China Thread

[VolStrom]

Nuclear Notebook: How many nuclear weapons does the United States have in 2022?

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I didn't see any submarines listed there. The submarines are going to wipe out everyone before the others get off the ground.

 

[Orangeburst]

They don’t have the military amphibs we do - that is true.

They have 1000’s of actual ferries though that they have been using to move troops and materiel.

It’s 100 miles. A relative stones throw.

One thing the CCP doesn't lack is ships. Just like evereything else, Our idiots sold out our shipbuilding industry decades ago. Look at SK..not exactly a low cost production nation.

 

[Orangeburst]

I didn't see any submarines listed there. The submarines are going to wipe out everyone before the others get off the ground.

SLBMs are from the Ohio class. 18 SSBNs. I think 9 are typically on patrol.

 

[BreatheUT]

If war occurs, I am not sure the nation would be united like in past. Might not even matter.

I am not as confident anymore. The band of people in charge are cringyworthy. They can't even pull out of Afghanistan and they accept no accountability.
The cost could be great.

 

[Orangeburst]

I am not as confident anymore. The band of people in charge are cringyworthy. They can't even pull out of Afghanistan and they accept no accountability.
The cost could be great.

My quote had to do with a nuke war, where armies will be inconsequential.

 

[85SugarVol]

One thing the CCP doesn't lack is ships. Just like evereything else, Our idiots sold out our shipbuilding industry decades ago. Look at SK..not exactly a low cost production nation.

He’s right about high-end amphib capabilities - but he misses the boat here.

 

[Orangeburst]

He’s right about high-end amphib capabilities - but he misses the boat here.

I would argue it as big as ours, although neither would support a full scale invasion of such a nation.

“They are in the middle of transitioning from essentially a World War II-, early Cold War-era fleet,” he said. However, the fleet is very diverse and is similar to the amphibious fleet the United States had during the Cold War, Clark said. It is made up of tank landing ships that can drive up onto a beach and open up to allow troops to exit, as well as large cargo vessels.

 

[85SugarVol]

I would argue it as big as ours, although neither would support a full scale invasion of such a nation.

“They are in the middle of transitioning from essentially a World War II-, early Cold War-era fleet,” he said. However, the fleet is very diverse and is similar to the amphibious fleet the United States had during the Cold War, Clark said. It is made up of tank landing ships that can drive up onto a beach and open up to allow troops to exit, as well as large cargo vessels.

Their type 075 is comparable to our Wasp class.

They have 3. Supposed to be building 4 more.

But they don’t need those to cross the Taiwan Strait.

 

[Orangeburst]

Their type 075 is comparable to our Wasp class.

They have 3. Supposed to be building 4 more.

But they don’t need those to cross the Taiwan Strait.

Heli and LCAC assault would be another front, probably on the eastern side.

 

[85SugarVol]

Heli and LCAC assault would be another front, probably on the eastern side.

Indeed.

It’s 100 miles. The options available to the CCP to land troops on Taiwan are myriad.

 

[85SugarVol]

Everyone thinks the Chinese invasion is going to look like a 21st century version of this -



I’m betting it’s going to look a lot more like a 21st century version of this -

 

[AM64]

Trump was right about Europe. They want all the American help they can get. However, when America may need some help, they will run.

We have some decent allies in Europe. France just isn't one of them. Not really sure when in history France has been a worthy ally to anybody. Germans and Swiss are iffy because they are willing to sell their souls for profit - allies or not depends on how the wind is blowing and what they stand to gain.

 

[Orangeburst]

We have some decent allies in Europe. France just isn't one of them. Not really sure when in history France has been a worthy ally to anybody. Germans and Swiss are iffy because they are willing to sell their souls for profit - allies or not depends on how the wind is blowing and what they stand to gain.

Nuke tech to Iraq comes to mind.

 

[Volsdeep4]

Why would Taiwan want drones from Iran or China?

If I'm a foreign policy maker then I'm producing and supplying Taiwan with as much as they are willing and able to buy. This way we avoid what has happened in Ukraine - a country with a leader looking for free handouts.

That’s a very incorrect statement. Nothing is free hand outs. These are all lend to lease. Just like we did with the UK, who just paid us back from WWll.

 

[AM64]

We've fallen way behind on deliveries of weapons and systems to Taiwan. Hopefully they will have what they need when the time comes. I guess there are a couple of ways of looking at it. Some people see those undelivered assets as would be deterrents and some see them as targets to be destroyed in a first strike. Hopefully the soothsayers deployed by DC have a clue, but I wouldn't bet on it. In the meantime we've moved out all the F-15s based at Kadena, Okinawa without a firm replacement plan. Last word is that we've rotated a few F-22s in to Kadena and then have scattered some here and there to other Pacific islands as practice for dispersal ... some sources see Kadena as a Chinese first strike also, but that means China would strike Japanese soil basically concurrently with operations against Taiwan. Japan has apparently been moving some fighters to a few islands in the Ryukyu chain between Okinawa and Taiwan. The map showing the Chinese blockade shows just how close Japanese territory is to Taiwan.

 

[85SugarVol]

We have some decent allies in Europe. France just isn't one of them. Not really sure when in history France has been a worthy ally to anybody. Germans and Swiss are iffy because they are willing to sell their souls for profit - allies or not depends on how the wind is blowing and what they stand to gain.

France is our oldest ally. Our first ally.

They have been there for us many times in the past. And we have been there for them too.

They ebb and flow, just like us.

 

[Orangeburst]

We've fallen way behind on deliveries of weapons and systems to Taiwan. Hopefully they will have what they need when the time comes. I guess there are a couple of ways of looking at it. Some people see those undelivered assets as would be deterrents and some see them as targets to be destroyed in a first strike. Hopefully the soothsayers deployed by DC have a clue, but I wouldn't bet on it. In the meantime we've moved out all the F-15s based at Kadena, Okinawa without a firm replacement plan. Last word is that we've rotated a few F-22s in to Kadena and then have scattered some here and there to other Pacific islands as practice for dispersal ... some sources see Kadena as a Chinese first strike also, but that means China would strike Japanese soil basically concurrently with operations against Taiwan. Japan has apparently been moving some fighters to a few islands in the Ryukyu chain between Okinawa and Taiwan. The map showing the Chinese blockade shows just how close Japanese territory is to Taiwan.

Retired Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, dean of AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, previously told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the move demonstrates “consistent underfunding of the Air Force over 30 years.” The lack of an immediate, ready-to-go successor for the aged F-15s at the base shows the “neglect and shortsightedness” of “Presidential, Congressional, and Department of Defense leadership decisions made over the past three decades.” In recent years, to pay for new system development, the Air Force has had to “cut its force structure with no replacements,” he said. Thus, the vacuum left by the retirements “should not be a surprise.”

$31T in debt and this is what we get. Idiots.

 

[AM64]

From what I’ve seen reported by military analysts, China’s ability to blockade the island will completely shut them off from everything. We won’t be getting anything in or out of there.

There's a constant string of commercial air traffic over and landing in Taiwan at any hour of the day. If the Chinese start shooting down commercial traffic into and out of Taiwan and disrupting the flow of goods in and out - including electronics everybody needs, I don't see China having more than a handful of non-enemies worldwide. Several European countries have participated recently in joint exercises that would support Taiwan, and there are a lot of island bases to support operations against the Chinese. People do stupid things everyday, but I still have a hard time seeing that China gets anything positive in trying to take Taiwan. They can do some chest thumping while finding they have a destroyed electronics industry they wanted and an alienated world around them. That doesn't seem like a win.

 

[85SugarVol]

Retired Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, dean of AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, previously told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the move demonstrates “consistent underfunding of the Air Force over 30 years.” The lack of an immediate, ready-to-go successor for the aged F-15s at the base shows the “neglect and shortsightedness” of “Presidential, Congressional, and Department of Defense leadership decisions made over the past three decades.” In recent years, to pay for new system development, the Air Force has had to “cut its force structure with no replacements,” he said. Thus, the vacuum left by the retirements “should not be a surprise.”

$31T in debt and this is what we get. Idiots.

Don’t worry. We just ordered 24 F-15EX airframes!

But it is ridiculous that we’ve allowed our F-15 fleet to age out like this.

Good thing it’s not the 1980’s anymore….

 

[AM64]

Retired Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, dean of AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, previously told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the move demonstrates “consistent underfunding of the Air Force over 30 years.” The lack of an immediate, ready-to-go successor for the aged F-15s at the base shows the “neglect and shortsightedness” of “Presidential, Congressional, and Department of Defense leadership decisions made over the past three decades.” In recent years, to pay for new system development, the Air Force has had to “cut its force structure with no replacements,” he said. Thus, the vacuum left by the retirements “should not be a surprise.”

$31T in debt and this is what we get. Idiots.

When I first read the article about removing the F-15s from Kadena with no planned replacement, I was stunned. Then as I read more about the lack of anything viable as replacements, it got worse. The F-35 debacle and all the eggs in one shaky basket is going to kill the Air Force. It may eventually be a great plane ... if they can ever figure out what it's supposed to be and find the right parts ... assuming anybody ever figures out what it's really needed to do. My brother was flying the F-15C when he retired from the AF over 25 years ago, and it wasn't what you'd consider a new plane then. That's how screwed up things really are. The F-16 is about the same vintage, and then we get to the F-22 that was prematurely cancelled and the F-35 mess. At least planes stranded on the ground waiting parts are "stealthy".

U.S. F-15s To Leave Okinawa Without Permanent Replacement: Report

 

[85SugarVol]

When I first read the article about removing the F-15s from Kadena with no planned replacement, I was stunned. Then as I read more about the lack of anything viable as replacements, it got worse. The F-35 debacle and all the eggs in one shaky basket is going to kill the Air Force. It may eventually be a great plane ... if they can ever figure out what it's supposed to be and find the right parts ... assuming anybody ever figures out what it's really needed to do. My brother was flying the F-15C when he retired from the AF over 25 years ago, and it wasn't what you'd consider a new plane then. That's how screwed up things really are. The F-16 is about the same vintage, and then we get to the F-22 that was prematurely cancelled and the F-35 mess. At least planes stranded on the ground waiting parts are "stealthy".

U.S. F-15s To Leave Okinawa Without Permanent Replacement: Report

Should have never shut down the Raptor line. That was a big mistake.

 

[AM64]

France is our oldest ally. Our first ally.

They have been there for us many times in the past. And we have been there for them too.

They ebb and flow, just like us.

France was our first ally, but mainly because they were at war with Britain anyway. After warships with sails went away, the French don't really seem to be worth much except as a place to fight while getting to the real enemy.

 

[AM64]

Should have never shut down the Raptor line. That was a big mistake.

Yep, a case of a plane intended to do one role well, and it does that. The YF-23 that lost the flyoff competition to the F-22 was apparently no slouch either. Military systems planners just can't seen to accept the KISS principle, and they still believe in the one thing that will do it all ... and it never works because of the complexity.

 

[Orangeburst]

Yep, a case of a plane intended to do one role well, and it does that. The YF-23 that lost the flyoff competition to the F-22 was apparently no slouch either. Military systems planners just can't seen to accept the KISS principle, and they still believe in the one thing that will do it all ... and it never works because of the complexity.

F-16, although originally just an ADF, are multi role and were a fantastic aircraft. F-35A are to replace F-16s.
F-22's are as complex and costly to operate as any design ever built.

 

[AM64]

In that case, supporting Taiwan = WW3. I know they manufacture a lot of our semiconductor chips, but I don't know if even that is enough of a justification to get involved given the consequences. Of course, Biden has said that we would defend Taiwan upon invasion. So basically, if Biden's word is truthful (which is a big if), a Chinese invasion essentially means a direct conflict with China.

If we and the world lose Taiwan's chip supply, it would be the Covid electronics problems on steroids. A lot of the Covid era stuff was all about display chips apparently; this would be broader and more limiting. I don't see people really coming out with that analysis, but if you consider the history and the specifics, there doesn't seem to be another conclusion. On the bright side with China unable to send out batteries and solar panels, the idiocy to kill oil and gas probably goes in the garbage where it belongs.