage of 111,715 tonnes.
Barnama
28-04-2025
- Business
- Barnama
Global Military Spending Hits New High Of US$2.72 Trillion
China's first Type 054B frigate, the Luohe, was commissioned in the People's Liberation Army Navy on Wednesday morning at a military port in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. (Photo by Li Bingxuan/Xinhua) COPENHAGEN, April 28 (Bernama-dpa) -- Global military spending reached a new high in 2024 for the 10th time in a row, German Press Agency (dpa) reported. According to a new report published Monday by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a leading think tank on conflict and defence, inflation-adjusted spending in 2024 rose by 9.4 per cent to US$2.72 trillion. This is the steepest year-on-year increase since at least the end of the Cold War, SIPRI said. bootstrap slideshow Military spending increased in all world regions, with particularly rapid growth in Europe and the Middle East, according to the report. With the war in Ukraine in its third year, military expenditure rose across Europe by 17 per cent to US$693 billion, making it the main contributor to the global increase. All European countries increased their military spending in 2024, except Malta. According to SIPRI, Russia's military expenditure reached an estimated US$149 billion in 2024, a 38 per cent increase from 2023 and double the level in 2015. The top five military spenders — the United States, China, Russia, Germany, and India — accounted for 60 per cent of the global total. Germany's military expenditure increased by 28 per cent to reach $88.5 billion, making the country the fourth biggest spender in the world. SIPRI researcher Lorenzo Scarazzato said that for the first time since reunification, Germany became the biggest military spender in Western Europe.
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First Post
27-04-2025
- Politics
- First Post
US deploys anti-ship missiles in Philippines, close to Taiwan, amid Chinese belligerence
While both Washington and Manila have denied that the exercises are aimed at any specific country, the messaging— and the locations chosen— appear to leave little doubt. China's government has fiercely condemned the drills, accusing the US of provocation in the region read more The United States military has, for the first time, deployed a sophisticated anti-ship missile launcher to Batan Island in the Philippines in a high-profile show of force just across the sea from Taiwan and amid rising tensions with China. The backdrop to these drills is one of intensifying military manoeuvres across East Asia. Earlier this month, China staged large-scale exercises encircling Taiwan, featuring naval, air, ground, and rocket forces, in what Beijing said was a warning against any moves towards formal independence by the island's democratically elected government. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Messaging via military exercise Marines airlifted the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) to the remote northern tip of the Philippine archipelago on Saturday (April 26), as US and Filipino forces separately conducted live-fire exercises in Zambales province, targeting mock hostile drones in drills facing the contested South China Sea. The activities form part of the annual Balikatan military exercises, which this year have been marked by a striking escalation in scale and realism. About 9,000 US troops, 5,000 Filipino personnel, and contingents from Australia, Japan, and other countries are taking part. The exercises are being held across multiple locations, several of them near strategic flashpoints that have become increasingly contested between China and the United States. Speaking to a small group of journalists invited to witness the deployment, US Marine Lt. Gen. Michael Cederholm stressed the defensive nature of the operations. 'We're not here practising a war plan,' Cederholm said. 'We're practicing for the defence of the Philippines.' Cederholm was careful not to specify whether the anti-ship missile system would be withdrawn after the conclusion of Balikatan on May 9, noting only: 'We don't broadcast when we're going in, when we're coming out and how long things are going to stay…All I'll say is we're here at the invitation and with the support of the Philippine government.' China on alert While both Washington and Manila have denied that the exercises are aimed at any specific country, the messaging— and the locations chosen— appear to leave little doubt. China's government has fiercely condemned the drills, accusing the US of provocation in the region. Over the weekend, an aircraft carrier group belonging to China's People's Liberation Army Navy was spotted passing near Batanes, just days after the US landed its NMESIS battery there, strategically positioned near the Bashi Channel, a critical maritime corridor south of Taiwan vital for global trade and military operations. The ambiguity over the duration of the deployment of anti-ship missiles is likely to further aggravate Beijing, which had already reacted sharply to the US Army's earlier deployment of a mid-range missile system in the Philippines last year. That battery, capable of firing Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles and Standard Missile-6 interceptors, was quietly repositioned earlier this year from Laoag City Airport to a coastal location facing the Scarborough Shoal— an area where tensions between China and the Philippines have escalated in recent months. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies
