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Asia-Pacific has become the most important region in the world. As we have already told
you, in the struggle for control between the United States, its allies, and China, it is
not only important who has the greater number of military bases, but also who uses their
weapons better and knows how to take better advantage of new technological advances.
This is, in fact, a parallel race to the region's own military escalation. And yes, the US may
still be far ahead, but believe me, the Chinese have some cards up their sleeves.
You see, historically the Chinese army has had serious problems equipping itself with
advanced weapons that would allow it to face enemies as strong as the United States.
Precisely for this reason – in order to make up for this limitation, China's strategy
has essentially involved a commitment to quantity, that is, to have a very large number of troops
that would allow it to protect its borders, and that would act as a deterrent to any possible
attack and operate in nearby terrain.
It's something we saw, in a way, during the Korean War, when a huge army of some 800,000
Chinese "volunteers" went to war to help the troops of North Korean dictator Kim Il Sung.
Of course, in modern warfare, wars that are dominated by communication, satellites and
precision strikes, this kind of manpower has become less and less relevant.
I'm talking about the war, not the post-war period... As we saw in Iraq or Afghanistan,
which is a very different matter.
The fact is that with rivals as technologically advanced as the United States, South Korea,
Japan and Australia, the Chinese army has had no choice but to get its act together.
For years the People's Liberation Army has been immersed in a process of change the aim
of which is to reinvent the force from top to bottom.
A transition from the idea of the soldier as the "backbone of the army" to technology
being the essential core of the armed forces. The date for achieving this is also set: the
year 2049.
But, obviously, there are not enough resources for everything. In fact, we’ve already told
you in a past video that the difference in military budget between the United States
and China may be much greater than it looks at first glance.
In other words, Chinese leaders have had to choose what kind of war they want to excel
in.
So the question I'm sure you're all asking yourselves is: What exactly are the types
of weapons with which Chinese leaders hope to dominate the Asia-Pacific region? What
exactly do they have in mind?
Well, basically the Chinese regime is betting on conventional air superiority through stealth
technology as well as what are known as new concept weapons.
The new concept weapons are a type of weaponry which in turn are divided into three main
subgroups:
First, directed energy weapons, such as electromagnetic pulse technologies or laser weapons,
Secondly, information weapons, such as computer viruses and hacking systems.
And thirdly, biological or chemical weapons, as is the case, for example, of those developed
with genetically edited viruses. Stop! I know what you are thinking. No, the
latter is not at all a reference to SARS-CoV-2. Just to get that straight...
Well, the fact is that Chinese military scientists have been working for years in each and every
one of these three fields with one idea in mind: to create an innovative military system
that is able to attack in the most efficient way, multiply the damage and even be invisible.
Many of you may never have heard of some of the weapons we are about to show you. Because
no, this video isn’t about aircraft carriers, frigates, tanks or anything else that basically
reminds us of the 20th century.
Listen up.
(DIRECTED ENERGY WEAPONS)
Sure, I'm sure you've all heard of laser weapons. I'll bet my arm you have.
It's an idea that may seem like something out of Star Wars, but it already exists in
the military world and, in different experimental phases, is already being tested by armies
such as those of the United States, Russia and yes, even China.
However, laser weapons are just one of the types of weapons that can be found in a broader
category: directed energy weapons.
We are talking about a type of next-generation weapon that uses "projectiles" that are not
solid, such as lasers or plasma. In other words, they do not fire projectiles as we
typically know them, which has significant advantages:
On the one hand, they can potentially be much cheaper once they are produced because they
don't need ammunition, and on the other hand, the attack can't be stopped by any kind of
shield or system in place these days. In addition, they are very accurate weapons that generate
less deflagration and less collateral damage.
So what’s the downside? That, precisely because of these factors – low cost and
high difficulty to prevent attack – they are also more dangerous weapons than conventional
ones, especially if they manage to make the evolutionary leap that the armies of the great
powers are looking for in the future.
In the case of China, in 2017 the country unveiled a laser weapon system called "Silent
Hunter."
This system was developed by Poly Technologies, part of the state-owned China Poly Group Corporation.
The device consists of a laser cannon mounted on a truck and powered by electricity.
Using the maximum power, the laser is capable of reaching a range of four kilometers with
little loss in destructive effectiveness. To give you an idea of its power, it is capable
of penetrating five steel plates, each of two millimeters thickness from a distance
of 2625 feet or 800 meters, or a single plate of five millimeters if we increase the distance
to 3280 feet or one kilometer.
This, translated into real life, would mean that, at short distances, the Silent Hunter
would be able to engage even light armored vehicles in a hypothetical, yet improbable,
ground combat.
Now, the key question is, what on earth does China want this system for? Well, in theory
it does not seem that the idea is to attack, but rather the opposite.
- Although that is open to interpretation... Because, well, the enmity between India and
China could end up making this technology the protagonist.
But let's not get sidetracked. On the one hand this laser could be enormously useful
as a low-altitude anti-drone defense.
As long as we don’t forget that with a range of one kilometer, that’s just over half
a mile, at maximum power, and that the most advanced military drones can fly at an altitude
of almost 50,000 feet or 15,000 meters, this laser has a very limited application in defensive
matters.
According to Beijing, for the time being, its usefulness is to protect sensitive facilities
or even mass events from the flight of unauthorized drones. Drones that, for example, could pose
a terrorist threat.
Although, the truth is that on some occasions the United States has already complained that
China has used this or similar systems to target US pilots of C-130 Hercules aircraft
while they were flying in Djibouti – where China has its only military base abroad – causing
minor injuries to the eyes of some of those US pilots.
Weapons tests? Who knows.
Be that as it may, and whatever its future holds, this laser weapon is not the only directed
energy weapon China is developing. Check it out.
(China May Have Tested New Electromagnetic Weapon: Report – The Defense Post)
But... What the heck is this electromagnetic device stuff exactly?
Well, there are two main ways to use electromagnetic force in warfare. One more spectacular than
the other. And in both types, China has already made significant advances.
On the one hand there are the electromagnetic pulse attacks, which by sending a pulse, similar
to when a strong solar flare occurs, are capable of freezing the entire electrical system of
a country, as well as everything that uses electricity or geopositioning.
No, this is not some conspiracy theory or crazy idea, it's pure and simple reality.
But how do you think this enormous electromagnetic energy could be obtained artificially?
Any ideas? 3,2,1... Well, for example through nuclear weapons. Specifically through a particular
missile technology and the technology of the hydrogen or thermonuclear bomb, it’s possible
to create a huge electromagnetic pulse if detonated at high altitude over the site of
attack.
In theory, such attacks do not have the negative and destructive effects of a conventional
nuclear attack, but the chaos they can cause is immense.
(China Has 'First-Strike' Capability To Melt US Power Grid With Electromagnetic Pulse Weapon
– Forbes)
Impressed? Well, wait until you see what China is capable of doing from a simple boat.
The protagonists? Electromagnetic railguns. And those of you who know about weaponry will
say... but [host], they are nothing new!
And it's true, the conceptual idea is quite old, dating back to World War II.
The difference between those of that era and the current ones is their application and,
obviously, improvements in their strength and precision.
In the case of China, a huge electromagnetic railgun mounted on the bow of the ship, Haiyang
Shan, appeared in Wuhan in 2018.
This type of weapon is not exactly a directed energy weapon, as it fires a projectile, but
it does so by mounting it on two parallel conductor rails charged with a huge amount
of electricity, which creates a magnetic field.
This allows the projectile to leave the cannon at supersonic speeds thanks to the Lorentz
force. In this way it multiplies the destruction on belt armoured targets such as warships.
Precisely for this reason, China has tested it on board a ship. Beijing believes that
this weapon can give naval superiority to its Navy.
And of course, numerical and technological superiority is obviously key to China's dream
of controlling the seas of the Asia-Pacific region, particularly the South China Sea.
Now, at this point I'm sure you're wondering about the rest of the weapons we were going
to talk about in this video.
Well, here we go.
(THE WAR OF THE FUTURE IS UP IN THE AIR)
Do you remember the legendary American F-117 Nighthawk bomber? That strange aircraft that
captivated the lovers of military aviation and whose main feature was to be the first
"invisible" bomber in the world.
I'll bet you do.
Well, stealth technology is not so exclusive anymore. In fact, many countries with more
or less powerful military aircraft development programs have already adopted this technology,
in whole or in part.
And yes, China also happens to be one of them.
This is the case of the Chengdu J-20 fighter, which, while lacking the sinuous geometric
shapes of the F-117, is also an "invisible" or stealthy fifth-generation aircraft. Or
so Beijing claimed until recently.
The point is that this is the first fighter with stealth technology developed entirely
within the Asian giant’s territory. A fighter supposedly designed to compete with three
other advanced stealth fighters currently in service: the American F-22 and F-35, and
the Russian Sukhoi Su-57.
Today, however, there are many experts in the field who agree that the J-20 does not
meet the requirements to be considered a fifth generation fighter, but would be somewhere
between the fourth generation and 4.5.
In any case, the biggest talking point about this device is not that, but how it was developed.
Specifically, there are many suspicions that there is a whole history of military espionage
on the US F-35 and F-22 stealth fighter programs behind it.
Yes, that’s right. Lockheed Martin, the developer of these two models, is convinced
that Chinese hackers stole technical documents from the F-35 in 2007, and that they also
penetrated the network of an Australian subcontractor on the program.
They are also certain that the Chinese model includes technology stolen from the F-22 program.
Now, what are these claims based on? Well, according to US sources, the J-20's sensor
system is almost identical to that of the F-22. And not only that, it seems to copy
the F-35 in such crucial things as radar and engine calibrations.
China's theft of Western military technology has long been more of an open secret than
a suspicion.
In this case even Edward Snowden – who is not exactly well regarded by the US government
– confirms that China did indeed steal many terabytes of data of classified information
about the F-35.
(New Snowden Documents Reveal Chinese Behind F-35 Hack – The Diplomat)
One of the military dreams Beijing has always had is to overcome the gap in aircraft capabilities
with the United States.
However, at present, experts consider that the characteristics of this aircraft are far
inferior to those of its American competitors, and that it does not have the capacity to
win in an open confrontation.
But let’s not forget its very development represents a decisive step forward for the
Chinese military industry. It is, so to speak, its first major breakthrough.
An incursion with one important advantage: without the F-35, it could be very difficult
for Taiwan to contain a massive attack against this aircraft.
Precisely for this reason, the Taiwanese authorities have been asking the United States for years
to allow them to buy the F-35, but the response from the Americans has been to drag their
feet or to talk about leasing deals which, for the moment, has not been forthcoming.
(Fighter jet sales to Taiwan and the complex US-China balance of power – Channel News
Asia
Taiwan had wanted F-35B fighters with the short take-off vertical landing capability
to preserve its ability to generate air power in case of surprise PLA attacks on Taiwanese
airfields disabling runways. [...] These attempts to negotiate the sale were, however, stymied
with the Obama Administration offering the F-16 upgrade package to Taiwan instead.)
There is no way. It seems that Washington does not want to open the political can of
worms that would mean that Taipei would have its own F-35 fighters.
For the time being, the American response has been to move aircraft carriers loaded
with these planes to the area from time to time, but the Taiwanese are not sure that,
in the face of a real Chinese attack, the United States would enter into combat, and
for this reason, logically, they want to have their own F-35s.
But be careful because the Chengdu J-20 fighter is not the only Chinese "stealth threat".
The Asian giant is also working on the development of an advanced drone model, the WJ-700.
Together with the invisible Sky Hawk drone, China could conduct reconnaissance in hostile
environments and then strike from high altitude.
The WJ-700 is a fierce qualitative leap in the Chinese drone program, as it is the only
Chinese high-altitude, high-speed, long-range drone capable of executing strike missions.
Specifically, it can perform air-to-surface precision strikes in multiple situations,
which puts it almost on par with the most modern US drones
The advantage that this type of weapon would give Beijing to operate abroad could change
Beijing's military and diplomatic strategy in the future.
So there you have it, these are just a few of the many new weapons that China wants to
bring to the table in the future. There are many, many more, in all shapes and colors,
including a space warfare system.
Yes, yes, that’s correct. China is developing an ASAT system for destroying satellites using
space rockets, a capability the Soviet Union worked on during the Cold War.
And then there are the issues of genetically modified viruses and cyberwarfare, topics
that I'm sure we'll talk about at a later date.
China is still a long way behind the United States, and the Americans obviously have their
own technologically advanced weapons programs.
But China's cards are on the table and they clearly show directed energy weapons, fifth-generation
fighters and advanced drones playing a key role. In addition there are the supersonic
missiles, with which the Chinese armed forces hope to render the US Navy obsolete.
(China tests new space capability with hypersonic missile. Launch in August of nuclear-capable
rocket that circled the globe took US intelligence by surprise. FT)
But at this point, it's your turn: Do you think China will be able to match the strength
of the United States in the Asia Pacific?
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Once again, thanks for being there. All the best, and until next time.