Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules
China's thinking as they look wistfully at Taiwan:
April 29 (Reuters) - Russia used a diesel submarine in the Black Sea to strike Ukrainian military targets with Kalibr cruise missiles, the first time Moscow has announced the use of its submarine fleet to hit its former Soviet neighbour.
The Russian defence ministry released a video showing a volley of Kalibr missiles emerging from the sea and soaring off into the horizon - to what the ministry said were Ukrainian military targets.
This is the first time Russia's military has reported using submarine strikes against Ukrainian targets, Interfax news agency reported on Friday.
Russian submarine strikes Ukraine with cruise missiles, defence ministry says
Russia used a diesel submarine in the Black Sea to strike Ukrainian military targets with Kalibr cruise missiles, the first time Moscow has announced the use of its submarine fleet to hit its former Soviet neighbour.www.reuters.com
Wait 'til the Ukrainians put sonar on their tractors.
Taiwan's not a nationalist, fascist state. It's a working democracy with six presidents, all more or less peacefully elected since founding in 1948, though they did have a long period of martial law ending in 1987, before becoming the freer place we know today. But there's no contest when it comes to comparing levels of freedom, corruption, free enterprise and human rights. China is right to want to stamp that out of Taiwan, as they don't want those ideals infecting their own people. Same goes for Putin, an EU member, working democracy in Ukraine spells disaster for any hopes of keeping Russia as an autocratic, corrupt state.
Democratic ideals are like sulfuric acid. They corrode any vessel intended to contain and isolate them. Especially if it's iron clad.
I am sure that EVERY country/state is presently studying (except the Vatican) the Russian-Ukraine war. There are indeed a lot of lessons to be learned from.And --
HONG KONG/BEIJING, April 29 (Reuters) - From countering a Western "information war" during a Taiwan conflict to using "shock and awe" to swiftly subdue the island's forces, Chinese strategists are soaking up lessons from Russia's Ukrainian quagmire, diplomats, scholars and analysts say.
Chinese military experts are discussing the conflict in private chat groups, offering their takes on Western involvement in Ukraine and Russia's perceived failings, say two scholars and four Asian and Western diplomats who are in touch with Chinese strategists.
[...]
"China probably should think about conducting a much stronger and much more comprehensive operation at the very beginning to shock and awe the Taiwanese forces to secure a major advantage," Zhao said, referring to observations from Chinese strategists.
They believe securing that advantage would "deter enemy forces from being willing to intervene", he said.
Singapore-based scholar Collin Koh said such an approach would create its own problems for China's People's Liberation Army.
"If you are going to 'shock and awe' Taiwan with overwhelming force in the initial stages, there might be a lot of civilian casualties," said Koh, of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. That would make occupation difficult and harden international opposition.
[...]
Chinese strategists also worry about how Russia is contending with indirect Western military assistance, a factor China would also face in a Taiwan scenario, say two scholars and four diplomats.
Chinese experts are privately arguing about the need for Beijing to better compete in the so-called information war, which has complicated Russia's position on the battlefield, Zhao said.
Besides isolating Russia economically, Western diplomatic efforts - and reporting on atrocities in the war zone - have made it easier to provide aid for Ukraine and harder for Russia to find outside support.
[...]
"Taiwan would present a far greater logistical challenge than Ukraine, and to ready an invasion force on that scale undetected would be incredibly difficult," said Alexander Neill, who runs a strategic consultancy in Singapore.
[...]
Chinese analysts worry a Chinese invasion across the Taiwan Strait - widely seen as a far greater military challenge - would face similar problems, as it requires smooth co-operation across its recently formed Southern, Eastern and Northern Theatre Commands.
Russia's forces in Ukraine have had command breakdowns and low morale. Analysts say it's unclear how Chinese troops - untested since they invaded northern Vietnam in 1979 - would perform in a modern conflict.
Analysis: Russia's Ukrainian quagmire providing tough lessons for China
From countering a Western "information war" during a Taiwan conflict to using "shock and awe" to swiftly subdue the island's forces, Chinese strategists are soaking up lessons from Russia's Ukrainian quagmire, diplomats, scholars and analysts say.www.reuters.com
On the one hand, China has the opportunity to learn from Russian mistakes. On the other hand, amphibious assault is one of the toughest evolutions even in peacetime exercises, much less under fire. Much of it depends upon Taiwanese determination and the fighting qualities of the individual Chinese soldier.
Correction
That is the anti-tractor towing away parking position.
Lesson one. I think Ministries of Defence, General Staff and troops across the West were shocked at just how sh#ttily equipped the supposed all powerful Russian army, air force and navy is. How such a massive misjudgment of capabilities slipped past IDK, maybe it was echoed by the lobbyists selling arms to the West.
Humour aside, how does Ukraine kill this sub? SSKs spend a lot of time on the surface. A single hit from a Bayraktar TB2 should hole the hull.April 29 (Reuters) - Russia used a diesel submarine in the Black Sea to strike Ukrainian military targets with Kalibr cruise missiles, the first time Moscow has announced the use of its submarine fleet to hit its former Soviet neighbour.
The Russian defence ministry released a video showing a volley of Kalibr missiles emerging from the sea and soaring off into the horizon - to what the ministry said were Ukrainian military targets.
This is the first time Russia's military has reported using submarine strikes against Ukrainian targets, Interfax news agency reported on Friday.
Russian submarine strikes Ukraine with cruise missiles, defence ministry says
Russia used a diesel submarine in the Black Sea to strike Ukrainian military targets with Kalibr cruise missiles, the first time Moscow has announced the use of its submarine fleet to hit its former Soviet neighbour.
Wait 'til the Ukrainians put sonar on their tractors.
I'll bet those planes are in better shape now than what the UAF had before 24 February.
Well they benefit people, so they gain traction. Ironically the fact that they require such extraordinary efforts to suppress shows this. The only problem comes in time of crisis and diversity, ensuring people understand why this system is important and worth defending.
Meanwhile (assuming its not fake) Chinese state TV is already partitioning post war Russia.
On Russian TV, European countries are threatened with a nuclear strike for assisting Ukraine
KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO - FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2022, 17:30 On air on "Russia 1" Russian propagandist Olga Skabeeva and State Duma deputy from the LDPR faction Alexei Zhuravlev discussed how many seconds the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile would take to reach the capitals of Great Britain...www.yahoo.com
Saw this one the other day;
The Ukrainian Air Force Just Got Bigger. Someone Gave Kyiv More MiG Parts.
Amazingly considering the odds against them, Ukraine’s airmen have more flyable fighters today than they did in early April, according to U.S. Defense Department spokesman John Kirby.www.forbes.com
Ukraine's Air Force has added about 20 more operational aircraft after influx of spare parts, senior US defense official says | CNN Politics
The Ukrainian Air Force has added about 20 more operational aircraft to its fleet because of an influx of spare parts, according to a senior US defense official.www.cnn.com
www.naval-technology.com
