China's Armed police undergo intensive training at a base in Central China’s Hubei Province. The training program including searching in mountains, rock climbing and rapid marching while carrying more than 30 kilograms. The objective of the four-day training course is to enhance physical abilities and mental preparation against terrorist attacks.
(Photo: China News Service/Luo Xun)




 




A Y-20 military transport aircraft flies above south China's Zhuhai city in Guangdong province on Wednesday, October 26, 2016. The aircraft will be exhibited during the upcoming 2016 China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China. The biennial air show will be held in Zhuhai from November 1 to 6. The Y-20 is the largest military aircraft currently in production. It has a payload capacity of 66 tons and a range of 7,800 kilometers. The aircraft made its first flight in 2013 and became operational with the Chinese air force earlier this year. (Photo/CRIENGLISH.com)



A FTC-2000 fighter-trainer flies above south China's Zhuhai city in Guangdong province on Wednesday, October 26, 2016. The trainer will be exhibited during the upcoming 2016 China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China. The biennial air show will be held in Zhuhai from November 1 to 6. (Photo/CRIENGLISH.com)



A Z-10 attack helicopter flies above south China's Zhuhai city in Guangdong province on Wednesday, October 26, 2016. The helicopter will be exhibited during the upcoming 2016 China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China. The biennial air show will be held in Zhuhai from November 1 to 6. (Photo/CRIENGLISH.com)



A KJ-500 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft flies above south China's Zhuhai city in Guangdong province on Wednesday, October 26, 2016. The aircraft will be exhibited during the upcoming 2016 China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China. The biennial air show will be held in Zhuhai from November 1 to 6. (Photo/CRIENGLISH.com)
 




A Y-20 military transport aircraft flies above south China's Zhuhai city in Guangdong province on Wednesday, October 26, 2016. The aircraft will be exhibited during the upcoming 2016 China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China. The biennial air show will be held in Zhuhai from November 1 to 6. The Y-20 is the largest military aircraft currently in production. It has a payload capacity of 66 tons and a range of 7,800 kilometers. The aircraft made its first flight in 2013 and became operational with the Chinese air force earlier this year. (Photo/CRIENGLISH.com)



A FTC-2000 fighter-trainer flies above south China's Zhuhai city in Guangdong province on Wednesday, October 26, 2016. The trainer will be exhibited during the upcoming 2016 China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China. The biennial air show will be held in Zhuhai from November 1 to 6. (Photo/CRIENGLISH.com)



A Z-10 attack helicopter flies above south China's Zhuhai city in Guangdong province on Wednesday, October 26, 2016. The helicopter will be exhibited during the upcoming 2016 China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China. The biennial air show will be held in Zhuhai from November 1 to 6. (Photo/CRIENGLISH.com)



A KJ-500 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft flies above south China's Zhuhai city in Guangdong province on Wednesday, October 26, 2016. The aircraft will be exhibited during the upcoming 2016 China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China. The biennial air show will be held in Zhuhai from November 1 to 6. (Photo/CRIENGLISH.com)
 




Soldiers assigned to an air force missile brigade under the PLA Northern Theater Command retract a missile launching truck during a maneuver training exercise in mid-February, 2017. (81.cn/ Bo Xiangbo)



Soldiers assigned to an air force missile brigade under the PLA Northern Theater Command operate the sling cart to lift and load missiles onto a missile launching truck during a maneuver training exercise in mid-February, 2017. (81.cn/ Bo Xiangbo)



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A missile launching truck attached to an air force missile brigade under the PLA Northern Theater Command operates during a maneuver training exercise in mid-February, 2017. (81.cn/ Bo Xiangbo)
 


Two pilots walk to their Q-5 ground attack aircraft in preparation for a flight training exercise in east China’s Shandong Province on March 8, 2017. They are assigned to an air force aviation regiment of the PLA Northern Theater Command. (81.cn/ Yang Pan)



A pilot sits in the cockpit of his Q-5 ground attack aircraft prior to a flight training exercise in east China’s Shandong Province on March 8, 2017.



A Q-5 ground attack aircraft attached to an air force aviation regiment of the PLA Northern Theater Command taxis on the runway during a flight training exercise in east China’s Shandong Province on March 8, 2017. (81.cn/ Yang Pan)



Maintenance technicians run away from the runway before a fighter jet takes off for a flight training exercise in east China’s Shandong Province on March 8, 2017. They are assigned to an air force aviation regiment of the PLA Northern Theater Command. (81.cn/ Yang Pan)



A Q-5 ground attack aircraft attached to an air force aviation regiment of the PLA Northern Theater Command takes off for a sortie during a flight training exercise in east China’s Shandong Province on March 8, 2017. (81.cn/ Yang Pan)



The US military would consider this a FOD hazzard.
Drivers of the ground power vehicle have supper on the edge of runway and wait to supply electrical power to aircraft at any time as a Q-5 ground attack aircraft takes off for a sortie during a flight training exercise in east China’s Shandong Province on March 8, 2017. They are assigned to an air force aviation regiment of the PLA Northern Theater Command. (81.cn/ Yang Pan)
 


Squad Leader Corporal Xiao Shuo executes obstacles training with Type-95 rifle as his teammates cheer for him during a Company-wide competition. All the squad members tried their best, but they lost the competion after all. (81.cn/ Zhao Cong, Wang Lei)



Soldiers assigned to the armored infantry squad assault mock enemies with Type 88 5.8mm general purpose machine guns and Type PF98 120mm anti-tank rocket launcher systems during the squad confrontation competation. The squad is attached to an armored brigade of the PLA 12th Group Army stationed in Xuzhou City of China's Jiangsu Province. (81.cn/ Zhao Cong, Wang Lei)



Soldiers assigned to the armored infantry squad load bullets into their Type 88 5.8mm general purpose machine guns before storming target areas during the squad confrontation competation. The squad is attached to an armored brigade of the PLA 12th Group Army stationed in Xuzhou City of China's Jiangsu Province. (81.cn/ Zhao Cong, Wang Lei)



Staff Sergeant Zhuo Hongwen, commander of a Type 86A Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) under the armored infantry squad, conducts targets detection inside the narrow cabin of his IFV during the squad confrontaton competation. (81.cn/ Zhao Cong, Wang Lei)



Corporal Yi Yingjie, driver of a Type 86A Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) assigned to the armored infantry squad, tries his best to remove an unserviceable component out of the narrow engine room of a IFV after the squad confrontation competation. The squad is attached to an armored brigade of the PLA 12th Group Army stationed in Xuzhou City of China's Jiangsu Province. (81.cn/ Zhao Cong, Wang Lei)
 
China's Most Important South China Sea Military Base
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Near the picturesque city of Sanya, at the southernmost tip of Hainan Island, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy is methodically preparing itself for the next phase of power projection in the South China Sea. The site in question is the Yulin Naval Base, and it is shaping up to be the most strategically important military base in the South China Sea. In fact, it may already hold the title, depending largely on the current nuclear submarine traffic flowing in and out of Yulin’s underground facility. Theater and point defense assets have been deployed, degaussing and weapons-loading facilities appear operationally ready — as do the administrative buildings, munitions transportation systems, and geological fortifications — and much of the South Sea Fleet’s submarine force has already nestled itself deep into the resident mountain. With a healthy mix of surface vessels, anti-aircraft and anti-ship missile platforms, and both conventional attack and nuclear deterrent submarines, Yulin’s strategic value is steadily rising. And with it rises China’s coercive power in the South China Sea and its surrounding waterways.

Yulin-East [1]

Open-source intelligence tools provide an informative glimpse of Hainan Island’s busy, fortified, and increasingly vital base. All told, Yulin-East encompasses over 25 square kilometers (sq km) of military infrastructure lying within a protected, man-made harbor. As will be expanded on below, the base accommodates surface and subsurface vessels (and most of the necessary accouterments thereof), theater and point defense weapons systems, munitions transport vehicles and depots, and administrative buildings for military commanders.

Construction began by the year 2000, and though it is not yet complete, the sprawling complex reflects all of its 17 years of dedicated effort. Yalong Bay’s natural defenses — namely, of course, the big imposing mountain — must have caught China’s eye. The mountain itself now houses China’s sea-based nuclear deterrent, suitably sheltered under a few hundred feet of earth and stone. Still, prudently recognizing that geological advantages alone would not win the day, China constructed a large and formidable sea wall along the base’s border. Satellite photographs taken over the past 15 years tell a tale of gargantuan effort and expenditure. How these physical fortifications would fare against a coordinated wave of strikes from China’s adversaries is unclear.

In addition to its natural and man-made fortifications, Yulin-East boasts an array of theater and point defense technologies. At least five buildings at Yulin-East, each separated from one another by protective blast walls, are capable of housing Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) batteries. The variations in length — two weapons storage buildings measure 55 meters while three measure 78 meters — could indicate planned installments of shorter- and longer-range SAMs to layer the base’s defenses. Rounding out the team are anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) launchers lining either side of the submarine tunnel entrance. Longer range models like the C-802 and YJ-83 are too long for the 6.5-7m canisters identified by Strategic Sentinel. The C-801, a lighter weapon designed to defend a smaller area, would be a better fit. The anti-aircraft and anti-ship missile platforms on China’s artificial islands project their military’s power over important waterways; the similar but distinct systems stationed at Yulin-East primarily defend the base itself.

Yulin-East’s highest value assets are its submarines (and associated facilities), as will become abundantly clear. As seen in the attached graphic above, Yulin-East houses four submarine piers capable of docking any submarine in the PLA Navy — including the Shang-class attack submarine, two of which are docked in the image. Open-source satellite photographs have shown weapons loading occurring on these piers, but there remains much speculation about whether weapons loading also occurs inside the underground berthing facility. This would not be an ideal location, since an accidental concussive blast would be made exponentially more dangerous in such an enclosed space. (A sturdy enclosed space filled with expensive combustibles.) However, either in wartime or in an effort to preserve vital secrecy, China may accept this risk and load explosive weaponry inside the underground facility. Currently, not enough open-source documentation of submarine weapons loading at Yulin exists to account for all of what we would expect to see, leaving open the very distinct possibility that China has chosen to perform some of these activities in the underground berthing facility just inside the mountain.

The only entrance into the mountain’s underground berthing facility is a 16-meter-wide semi-submerged submarine tunnel entrance; this, as the Federation of American Scientists has previously noted, is 3 meters — or nearly 20 percent — wider than the entrance at the North Sea Fleet’s Jianggezhuang Naval Base. China plans to base all of its largest subs, the Jin-class (or Type 094), in this mountain. The Jin-class submarines are the only ship in the PLAN that carry nuclear missiles — up to 12 each— and are the start of China’s sea-based nuclear deterrent. Though China only plans to build six Jin-class subs, the minimum required to maintain a continuous naval second-strike capability, a new class of nuclear submarines will make an appearance in the coming decade. Yulin will soon be the headquarters to not just the South Sea Fleet’s submarine force, but to an entire leg of China’s nuclear triad.

Though Yulin-East’s most salient purpose is to house nuclear submarines, surface warships are far from excluded in its mission. Along the northernmost crook of Yalong Bay, two surface combatant piers stand ready to host virtually any surface ship in the PLAN. We estimate that these two piers, each nearly a kilometer in length, can house up to sixteen frigates total — or some similar combination of destroyers, corvettes, and frigates as necessary. At least one satellite image shows loading cranes preparing to service a docked surface vessel. Just a few kilometers west, the PLAN has also constructed piers capable of housing two aircraft carriers. (And they might, too, if China had even one aircraft carrier to spare.)

Strategic Analysis and Implications

Base Vulnerabilities and Defenses

Layered theater defense of Yulin-East is more than merely expected — it would be rather strange if such anti-aircraft and anti-ship assets were missing. The HQ-9 surface-to-air missile battery is the most likely deployment, for now. With assets as valuable as Yulin’s, the S-400s China is purchasing from Russia are also plausible future residents of the island. The S-400 has a better chance of causing trouble for the fifth generation planes that may target the base. However, the Russian SAM also boasts a much longer range than the HQ-9, and therefore would be more effective serving China’s A2/AD strategy on artificial islands deep in the South China Sea. Strategic Sentinel will keep a close watch on these facilities once the S-400s are delivered. Whether China values extending its area denial range more than increasing the effectiveness of Yulin’s theater defenses will presumably be demonstrated in due course. As noted in the above section, China has also positioned anti-ship cruise missiles near the submarine tunnel entrance. These are likely short-range missile launchers (as indicated by their size), and as such somewhat ineffective at deterring modern surface combatants, which could strike Yulin from well out of range.

Though Yulin’s point defenses pose a very manageable challenge to U.S. forces, Hainan Island itself is remarkably well defended. The environment is rich in electronic warfare assets and well within range of Chinese air bases and the J-11 aircraft housed there. The island’s security is very highly prioritized — in a private conversation, one analyst described the Chinese as “very sensitive about [Hainan].” So, although Yulin’s point defenses themselves are something short of awe-inspiring, the base is still sheltered by the heavy military presence nearby. Any U.S. attempt to strike targets on Hainan Island would only really be practicable in the context of a larger scale conflict and would require extraordinary effort. Successfully striking Yulin or other Hainan targets is definitely within the realm of U.S. capability, but would also undoubtedly be enormously expensive (in terms of logistical effort, hardware deployed and lost, lives lost, and of course a disturbingly vast sum of money).

Warships, Above and Below

Yulin serves as the perfect complement to China’s strategic goals in the South China Sea. Artificial islands throughout the Sea itself host A2/AD technology to deter or delay the United States from encroaching on China’s sphere of influence. The Jin-class nuclear missile submarines housed at Yulin deter the United States from attacking China with nuclear weapons — and from charging into any conflict, for that matter. And finally, Yulin’s many surface combatants, aircraft carriers, and attack submarines coerce regional navies into submitting to China’s aggressive maneuvers and acceding to its claims. Yulin’s dual mission — deterrence for the West and coercion for the rest, if you will — magnifies its strategic value.

Stocking Yulin with attack submarines and carrier strike groups facilitates a type of power projection tailored to the most relevant audience: rival South China Sea claimants. China uses its submarine force as an anti-surface warfare vessel, making it ideally suited to this mission of classical naval power projection. (Indeed, nearly a full two-thirds of China’s entire submarine force is armed specifically to sink enemy ships, rather than strike land targets or hunt other submarines.) When China deploys its future carrier strike groups from Yulin, it intends to remind rival claimants that China can strike their cities and knock their planes out of the sky. Until the PLAN’s new aircraft carriers arrive, simply sailing destroyers and frigates through Southeast Asian exclusive economic zones (EEZs) visibly demonstrates a strategic commitment to the nine-dash line. And when said surface ships are otherwise occupied, Chinese subs may make a point of surfacing just a few miles from an opposing navy, as they did with a U.S. aircraft carrier in 2006. The coercive pressure on Southeast Asian navies is palpable as the People’s Republic cements its de facto control over the South China Sea.

While the attack submarines and surface vessels exert pressure on regional navies, Yulin’s Jin-class submarines will be securing China’s second-strike capability. The Jin-class, capable of holding 12 intercontinental nuclear ballistic missiles at a time, constitutes the entire naval component of the Chinese nuclear triad. As second-strike guarantors, these subs will spend as little time inside the mountain as possible. And in the case of a conflict, it would most behoove China to disperse their nuclear submarines as widely as possible, keeping them far away from obvious targets like the Yulin base. Still, the mountain at Yulin provides a formidable shield when the subs are at their most vulnerable — that is, when they are being repaired, refueled, or possibly even upgraded.

Conclusions

Yulin-East, this growing naval complex jutting into the South China Sea, is establishing itself as one of the most vital military bases in the Asia-Pacific, and indeed the world. The base stands out for the missions it facilitates: classic, conventional power projection for the region and strategic nuclear deterrence for the globe. Yulin-East’s surface vessels and attack submarines will strengthen China’s position over important regional trade routes and attempt to coerce China’s neighbors into accepting the nine-dash line The Jin-class submarines, powerful guarantors of China’s second-strike capability, will be Yulin’s most valued yet least present asset. The South China Sea, already crowded by over a dozen navies, just got a lot smaller.

[1] “Yulin” serves as a term largely interchangeable for the smaller naval base to the west, housing aircraft carrier docks and other naval support infrastructure, and the submarine base to the east. As the eastern submarine complex is the primary subject of this analysis, it will often be referred to as “Yulin-East” to distinguish it from the smaller naval facility a few kilometers west.

Damen Cook is lead research associate at Strategic Sentinel.

http://thediplomat.com/2017/03/chinas-most-important-south-china-sea-military-base/
 
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Missile destroyer Changsha (R) returns to a port in Sanya City, south China's Hainan Province, March 7, 2017, after a high sea drill. A Chinese naval fleet on Tuesday returned to a port in Sanya city on Hainan Island after a high sea drill. The fleet, which is comprised of missile destroyers Changsha and Haikou and supply ship Luomahu, had sailed over 8,000 nautical miles since Feb. 10, passing the South China Sea, East Indian Ocean, West Pacific and East China Sea. (Xinhua/Zeng Tao)





Missile destroyer Changsha returns to a port in Sanya City, south China's Hainan Province, March 7, 2017, after a high sea drill.
 


JH-7 fighter bombers attached to an aviation regiment of the North China Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy sit on the flightline prior to a live-fire training exercise on March 19, 2017. (81.cn/ Liu Shuaishuai)



Two airmen check rocket shells for JH-7 fighter bombers during a live-fire training exercise in China’s Hebei Province on March 19, 2017. They are assigned to an aviation regiment of the North China Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy. (81.cn/ Liu Shuaishuai)





A weapons load crew team work together to load rocket shells onto a JH-7 fighter bomber during a live-fire training exercise in China’s Hebei Province on March 19, 2017. They are assigned to an aviation regiment of the North China Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy. (81.cn/ Liu Shuaishuai)



An airman conducts pre-flight check on the rocket launcher of a JH-7 fighter bomber during a live-fire training exercise in China’s Hebei Province on March 19, 2017. He is assigned to an aviation regiment of the North China Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy. (81.cn/ Liu Shuaishuai)



A JH-7 fighter bomber attached to an aviation regiment of the North China Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy taxis on the runway during a live-fire training exercise in China’s Hebei Province on March 19, 2017. (81.cn/ Liu Shuaishuai)
 
China's Peoples Armed Police (PAP) conduct mountain-based training in Ningbo City, East China’s Zhejiang Province, March 21, 2017. The training programs include search and rescue scenarios to better prepare them for emergency situations. (Photo: China News Service/Yin Fujun)









 
Peoples Liberation Army PAP, Peoples Armed Police, soldiers conduct training all over China in March 2017..



A paramilitary policeman raises up his gun and takes a breath while crossing a river during anti-terrorism drill in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. REUTERS/Stringer



Special paramilitary policemen attend a training session in Chuzhou, Anhui Province. REUTERS/Stringer



Special paramilitary policemen practice during training on the outskirt of Beijing. REUTERS/China Daily



A paramilitary policeman crawls under fire obstacles during a drill at a military base in Chaohu, Anhui province. REUTERS/China Daily

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Paramilitary policemen present their daily military training as a report unveiling their work to public in Handan, Hebei province. REUTERS/China Daily



Paramilitary policemen take part in exercises, part of a psychological training program aimed at relieving anxiety, in Chuzhou, Anhui province. REUTERS/Stringer



Paramilitary policemen practice combat during a training session in muddy water at a military base in Chuzhou, Anhui province. REUTERS/China Daily



Paramilitary policemen shout as they lift a log during a winter training session at a military base in Chaohu, Anhui province. REUTERS/China Daily



Paramilitary policemen practise combat skills during a drill at a training base in Deyang, Sichuan province. REUTERS/Stringer



Paramilitary policemen wrestle as they take part in a winter training session at a military base in Chaohu, Anhui province. REUTERS/China Daily

Please excuse REUTERS for referring to the PAP as paramilitary.
 
US Navy & PLAN conduct counter-piracy training , Gulf of Aden ..23,24 & 25 August 2013


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GULF OF ADEN (Aug. 23, 2013) People's Liberation Army Navy Rear Adm. Yuan Yubai, deputy commander of the Chinese North Sea Fleet, climbs aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) for a pre-sail conference in preparation for a U.S. and Chinese counter piracy exercise. Mason is deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Rob Aylward/Released)


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GULF OF ADEN (Aug. 23, 2013) Capt. Joseph Naman, commodore of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 50, welcomes People's Liberation Army Navy Rear Adm. Yuan Yubai, deputy commander of the Chinese North Sea Fleet, aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) in preparation for a U.S. and Chinese counter piracy exercise. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gary M. Keen/Released)


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GULF OF ADEN (Aug. 25, 2013) Capt. Joseph Naman, commodore of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 50, is welcomed aboard the Chinese destroyer Harbin (DDG 112) by People's Liberation Army Navy Rear Adm. Yuan Yubai, deputy commander of the Chinese North Sea Fleet, for a lunch marking the end of a U.S. Chinese counter piracy exercise between Harbin and the guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87). Mason is deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gary M. Keen/Released)


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GULF OF ADEN (Aug. 25, 2013) U.S. Navy leadership and senior officers from the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy meet for lunch aboard the Chinese guided-missile destroyer Harbin (DDG 112) marking the conclusion of a U.S. and Chinese counter piracy exercise between Harbin and the guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gary M. Keen/Released)


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GULF OF ADEN (Aug. 25, 2013) Visit, board, search and seizure team members from the guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) participate in a joint training event with sailors from Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy destroyer Harbin (DDG 112) as part of a U.S. and Chinese counter piracy exercise. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gary M. Keen/Released)


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GULF OF ADEN (Aug. 25, 2013) Lt. j.g. Jeffrey Fasoli, gunnery officer aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87), speaks with members of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (Navy) (PLA(N)) during a joint visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) training event with sailors from the Chinese destroyer Harbin (DDG 112) as part of a U.S.-China counter piracy exercise. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gary M. Keen/Released)


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GULF OF ADEN (Aug. 25, 2013) Cryptologic Technician (Technical) 2nd Class Matthew Truelove, a visit, board, search and seizure team member from the guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87), searches a Chinese sailor during training with the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy destroyer Harbin (DDG 112) as part of a U.S. and Chinese counter piracy exercise. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gary M. Keen/Released


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GULF OF ADEN (Aug. 25, 2013) Fire Controlman 2nd Class Sara Pravl, a visit, board, search and seizure team member from the guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87), moves toward the bridge of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy auxiliary replenishment oiler Weishanhu (AO 887) during a U.S. and Chinese counter piracy exercise. Mason is deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gary M. Keen/Released)


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GULF OF ADEN (Aug. 25, 2013) Sailors from the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy destroyer Harbin (DDG 112) and the guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) train together during a joint visit, board, search and seizure training event as part of a U.S. and Chinese counter piracy exercise. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gary M. Keen/Released)


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GULF OF ADEN (Aug. 23, 2013) People's Liberation Army Navy Rear Adm. Yuan Yubai, deputy commander of the Chinese North Sea Fleet, speaks in Mandarin with Culinary Specialist Seaman Yi An, a Chinese-American Sailor, during a pre-sail conference aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) for a U.S. and Chinese counter piracy exercise. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Rob Aylward/Released)


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For a good look at the Harbin. Use the hi-res link!
GULF OF ADEN (Aug. 23, 2013) Boatswain's Mate 1st Class Jeffrey Sparks, right, and Ensign Timothy McDaniel navigate a rigid-hull inflatable boat toward the People's Liberation Army Navy destroyer Harbin (DDG 112) to recover Sailors assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) during a U.S. and Chinese counter piracy exercise. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Rob Aylward/Released)


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GULF OF ADEN (Aug. 25, 2013) Sailors from the Chinese People's Liberation Army (Navy) destroyer Harbin (DDG 112) and the guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) train together during a joint visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) training event as part of a U.S.-China counter piracy exercise. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gary M. Keen/Released)
 

Rescued crewmembers of the Tuvalu-flagged OS35.

Local time on the morning of April 9, the PLAN (Chinese Navy) 25th escort fleet in the Gulf of Aden successfully rescued crew members of the "pirate" hijacked Tuvalu-flagged OS35 cargo ship. At present, the ship and the crew have been under the protection of the Chinese navy escort formation. (Source: contemporary navy)

The Indian Navy was involved in the rescue..please read the link below.
China says navy rescues ship from pirates, omits Indian role


PLAN VBSS members brief before the assault on Tuvalu-flagged OS35


 
04.17.2017..Shanghai..The new long wheelbase version of the Dongfeng warrior off-road vehicle photos. The new vehicle was shown in the April 19 opening of the 2017 Shanghai auto show .

Dongfeng Guoshu is China's first three generations of high mobility military SUV. A "light" 4X4 military vehicle with a total mass of 5 metric tons.

SLIDE SHOW..25 PHOTOS...<<< WARNING!!!...MANY NSFW photos on sina military website!!









 
The new PLAN aircraft carrier should be launched any day. She will then be fitted out. I'm guessing she will set sail in about 18 months to two years.

04.23.2017...
Dalian Shipbuilding, Dalian China..China's first domestic aircraft carrier today is likely to hold a launching ceremony (not rule out tomorrow), which means that the construction work to complete more than half. Now the appearance of domestic aircraft carrier has been basically completely revealed, we can see a lot of places and Liaoning aircraft carrier different improvements. These improvements are based on the valuable experience of the People's Liberation Army in the use of aircraft carriers.















 
China's second aircraft carrier is transferred from dry dock into the water at a launch ceremony in Dalian shipyard of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corp. in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, April 26, 2017. The new carrier, the first domestically-built one, came after the Liaoning, a refitted former Soviet Union-made carrier that was put into commission in the Navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army in 2012. (Xinhua/Li Gang)DALIAN, April 26 (Xinhua) --

China launched its second aircraft carrier Wednesday morning in northeast China's Dalian shipyard in Liaoning Province.

The new carrier, the first built in China, was transferred from a dry dock into the water at a launch ceremony that started at about 9 a.m. in Dalian shipyard of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corp.(CSIC).

It is China's second aircraft carrier, coming after the Liaoning, a refitted Soviet Union-made carrier that was put into commission in the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy in 2012.

China began building its second carrier in November 2013. Dock construction started in March 2015.

The hull of the carrier has been completed, with equipment of the the major systems installed.

Putting the carrier into water marked progress in China's efforts to design and build a domestic aircraft carrier.

After the launch, the new carrier will undergo equipment debugging, outfitting and comprehensive mooring trials.(Fitting out)

The launch ceremony was attended by Fan Changlong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, as well as leaders of the PLA Navy and the CSIC.









 

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