Advertisement
Advertisement
TOPIC

China's military weapons

China's military weapons
Latest news, features and opinion on the military in China, including the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the development of warships, aircraft carriers and fighter jets, spending on the armed forces and reforms and modernisation. US-China and mainland-Taiwan military tensions and the deployment of China’s armed forces overseas are also covered.
Open Questions series

Economist James Heckman on the value of risk-taking, and China’s ‘common goal’

videocam
7
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

videocam
15
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

7
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

videocam
5
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

videocam
18
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

videocam
93
Illustration: Henry Wong

Economist James Heckman on the value of risk-taking, and China’s ‘common goal’

videocam
7
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

videocam
15
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

7
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

videocam
5
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

videocam
18
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

videocam
93
Illustration: Henry Wong
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
The Fujian, which conducted its maiden sea trial in May 2024, may be the world’s first carrier equipped with an anti-torpedo torpedo system, according to Defence Review. Photo: Xinhua
Fujian Type 003 aircraft carrier

Will China’s Fujian be the first carrier with anti-torpedo system to beat subs?

Defence magazine points to lightweight torpedo launcher in place of the 12-tube depth charge launchers on earlier Chinese carriers.

videocam
30
UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles)

Could China’s containerised aircraft launcher reshape rules of modern warfare?

videocam
7
China’s aircraft carriers

Why it matters that China’s advanced fighters can use all its carriers

videocam
20
India-Pakistan tensions

Should China worry more about keeping defence customers than winning new deals?

A study of the risks and opportunities for Chinese weapons exports in global markets cautions against a reductive assumption about quality.

videocam
Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets belonging to the Pakistan Air Force. Photo: AFP
China’s air force

What signal is China sending with official footage of sixth-generation fighter?

A fleeting clip of the new fighter – nicknamed ‘Little Six’ – featured in a video released by official military media over the weekend.

videocam
68
Hong Kong politics

2 PLA navy ships to visit Hong Kong for 5-day port call

Residents will get a chance to board destroyer Nanning and frigate Hengyang during visit.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Science

China conducts ground test of hypersonic ramjet that can change shape in flight

The graphite seal used in the Chinese breakthrough is the same one the US defence industry desperately needs.

20
A Northwestern Polytechnical University hypersonic vehicle lifts off in northwestern China last year. The university’s researchers have reported a new breakthrough in graphite-sealed engine technology with implications for the US-China hypersonic race. Photo: Handout
Defence

How is China shaping up in the global competition to sell air defence weapons?

After Paris arms fair, analysts expect Chinese systems to do well in the Global South but question their entry into Europe.

videocam
19
US-China relations

Asia defence spending

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Asian allies to raise military spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP at the 2026 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, saying that countries could no longer “free ride” on American taxpayers.

US, Israel war on Iran

Did the Iran war just prove that China’s ageing DF-15Bs are still big guns?

Military observers point to similarities with Iran’s short-range weapons that have breached US defence systems in the Middle East.

videocam
14
China’s DF-15B short-range ballistic missiles have been in service since 1999. Photo: Reuters
Fujian Type 003 aircraft carrier

PLA’s advanced carrier Fujian transits Taiwan Strait amid military drills

The vessel’s passage comes a day after island starts a five-day exercise to boost its combat readiness.

11
A surveillance photo released by the Taiwanese defence ministry shows the Fujian, the People's Liberation Army's newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, as it transits the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday. Photo: Kyodo
China’s aircraft carriers

What is China’s aircraft carrier Liaoning testing – and why does it matter?

Forty days of training in South China Sea and western Pacific Ocean comes amid a push for extended range and amphibious coordination.

videocam
7
Mainland China

Red Hawk rising: how the Z-20 helicopter family plugs China’s defence gaps

Modern technology has put the multi-role utility helicopter ahead of the original Black Hawk, making it an anchor of the PLA’s new air era.

videocam
20
Hypersonic missiles and weapons

What signal is China sending with footage of DF-17 hypersonic missile launches?

State broadcaster CCTV shows the first footage of the weapons being fired at a training camp somewhere in the Gobi Desert.

35
The footage included the launch of DF-17 missiles. Photo: CCTV
UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles)

China showcases portable laser weapons for a single soldier to shoot down drones

3-day defence equipment and tech expo in Beijing features Lijian series of high-energy lasers among displays of drone and anti-drone systems.

videocam
16
The Lijian III can burn a drone within 4 seconds and needs less than 5 seconds to cool down before firing the next laser, according to its manufacturer. Photo: Handout
Norinco

China showcases anti-drone air defences at Paris show as conflict fuels demand

Many of the systems on display at Norinco’s Eurosatory stand have been designed to counter smaller aerial threats.

videocam
4
UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles)

Is Beijing planning to make more drones overseas for Middle Eastern buyers?

Norinco displaying a model assembly line at a top defence exhibition could mean the firm hopes to make more weapons overseas.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Australia

China’s direct strike threat to Australia is ‘growing’, think tank report finds

A Lowy Institute report said the main threat to Australia was from Chinese missiles fired from ships, submarines and a new ballistic missile.

15
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army launches an intercontinental ballistic missile with a dummy warhead into the Pacific Ocean in 2024. Photo: Chinese People’s Liberation Army News and Communication Centre / AFP
China’s military drills

China’s navy has missiles and drones. Why is it bringing back the ‘big guns’?

A new 155mm naval gun is said to be in development and it could provide firepower support for a future attack on Taiwan.

videocam
5
Artificial intelligence

China’s military warned against ‘dangers of AI sycophancy’ on the battlefield

PLA mouthpiece calls for action to counter the ‘severe threat’ of artificial intelligence models altering the facts to match user biases.

9
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

China’s nuclear stockpile growing as disarmament era ends: SIPRI

Swedish think-tank says Beijing now has 620 nuclear warheads and may be increasing deployment as New Start’s expiry ends arms control era.

14
DF-61 intercontinental ballistic missiles take part in a Beijing military parade last September to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s World War II surrender. Photo: AP
China-Japan relations

China urged to fast-track carrier fleet upgrades as Japan boosts strike power

A potential gap that China’s carrier strike groups ‘need to address is the limited number of stealth fighters’, former PLA Navy officer says.

videocam
49
A J-15 fighter jet takes off from the PLA Navy aircraft carrier Shandong. China’s two older aircraft carriers are expected to become able to operate the J-35 stealth fighter, like the newest Fujian. Photo: Handout
Taiwan

Beijing deploys new missiles matching Patriots opposite Taiwan

State broadcaster CCTV shows troops from the Fujian-based 73rd Army Group testing the new missiles in the Gobi Desert.

videocam
57
China military reform

China’s futuristic stealth sub to boost ‘hunt-and-kill’ capabilities: experts

Satellite images show the vessel under construction has a ‘finless’ design that could improve its manoeuvrability and speed.

videocam
17
China’s military

China’s PL-15 missile has downed Rafale jets. Is the PL-16 even more powerful?

An unverified briefing slide has emerged with details of the new weapon, weeks after an image appeared of America’s AIM-260.

32
A Chinese J-16 fighter jet loaded with missiles including the PL-15, which has a range of 200km. Photo: Handout
China’s military

Gu Songfen, pioneering designer of Chinese supersonic fighter jets, dies at 96

The aerodynamics expert was the chief designer of the Shenyang J-8 and a recipient of China’s most prestigious science award.

From the Shenyang J-8 (left) to the next-generation J-36, Chinese fighter design has undergone a massive technological transformation. Photo composite: Wikipedia/Max Smith
Russia

How China’s home-grown WS-10 engine helped make the country a modern air power

The PLA’s first domestically developed high-thrust turbofan engine continues to play a crucial role 20 years on from its debut.

videocam
29
South China Sea

Is PLA’s response to Dutch warship ‘putting down a marker’ in South China Sea?

Chinese military has claimed for the first time that it used ‘electronic countermeasures’ when the frigate entered disputed waters.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement