Want China Post
Date: 2015-06-25
By: CNA
The tension caused by territorial disputes in the South China Sea seems unlikely to
J-11 fighters during a live drill over the Tibetan Plateau. (File photo/CFP)
ease in the near future, given the almost-completion of Chinese runways on reclaimed land and Beijing’s possible deployment of J-11 fighter jets there, according to a Hong Kong newspaper report.
If China goes ahead, the deployment in the Spratly islands, which China and Taiwan call Nansha, “would dramatically extend the reach of the nation’s military beyond its southernmost base at Sanya on Hainan island,” said the June 21 report published in the English-language South China Morning Post, citing unnamed analysts.
However, the report said the jets, built based on the Soviet-designed Su-27, would be limited to a defensive role because it is an older model outclassed by aircraft in the US Air Force.
The report said the J-11s have a range of 1,500 kilometers, which can be extended with additional fuel tanks. “Setting up operations on the islands would move the reach of China’s air force about 1,000 km further south, and in conjunction with the Liaoning aircraft carrier, take China towards its stated goal of moving away from offshore defense to open-sea protection,” it said. [FULL STORY]
