Latest news with #Y-20
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
China floods sea bases with nuke bombers, terrifying satellite pics show – as US warns Xi could SEIZE Taiwanese islands
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CHINA has deployed its most dangerous nuke bombers to a tiny but vital island sea base, satellite pictures show. The act of aggression comes after US intelligence warned that China could seize Taiwan's smaller islands as the first step of a full-scale invasion. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 8 A KJ-500 early warning plane and Y-20 transport aircraft parked on the tarmac on Woody Island Credit: Reuters 8 The two Chinese H-6 bombers are seen in this satellite photo Credit: Reuters 8 China could storm Taiwan's smaller islands ahead of a full invasion, US intelligence warned Aerial photos show two hulking H-6 bombers on an airfield on Woody Island in the South China Sea, taken on May 19. The long-range aircraft date back to the 1950s and were modelled on Soviet-era warplanes. But they've been souped-up to unleash modern weapons including hypersonic and nuclear missiles. They are considered China's most advanced bombers, and this is the first time they've been spotted on the outpost in five years. The photos also show two Y-20 transport aircraft and a KJ-500 early warning plane around Woody Island on the same day. The KJ-500 is thought vital to China's expansion of its air and sea campaign, as it tackles increasingly-complex operations. Woody is part of the the Paracel Islands, which are roughly halfway between China and Vietnam and the object of an ownership dispute between the two nations. China built a city called Sansha on Woody Island in 2012, which Beijing uses to lord over the rest of the Paracels and the Spratly Islands. Collin Koh, a Singaporean defence expert, said: "China's long-range bombers don't need to be on the Paracels so it does appear to be omni-directional signalling by Beijing - against the Philippines and against the US and other things that are going on." The clear act of aggression ominously plays into a prophecy made by US intelligence earlier this week about China's well-known ambitions to take Taiwan - which Beijing claims is rightfully theirs. When China is most likely to invade Taiwan… expert's chilling forecast A report warned that China could begin seizing Taiwan's smaller outlying islands as a precursor to a full-blown invasion. The vast majority of Taiwan's population lives on the main island, but Taipei also controls a smattering of smaller island chains. These include the Kinmen and Matsu islands close to the Chinese mainland, the Pratas and Taiping in the South China Sea, and the Penghu archipelago nearer to Taiwan. Storming these islands is one of the options on the table for China's military generals - who continue to brandish threats of a full-scale invasion of Taiwan. The danger was aired in the latest Worldwide Threat Assessment report earlier this month by the US Defence Intelligence Agency. The swarm of warplanes is the latest in a series of operation designed to intimidate Taiwan. 8 Soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army Navy patrol on Woody Island Credit: Reuters 8 An advanced Chinese H-6 bomber - two of which have been deployed to Woody Island Credit: EPA 8 Woody Island is part of the Paracels - which China and Vietnam both claim ownership of Credit: Reuters Last month, Xi Jinping launched a full round of army, navy and rocket forces exercises encircling Taiwan. Some 19 warships and 50 aircraft loomed near the island in what Beijing called a "stern warning" and "powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence". And in March, chilling pictures showed Beijing's giant D-Day-style invasion barges. The giant troop-carrying barges are capable of delivering fleets of tanks and thousands of troops directly onto Taiwanese roads. The DIA report did not predict an all-out invasion of Taiwan in 2025, but said China could scale-up attacks elsewhere. The agency said: 'China possesses a variety of military options to coerce Taiwan, including increasing the frequency and scope of China's military presence operations, air and maritime blockades, seizure of Taiwan's smaller outlying islands, joint firepower strikes, and a full-scale amphibious invasion of Taiwan." 8 Xi Jinping has been ratcheting up aggression against Taiwan Credit: AFP 8 Taiwan runs regular military drills of its own to prepare for the threat of a Chinese invasion Credit: EPA It added: 'China appears willing to defer seizing Taiwan by force as long as it calculates unification ultimately can be negotiated, the costs of forcing unification continue to outweigh the benefits, and its stated redlines have not been crossed by Taiwan or its partners and allies.' The US intelligence report also warned that Beijing will continue terrorising Taiwan with its 'campaign of diplomatic, information, military and economic pressure' to achieve its long-term goal of 'reunification'. Taipei has not cowered in the face of China's bullying, flexing its military muscles in return. Last month it launched 14 days of war games to prepare for the "worst case scenario". The operations were part of Taiwan's annual Han Kuang series of military exercises that put the island's defence capabilities to the test. The computer drills used the US-built Joint Theater Level Simulation platform to simulate a full-scale assault on the island by China.
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
China floods sea bases with nuke bombers, terrifying satellite pics show – as US warns Xi could SEIZE Taiwanese islands
CHINA has deployed its most dangerous nuke bombers to a tiny but vital island sea base, satellite pictures show. The act of aggression comes after US intelligence warned that China could seize Taiwan's smaller islands as the first step of a full-scale invasion. Advertisement 8 A KJ-500 early warning plane and Y-20 transport aircraft parked on the tarmac on Woody Island Credit: Reuters 8 The two Chinese H-6 bombers are seen in this satellite photo Credit: Reuters 8 China could storm Taiwan's smaller islands ahead of a full invasion, US intelligence warned Aerial photos show two hulking H-6 bombers on an airfield on Woody Island in the South China Sea, taken on May 19. The long-range aircraft date back to the 1950s and were modelled on Soviet-era warplanes. But they've been souped-up to unleash modern weapons including hypersonic and nuclear missiles. They are considered China's most advanced bombers, and this is the first time they've been spotted on the outpost in five years. Advertisement The photos also show two Y-20 transport aircraft and a KJ-500 early warning plane around Woody Island on the same day. The KJ-500 is thought vital to China's expansion of its air and sea campaign, as it tackles increasingly-complex operations. Woody is part of the the Paracel Islands, which are roughly halfway between China and Vietnam and the object of an ownership dispute between the two nations. China built a city called Sansha on Woody Island in 2012, which Beijing uses to lord over the rest of the Paracels and the Spratly Islands. Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Exclusive Collin Koh, a Singaporean defence expert, said: "China's long-range bombers don't need to be on the Paracels so it does appear to be omni-directional signalling by Beijing - against the Philippines and against the US and other things that are going on." The clear act of aggression ominously plays into a prophecy made by US intelligence earlier this week about China's well-known ambitions to take Taiwan - which Beijing claims is rightfully theirs. When China is most likely to invade Taiwan… expert's chilling forecast A report warned that China could begin seizing Taiwan's smaller outlying islands as a precursor to a full-blown invasion. The vast majority of Taiwan's population lives on the main island, but Taipei also controls a smattering of smaller island chains. Advertisement These include the Kinmen and Matsu islands close to the Chinese mainland, the Pratas and Taiping in the South China Sea, and the Penghu archipelago nearer to Taiwan. Storming these islands is one of the options on the table for China's military generals - who continue to brandish threats of a full-scale invasion of Taiwan. The danger was aired in the latest Worldwide Threat Assessment report earlier this month by the US Defence Intelligence Agency. The swarm of warplanes is the latest in a series of operation designed to intimidate Taiwan. Advertisement 8 Soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army Navy patrol on Woody Island Credit: Reuters 8 An advanced Chinese H-6 bomber - two of which have been deployed to Woody Island Credit: EPA 8 Woody Island is part of the Paracels - which China and Vietnam both claim ownership of Credit: Reuters Last month, Xi Jinping army , navy and rocket forces exercises encircling Taiwan. Advertisement Some 19 warships and 50 aircraft loomed near the island in what Beijing called a "stern warning" and "powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence". And in March, chilling pictures showed Beijing's giant The giant troop-carrying barges are capable of delivering fleets of tanks and thousands of troops directly onto Taiwanese roads. The DIA report did not predict an all-out invasion of Taiwan in 2025, but said China could scale-up attacks elsewhere. Advertisement The agency said: 'China possesses a variety of military options to coerce Taiwan, including increasing the frequency and scope of China's military presence operations, air and maritime blockades, seizure of Taiwan's smaller outlying islands, joint firepower strikes , and a full-scale amphibious invasion of Taiwan." 8 Xi Jinping has been ratcheting up aggression against Taiwan Credit: AFP 8 Taiwan runs regular military drills of its own to prepare for the threat of a Chinese invasion Credit: EPA It added: 'China appears willing to defer seizing Taiwan by force as long as it calculates unification ultimately can be negotiated, the costs of forcing unification continue to outweigh the benefits , and its stated redlines have not been crossed by Taiwan or its partners and allies.' Advertisement The US intelligence report also warned that Beijing will continue terrorising Taiwan with its 'campaign of diplomatic, information, military and economic pressure' to achieve its long-term goal of 'reunification'. Taipei has not cowered in the face of China's bullying , flexing its military muscles in return. Last month it Read more on the Irish Sun The operations were part of Taiwan's annual Han Kuang series of military exercises that put the island's defence capabilities to the test. Advertisement The computer drills used the US-built Joint Theater Level Simulation platform to simulate .
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Beijing sends heavy bombers to disputed islands in South China Sea
China has sent two of its recently upgraded H-6 bombers to a disputed island in the South China Sea, satellite images have revealed. The photographs, taken by Maxar Technologies, show the two aircraft on an airstrip on Woody Island in the Paracel archipelago on May 19. The long-range bombers date back to the 1950s and were modelled on Soviet-era planes, but have been modernised and can now carry weapons including hypersonic and nuclear missiles. They are considered China's most advanced bombers, and it is the first time they have been on the island in five years. The photographs also show two Y-20 transport aircraft and a KJ-500 early warning plane around Woody Island on the same day. The KJ-500 is believed to be vital to China's ability to carry out increasingly complex air and sea operations. Located almost equidistant from China and Vietnam – about 220 miles from China and 250 miles from Vietnam – the Paracel Islands have long been at the centre of disputes between the two countries, which both claim sovereignty over the archipelago. The islands are believed to sit on top of large natural gas and oil reserves, though there has been limited exploration of the area. In 2012, China built a city called Sansha on Woody Island, which Beijing uses to administer control over the rest of the Paracels as well as the Spratly Islands further south. In the years since, Woody Island has grown into an urban hub, with a population of about 2,300 as well as an airport, schools, a courthouse, a cinema and hospitals. The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative in the US estimates that China has at least 20 outposts across the Paracels, three of which have harbours that can dock large numbers of vessels and five of which have helipads. The Paracel Islands also form a strategic triangle with the Spratly Islands and the Scarborough Shoal, which Beijing seized from the Philippines in a tense standoff in 2012. In April, during the Philippines' annual exercises with the US called Balikatan, four men planted a Chinese flag on Sandy Cay, a sandbank in the Spratly Islands, leading to a heated exchange with Manila. A month earlier, two H-6 aircraft were seen flying over the Scarborough Shoal shortly before Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, visited the Philippines. Vincent Kyle Parada, a former defence analyst at the Philippines navy, previously told The Telegraph that it would make sense for Beijing to assert its sovereignty over these territories. 'Having a Chinese presence in each of those features will allow [Beijing] a disproportionate amount of control when it comes to asserting its influence over South China Sea, whether it's through economic disruption, freedom of navigation or safety at sea,' explained Mr Parada. The timing of the latest H-6 deployment to the Paracels is unlikely to be a coincidence. A British aircraft carrier is also expected to deploy to the South China Sea next month. The Shangri-la Dialogue, considered Asia's largest defence summit, begins on Friday, though China's defence minister is reportedly not attending. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Japan Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
China's most advanced bombers seen on disputed South China Sea island
A KJ-500 early warning plane along with Y-20 transport aircraft are parked on the tarmac of an airfield on Woody Island, in the disputed Paracel archipelago, which is known in China as Xisha Islands, South China Sea, May 19, 2025. MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES/Handout via REUTERS By Greg Torode Satellite imagery shows China landed two of its most advanced bombers in the disputed Paracel islands in the South China Sea this month - a gesture that some analysts described as Beijing's latest signaling of its growing military capabilities to rivals. The deployment marks the first time the long-range H-6 bombers have landed on Woody Island in the Paracels since 2020, and the movement of the now upgraded aircraft comes amid tensions with the Philippines, operations near Taiwan and ahead of the region's biggest defense forum this weekend. "China's long-range bombers don't need to be on the Paracels so it does appear to be omni-directional signalling by Beijing - against the Philippines and against the U.S. and other things that are going on," said Collin Koh, a defence scholar at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. French President Emmanuel Macron is due to open the three-day Shangri-La Dialogue forum in Singapore with a speech on Friday while U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will outline the Trump administration's approach to the region on Saturday. A British aircraft carrier is expected in the South China Sea on a rare deployment next month, diplomats captured two H-6 planes flying over the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal, also in the South China Sea, just ahead of Hegseth's visit to the Philippines in late March, when he reaffirmed the United States' "ironclad commitment" to its treaty ally. Regional diplomats and analysts say deployments of the jet-powered H-6 are closely scrutinised, given the way its Cold War-era airframe has been modernised to carry anti-ship and land attack cruise missiles, while some of the planes are capable of launching nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles. A potential threat to U.S. bases in the region, H-6 bombers were deployed in wargames around Taiwan in October, and in July flew close to the U.S. mainland for the first time. Neither China's defence ministry nor the Philippines' maritime and national security council immediately responded to Reuters' requests for comment. China's occupation of the Paracels is disputed by Vietnam, whose foreign ministry also did not immediately respond for comment. SOVIET DESIGN Echoing the development of the U.S. B-52, the basic H-6 dates back to 1950s Soviet designs but it remains China's most advanced long-range bomber having been re-fitted with improved engines and modern flight systems along with its state-of-the-art weaponry. Images provided to Reuters by Maxar Technologies show two H-6 bombers on a runway on Woody Island on May 19. Another Maxar image on the same date show two Y-20 transport aircraft and an KJ-500 early warning plane - an aircraft that is seen as vital to China being able to control and secure increasingly complex air and sea operations. Some analysts said the planes may have first arrived on May 17 and been present until May 23. Ben Lewis, founder of open source data platform PLATracker, said they thought it was unlikely that the H-6s would be deployed long-term on Woody Island or be permanently based there. "The ability to cycle forces through the bases, especially higher level assets like the H-6, provides the PLA with a force protection mechanism," he said, referring to China's People's Liberation Army. China's Southern Theatre Command, which covers the South China Sea, maintains two regiments of the bombers, according to the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies. The bombers are generally kept at heavily fortified bases on the Chinese mainland, where they would have more protection in a conflict from U.S. attacks in conflict scenarios. The U.S. maintains jet fighter wings in Japan, including on its forward deployed aircraft carrier, and on Guam, which is also home to B-52s. China claims sovereignty over nearly all the South China Sea, including areas claimed by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. A 2016 ruling by an international arbitral tribunal found Beijing's sweeping claims had no basis under international law, a decision China rejects. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
China's New KJ-3000 Airborne Early Warning Radar Jet Seen In Detail In New Image
New imagery has emerged of China's new heavyweight airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) platform, the KJ-3000, of which the first, low-quality photos began to appear last December, as we reported at the time. Based on the four-jet Y-20 cargo plane, the KJ-3000 is part of a fast-expanding and diversifying fleet of Chinese AEW&C aircraft, which also includes multiple iterations based on the four-turboprop Y-9 series of airlifters. While you can read the full story behind the development of China's AEW&C fleet in this previous in-depth article, the KJ-3000 is just one of the latest expressions of a massive investment in this area. As well as fielding an armada of AEW&C assets that is significantly larger than that of the U.S. Air Force, China is increasingly looking toward these assets as a key means of defending its interests as well as for pushing its combined aerial capabilities out further into the Indo-Pacific. The latest imagery shows the KJ-3000 on the ground at an undisclosed airfield in China. The aircraft still wears a coat of primer, and the serial number 7821 is clearly visible on the forward fuselage — as far as is known, this is the only example completed so far. So far best image of the KJ-3000 prototype, unfortunately heavily pixelated. — @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) May 26, 2025 Although the aircraft is partially obscured, we can see the characteristic large circular radome on top of the rear fuselage. The KJ-3000 is also fitted with an aerial refueling probe mounted above the cockpit, and there is a prominent series of antennas arranged on top of the forward fuselage. Compared to the Y-20, the aircraft also features a very prominent intake at the base of the tailfin, likely a ram-air inlet to cool the extensive onboard electronics. The KJ-3000 has long been seen as the solution to meet China's requirement for a platform to supplement the KJ-2000 Mainring, which is, to date, its largest dedicated AEW&C aircraft. You can read about it and China's wider AEW&C developments in this previous in-depth article. The KJ-2000 is based on the Ilyushin Il-76MD Candid, another four-jet airlifter. Originally planned to be equipped with Israeli mission systems, this plan was derailed under pressure from the U.S. Clinton administration. Instead, the KJ-2000 was fitted with Chinese-developed systems, installed on four ex-China United Airlines Il-76MD aircraft. The KJ-2000's active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar comprises three antennas in a triangular configuration within a fixed radome. The four KJ-2000s were declared operational in 2007 and are based in Jiangsu province, facing key adversaries Japan and Taiwan. Regardless of the operational effectiveness of the KJ-2000, China was only able to produce more of these aircraft due to the strictly limited number of Russian-built Il-76MDs available for conversion. As a result, the Y-20 was quickly earmarked as a likely platform for a follow-on to the KJ-2000 and this program seems to have gained momentum once the definitive Y-20B transport became available in 2020. The Y-20B is powered by the domestically produced WS-20 high-bypass turbofan engine, which is a significant advance over the Russian D-30KP-2 engine found on the original Y-20A. Ok, it goes on and on and on: second surprise this morning, the new KJ-3000 (?) AEW performed its maiden flight at XAC and from what can be seen on the first few small & blurry images, it is as expected a Y-20B-based design featuring a large rotodome but also a bulge on the tail. — @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) December 27, 2024 The KJ-3000 is not the first development of the Y-20 for the People's Liberation Air Force (PLAAF), another being the YY-20A aerial refueling tanker, which is also now in service. With such a small fleet of KJ-2000s available, and with these airframes tied to supply chains in Russia, maintenance and support cannot be straightforward, and these issues will only become more problematic as the aircraft gets older. With that in mind, the opportunity to introduce a potentially much larger fleet of KJ-3000s is a very big deal for the PLAAF, especially since it will also be more advanced than its predecessor. Once in service, the KJ-3000 will be easier to upgrade and, very importantly, it will be available for potential export. Pakistan, which already operates Chinese-supplied radar planes and which may well have used them to significant effect in its recent conflict with India, could be one country with an interest in buying them. Unclear is the degree to which the KJ-3000 may offer capabilities beyond those found in the KJ-2000, although this would appear to be a given, with the Mainring having made its maiden flight more than 20 years ago. As it is, the radar of the KJ-2000 is said to have a maximum range of almost 300 miles, and it's reportedly able to track hundreds of aerial targets simultaneously. Imagery available so far suggests that the KJ-3000 may use a radar array with two, rather than three antennas, although this cannot be confirmed at this point. And IMO even more important than all other so far posted news today, the so far blurry images of the KJ-3000 AEW are getting clearing,Interesting, it features an IRF-probe and – in contrast to the KJ-2000 – not a fixed radar with three arrays but a large rototome with two. — @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) December 28, 2024 As we've discussed in the past, the KJ-3000, with its efficient engines and in-flight refueling capability, should offer plenty of advantages in terms of range, and on-station time. Chinese efforts to add aerial refueling capabilities to its AEW&C fleet are something that is referenced in the latest Pentagon report to Congress on China's military, released late last year. 'Production and deliveries of the KJ-500 — the PRC's most advanced airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft — continued at a rapid pace, joining earlier KJ-2000 Mainring and KJ-200 Moth variants,' the report states. 'These aircraft amplify the PLAAF's ability to detect, track, and target threats in varying conditions, in larger volumes, and at greater distances. It extends the range of the PLA's IADS [integrated air defense system] network. Furthermore, the PRC has produced at least one KJ-500 with an aerial refueling probe, which will improve the aircraft's ability to provide persistent AEW&C coverage.' The KJ-3000 would also be able to fly at higher altitudes to provide a better perch for its radar. This is very important, especially for providing 'look down' capability to spot and track low-flying aircraft and missiles that radars down below might not be able to 'see' due to terrain and other factors. The KJ-3000 almost certainly has other intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities beyond just its radar, as well. At least as important is its likely function as a networking node, reflecting a growing area of interest for the Chinese military in general, and something that is especially valuable over the long distances in the Indo-Pacific theater. The KJ-3000 was seen again — @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) May 26, 2025 Uniquely, China is currently pursuing a multitrack approach to expanding its AEW&C fleet. As well as the heavyweight KJ-3000, there's a growing fleet of radar planes based on the smaller Y-9 transport. The latest of these is the KJ-700, which we discussed recently, and which is likely a 'multi-intelligence' aircraft, combining both airborne radar as well as an array of electro-optical and infrared sensors, likely intended to track targets across air, sea, and potentially land domains. The turboprop-powered KJ-700 joins the KJ-200 and KJ-500 series. As we have discussed before, these smaller types of turboprop-powered AEW&C platforms are especially well-suited to operations from more dispersed and even austere bases. As such, these mid-size radar planes regularly appear at some of China's island outposts, as well as operating routinely in the highly strategic Taiwan Strait. While we don't know for sure what kind of radar and other mission systems the KJ-3000 might be fitted with, its continued development is very significant as part of China's developing AEW&C capabilities. At the very least, a larger jet-powered airframe should be an important complement to the country's smaller but increasingly capable turboprop AEW&C platforms. Contact the author: thomas@
