PLA RealTalk

Blink and you’ll miss it: Chinese Navy, from modernization to expansion

Lost in translation: how one Chinese submarine breakthrough was mistaken for another

It began on the 30th May, 2017

On that day, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showed a new episode of its documentary programme Focus Report…

The first 055 has been launched: here’s seven reasons why it’s a big deal

It’s time

Three years of patience and drip-feeding of information is about to be rewarded, with the launch of the first 055 class destroyer from Jiangnan Changxing shipyard…

Preparing for 055 — what to know about the upcoming Chinese large destroyer

Introduction:

Satellite imagery of JNCX shipyard near Shanghai over the last few months has shown an impressive pace of work on the first unit of the 055 class large…

Aircraft carrier Liaoning and its implications for future Chinese power projection

Background:

By now, military analysts and pundits of all stripes and prejudices have become relatively familiar with CV-16 Liaoning, the Chinese Navy’s…

Chinese Navy catapult and J-15A

So, for my first proper entry after the last six month hiatus, I will be talking about recent rumours of a successful test of the J-15A catapult compatible fighter from an Electromagnetic (EM) catapult. This is thought to likely have occurred at the Huangdicun facility.

I’m back! And going forwards…

I haven’t made any updates to this website for quite a while, but now that the academic year is over I hope to make some more consistent contributions over the next few weeks and months.

055 class hull and deck configuration

Introduction:

Over the last few months, a number of pictures from Jiangnan Changxing shipyard have surfaced, seemingly depicting a number of large hull modules which are consistent with what would be expected for a large surface…

Chinese Navy 2020: the surface combatant fleet of the near future

Introduction:

The Chinese Navy is currently enjoying the fruits of a long planned modernization programme which began in the late 1990s.