Taiwan Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Gatekeeper

Brigadier
Registered Member

supersnoop

Major
Registered Member
Why is this David Axe still have such an influence? This guy been proved time and again how wrong he is with all his predictions.
Why is Gordon Chang still quoted in the MSM?
20 years running and his prediction still hasn't come. Even came out with a 2nd edition.

These people are paid to write what Americans want to hear.

Who wants to read: "PLA's relative ambivalence on amphibious shipbuilding signals Taiwan invasion unlikely in the near term" vs. "The reasons why China is evil and will destroy Taiwan freedom and democracy"

Some things just sell better in America, I will let you guess which article is the Station Wagon (Estate Car) and which is the Pick-Up Truck
 

siegecrossbow

General
Staff member
Super Moderator
Why is this David Axe still have such an influence? This guy been proved time and again how wrong he is with all his predictions.

David Axe must be the rare type hated by every kind of military fanboys. Chinese, Russian, and American fanboys all hate him for not only downplaying the capabilities of their favorite gear but not bothering to do any legit research. It doesn't matter though. Everyone still clicks on his articles and he is getting paid to do his thing. My suggestion is that don't link his content here. Every click adds to Mr. Axe's avocado toast fund and we can all agree that he needs a little less green for his breakfasts.
 

Hendrik_2000

Lieutenant General
Another take on China sea lift capacity from ANI
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

China increases its military's amphibious lift​


ANI
Tue, 27 July, 2021, 1:02 am·10-min read

Representative iamge
Hong Kong, July 27 (ANI): China is involved in various disputes with neighbors - including India, Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam - but none approach the degree of danger faced by the democratic nation of Taiwan.
China militarily threatens Taiwan through means such as ballistic missiles or amphibious invasion, but would it have sufficient shipping to achieve an amphibious lodgment?
The likes of a D-Day landing are unlikely ever to be repeated, when nearly 7,000 Allied vessels (including 1,213 combat ships, 4,126 landing ships, 736 ancillary ships and 864 merchant vessels) supported landings in Normandy beginning 6 June 1944. Indeed, conducting an amphibious assault in this day and age is surrounded by heavy risk, considering the advancement in weapons such as anti-ship missiles.

The topic of whether China is readying to invade Taiwan has been generating significant heat and light over the past year or so. Of course, for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to invade and conquer Taiwan would involve major loss of ships, equipment and lives.
Nonetheless, China under Chairman Xi Jinping has been ramping up its ability to project power by sea, including its amphibious assault capability. Thus, the PLA Navy (PLAN) has already inducted the first of multiple 40,000-ton Type 075 landing helicopter dock (LHD) ships, with a second due to enter service imminently. The Type 075 is a flat-top vessel able to carry numerous helicopters, as well as possessing a well deck that can be flooded to allow landing craft, hovercraft and amphibious assault vehicles to disembark.
 

weig2000

Captain
Another take on China sea lift capacity from ANI
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

China increases its military's amphibious lift​


ANI
Tue, 27 July, 2021, 1:02 am·10-min read

Representative iamge
Hong Kong, July 27 (ANI): China is involved in various disputes with neighbors - including India, Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam - but none approach the degree of danger faced by the democratic nation of Taiwan.
China militarily threatens Taiwan through means such as ballistic missiles or amphibious invasion, but would it have sufficient shipping to achieve an amphibious lodgment?
The likes of a D-Day landing are unlikely ever to be repeated, when nearly 7,000 Allied vessels (including 1,213 combat ships, 4,126 landing ships, 736 ancillary ships and 864 merchant vessels) supported landings in Normandy beginning 6 June 1944. Indeed, conducting an amphibious assault in this day and age is surrounded by heavy risk, considering the advancement in weapons such as anti-ship missiles.

The topic of whether China is readying to invade Taiwan has been generating significant heat and light over the past year or so. Of course, for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to invade and conquer Taiwan would involve major loss of ships, equipment and lives.
Nonetheless, China under Chairman Xi Jinping has been ramping up its ability to project power by sea, including its amphibious assault capability. Thus, the PLA Navy (PLAN) has already inducted the first of multiple 40,000-ton Type 075 landing helicopter dock (LHD) ships, with a second due to enter service imminently. The Type 075 is a flat-top vessel able to carry numerous helicopters, as well as possessing a well deck that can be flooded to allow landing craft, hovercraft and amphibious assault vehicles to disembark.

The article is actually pretty decent compared to other western media reports covering the same subject. It has tried to provide a relatively comprehensive picture of the amphibious assets that mainland China can potentially deploy in a Taiwan contingency. Still, some of the quoted analysts were trying to misinform, clearly due to their bias. So one needs to put on some filters while reading the article.

I feel bored right now, so I can waste a few minutes to entertain with a few comments on the piece.

China is involved in various disputes with neighbors - including India, Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam - but none approach the degree of danger faced by the democratic nation of Taiwan.

First of all, WTF does it have to do with any disputes with neighbors? India, Japan, Philippines and Vietnam are sovereign countries. Taiwan is part of China and the disputes between Taiwan and mainland China are that of an unfinished civil war. Totally different things.

Secondly, while you're at it, why not mentioning India has disputes with all of its neighbors, Japan has territorial disputes with all its neighboring countries, and both Philippines and Vietnam have overlapping territorial claims with all other South China Sea claimant countries and between each other. But why are these relevant at all here? I know, but why are you bringing all these countries in a piece about Taiwan to begin with?

One minor thing: being democratic or not is irrelevant here.

China militarily threatens Taiwan through means such as ballistic missiles or amphibious invasion, but would it have sufficient shipping to achieve an amphibious lodgment?
The likes of a D-Day landing are unlikely ever to be repeated, when nearly 7,000 Allied vessels (including 1,213 combat ships, 4,126 landing ships, 736 ancillary ships and 864 merchant vessels) supported landings in Normandy beginning 6 June 1944. Indeed, conducting an amphibious assault in this day and age is surrounded by heavy risk, considering the advancement in weapons such as anti-ship missiles.

First of all, D-Day is 77 years ago, how relevant is that war to a potential invasion of island of Taiwan by mainland China? A very superficial difference is that one is invading from an island of a continent, the other is from a continent of an island. Minor difference in sequence, no?

Secondly, the number of Allied vessels involved in D-Day that you meticulously documented above is pretty impressive I must say, particularly for a war launched 77 years ago. But how is that relevant here? What if I tell you that the number of ships including both military and civilian ones that mainland China can deploy today easily exceeds hundreds of thousands if not millions, if they're really needed that is? And these ships on average are bigger, better and faster than the D-Day ships. OK, just in case, mainland China is the world's largest ship building nation for many years now.

By the way, did you just mention Taiwan's anti-ship missiles? Yeah, I know, those didn't exist back in D-Day time. But have you happened to check what kinds of missiles that mainland China has today? For example, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, hyper-sonic missiles, just to name a few. I don't remember they had those back in D-Day. I also heard today's fighter aircraft are so much more powerful than those flown in D-Day, so you probably don't need to bring out the number of aircraft involved since they would be almost apple to orange. Oh, in case I forgot, stuffs like all kinds of satellites, all kinds of drones - in the air, under the way and on the ground, have no equivalents back in those days. One more thing, don't bother to compare today's MLRS that PLA owns with those Katyusha in WWII. Completely different beasts, so was I told.

----------------------------------------------------

[Sarcasm off]

I can point out a lot of the wrong assumptions and flaws in these so-called (American) experts' reasoning and thinking. But it would be unnecessary. Just one basic one, these people assume that PLA would start the large-scale amphibious landing under a lot of attacks and risks from Taiwan military. In fact, PLA will bring out all their assets to find and destroy those threats first, gain air control, sea control and particularly secure the area around landing beaches, before they start amphibious landing en mass.

PLA are capable of doing that today.
 
Top