From: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_smith_news/20000917_xnsof_chinese_ob.shtml Chinese observers aboard Kursk? Report just latest evidence of Beijing-Moscow military cooperation By Charles Smith � 2000 WorldNetDaily.com Amid rumors that Chinese navy officers were on the sunken Russian submarine Kursk, the relationship between China and Russia continues to be one dominated by advanced weapons. "Reports of Chinese naval observers onboard the Kursk first appeared in the Taiwan and Hong Kong press," stated one U.S. intelligence source who requested his name be withheld. "The Russians were certainly staging a naval war show in the Barents. Who was the audience?" he asked. Instead of quickly squelching the story, both Beijing and Moscow are silent about Chinese naval observers being onboard the sunken nuclear submarine. Repeated calls to the Russian military attache in Washington, D.C., were not returned. In 1999, the General Accounting Office reported that Russia is the top weapons supplier to China. The loss of the Kursk has not stopped the construction of another Oscar-class submarine in Russia. The K-530 currently sports the name "Belgorod" and is still under construction at the Severodvinsk Shipyard. Work on the new submarine continues, even though the Russian navy is broke and cannot buy the Belgorod. China, however, is reportedly interested in buying the K-530. Unlike the K-530, there is hard evidence that Russia plans to sell China another nuclear missile-armed warship this year. According to the German navy, the second of two 8,480-ton Russian navy Project 956A Sovremenny destroyers built for China is now conducting trials in the eastern Baltic. The Chinese navy is expected to take delivery of the second Russian-made warship this fall. A July article published in Jane's Defense contained photographs taken by German navy aircraft of the new warship with its Russian shakedown crew. China currently operates a single Sovremenny warship across from Taiwan. The first Chinese Sovremenny was originally built for the Soviet navy as the Vazhnyy in 1988. The ship was launched in May 1994 and renamed the Yekaterinburg before work was halted. <image> The Alexandr Nevskiy, soon to become China's newest warship. Photo courtesy of German navy In 1996, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) navy negotiated to buy the Yekaterinburg and another 956A-class destroyer named the Alexandr Nevskiy. The Yekaterinburg was delivered to the Chinese navy in 1999, passing through the Strait of Taiwan with a combined Russian/Chinese crew. The Chinese navy is scheduled to acquire the Alexandr Nevskiy by the end of 2000. Each Sovremenny warship is armed with eight supersonic 3M82 Moskit sea-skimming missiles, NATO code-named SS-N-22 "Sunburn." According to documents obtained from the U.S. Navy using the Freedom Of Information Act, the Sunburn can be armed with a nuclear warhead 10 times the power of the A-bomb used on Hiroshima. The Sovremenny is not the only Sunburn missile-armed warship to be acquired by China this year. U.S. and Taiwanese intelligence sources say China has also deployed the first Sunburn-armed Tarantul III Corvettes bought from Russia. The Chinese navy reportedly may add up to a dozen more of the potent missile-armed warships from Russian weapons-maker Vympel NPO. <image> Russian Tarantul III Corvette fires the deadly Sunburn missile. According to Vympel documentation, the Tarantul III Corvette is considered a small warship, perfect for "littoral" waters. Official U.S. Navy documents state that each "Tarantul can deploy up to four Sunburns in a dual launcher per side configuration." The new warship arrives into the People's Liberation Army's navy just in time to exercise with China's latest Russian fighters armed with new air-to-air missiles. During a recent exercise directly opposite Japan, the Chinese air force deployed the first SU-30 strike fighter along with a growing force of SU-27 Flanker fighter jets. The Chinese force of advanced Sukhoi jets is expected to grow to 275 aircraft by 2005 with most of the aircraft manufactured under license in China. A recently published congressional report titled "China's New War Fighting Skills" noted the significant buildup in Chinese military activity. "During ongoing large-scale military exercises, China has demonstrated significant new joint-service war-fighting skills 'under high-tech conditions' that are steadily altering the balance of power in the Taiwan Strait," states the report. "The PLA is applying U.S. military doctrine to integrate its relentlessly expanding strategic missile forces, high-performance SU-27 and SU-30 jet fighters purchased from Russia, blue-water navy ships -- including a Sovremenny-class destroyer with deadly SS-N-22 anti-ship missiles, and state-of-the-art secure communications systems purchased from U.S. and other Western companies, in addition to developing advanced information and electronic warfare capabilities." <image> The Vympel R-77 medium-range missiles is similar to the American AIM-120 AMRAAM missile. Jane's Defense reports that China will acquire the R-77 and produce the missile under license. In April, Jane's Defense reported that China is also close to finalizing a deal with Russian weapons maker Vympel to acquire the advanced R-77 air-to-air missile to arm the new fleet of Sukhoi jets. The R-77, NATO code named AA-12 "Adder," is also called "amraamsky" by Western defense analysts due to its similarity to the U.S.-made AIM-120 AMRAAM missile. The AA-12 is considered to be one of the most advanced radar-homing missiles in the world and is, in many ways, superior to the U.S.-made AMRAAM. According to an April report in Jane's Defense, China plans to manufacture the Adder missile as the R-129. PLAAF fighters armed with the new AA-12 missiles could easily destroy Taiwanese fighters armed with shorter range and less powerful air-to-air missiles. The AA-12 is also capable of destroying American fighter aircraft such as the U.S. Navy F-18 Hornet. The Clinton-Gore administration previously denied the export of the U.S.-made AMRAAM missile to Taiwan this year, overriding congressional recommendations. The administration instead proposed that the AMRAAM missiles could be delivered to Taiwan in case of emergency. However, the August 2000 congressional report on the Chinese military disagrees with the Clinton-Gore delayed delivery plan. According to Taiwanese military sources, the lack of AMRAAM missiles may be fatal. "The new generation of PLA jet fighters has made major steps to control the skies with upgraded onboard avionics, EW and radar systems," concludes the congressional report. "AMRAAM air-to-air missiles should also be delivered to Taiwan immediately, because the five-day delivery period after a conflict begins would be too late." ================================================================= Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK OF: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> *Mike Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ~~~~~~~~ <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day. ================================================================= <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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