Zephyr Net

On 28 June 2004 a Hong Kong television website reported that China had formalized plans to acquire Russian Backfire supersonic long-range bombers. The report was on Hong Kong's Feng Huang Wang WWW-Text in Chinese, the web site of pro-Beijing Hong Kong broadcaster Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings Ltd. The Hong Kong newspaper Cheng Pao reported that a resolution passed at the 10th CPC party congress of the PLA Air Force in May 2004, included conclusions on the strategic positioning of China's air force. The air force should be a strategic air force, capable of operations in all aerial territories [quan kong jiang zuo zhan] and long-range response. The news sources said long-range bombers constitute the biggest technical obstacle China will face in building a strategic air force. Indigenous development and the import of Russian Backfire supersonic long-range bombers are "already put on the agenda."

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ ... tu-22m.htm

Well I guess that settles that...

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Centurian

isn't tu-22 a little old? it would have been more fun if they got tu-160s or at least 26 . Ehe, but does russia has much 160s?
14 of them maybe?

just pray it wont fall in the hands of north korea. or else the B-2 stealth bomber can destroy it b4 it even rearms and refuels. i say if this is any threat to US, b2s can take care of it.

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Belly full of HELL

Tu-22M is the Tu-26.



I'll believe it when I see pics of them at Chinese airfields. Shouldn't be too hard with all the pics of J-10s and A-50s.

News can change literally overnight: India seemed finally set to recieve Tu-22M-3s, but then according to G.S.:



Zephyr

I will too but this is the same way China acquired Su-27SKs and Su-30s through deals like this.

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Centurian

From my point of view, the real scary part of this is that China is aggessively moveing toward becomeing a real player in the Aircraft manufactureing game.
They have more wind tunnels under construction than anybody in the world right now. And they aren't building some little cry-baby subsonic one either. They intend to over take the Soviets in design and construction within the next 20 yrs.
I'll try to get some links up later
Plus if they hold to past practices, anything they make will be for sale to just about anybody with the money.
Ali's concerns are well founded.

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"cool beanz"
D. "FETCH" Jordan

On the plus side though they are 2 generations behind on tech levels.

US: 5th gen
RU: 4th gen
CH: 3th gen

Though it could be said them having those Flankers and the new J-10s offer them into 4th gen but I don't side with that because they don't have any significant numbers yet.

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Centurian

Eh...Chinese construction...a German dentist could built a better airplane than a Chinese aviation plant.

Seriously though, this would be an interesting development indeed. Let's just hope China doesn't decide to attack Taiwan until at least this time next year - I'll be gone by then! (To explain that statement, I'm going to China for a year 6 days from now to work, and I'll be right across the water from Taipei. So if they *do* go to war...I'll have front row seats for the airshow lol)

Check it out.
The technology needed to orbit the earth and get down where you want is what pioneered the ICBM technology the U.S and Soviets employ today.
The fact that the Chinese are in the space race now means it will carry over to their missile programs. They will be able to field larger payloads, go farther into space, and across the earth, and eventually hit targets more accurately.
First will come the larger payloads.
Then more advanced guidence systems.
Then faster longer ranges.

The one area they lag way behind in is materials development.
I.E.
Advanced metals and composite manufactureing, since reverse engineering these process'es are all but impossilbe in some cases.

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"cool beanz"
D. "FETCH" Jordan

And china and North Korea WILL wait no DO share !!!

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Centurian

I'm not so sure about that.
The Chinese are in it for first the prestiege, and then to make some money.
They probably won't just give anything away.
Plus if the North Koreans do field a working Nuclear weapon,
one of the first things they will do is try to use it as some sort of leverage to get the
chinese to forgive some of the debt the koreans owe them.
Then blackmail the South and Japan.
So is probably safe to say that China likes being the only one
of that bunch concidered a Nuclear power.

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"cool beanz"
D. "FETCH" Jordan