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BBC Chinese, May 16, 2011.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/world/2011/05/110516_us_china_drone.shtml
, which is based on
Eric Talmadge, US Navy drones: Coming to a carrier near China? Associated Press, May 16, 2011
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110516/ap_on_re_as/as_china_us_military_rivalry_drones_3
("Current Navy fighter jets can only operate about 500 nautical miles (900 kilometers) from a target, leaving a carrier within range of the Chinese missile. Drones would have an unrefueled combat radius of 1,500 nautical miles (2,780 kilometers) and could remain airborne for 50 to 100 hours — versus the 10 hour maximum for a pilot")
My comment: The AP report states, "China is decades away from building a military as strong as America's, but it is developing air, naval and missile capabilities that could challenge U.S. supremacy in the Pacific — and with it, America's ability to protect important shipping lanes and allies such as Japan and South Korea.
Taiwan is the elephant in the room.
------------------------------Separately
Ralph Jenings, Hard Up for Arms Sales, Taiwan Turns to Its Own Defenses. Christian Science Monitor, May 16, 2011.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2011/0516/Hard-up-for-arms-sales-Taiwan-turns-to-its-own-defenses
Quote:
"Taiwan has already made antiship, surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles, with quality steadily increasing, in addition to more commonplace sea mines and torpedoes.
"'Despite China's advancing military modernization, it still has to overcome Taiwan's formidable missile threat,' said Wendell Minnick, Asia bureau chief with Defense News. 'I would not want to be on Chinese destroyer or frigate in the Taiwan Strait during a war. Not that different from shooting fish in a barrel.'
My comment:
(a) hard up (adj):
"1: short of money
2: poorly provided <hard up for friends>"
www.m-w.com
(b) Taiwan makes sea mines and torpedos? Unheard of (and I could not find it in the web; I tried but failed).
(c) The report says "a multiple rocket launcher got the official Chinese media’s attention this year after – those media said – it was deployed on an outlying island near China but later retracted.
Taiwan withdraws rocket launcher from island. China Daily, Jan 4, 2011
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011-01/04/content_11794006.htm
Note: Leiting 2000 multiple rocket launcher 雷霆2000 (RT2000 for short in Taiwan)
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