Want China Times
Date: 2015-04-21
By: Staff Reporter

After an agreement was reached for China to purchase the S-400 air defense system from

An S-400 air defense system of the Russian military. (Internet photo)

Russia, the People’s Liberation Army will be better equipped to defeat the Republic of China Air Force within Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), American defense expert Wendell Minnick writes in a piece for the Washington-based Defense News on April 18.

With an attacking range of 400 kilometers, the S-400 system would allow China to strike any aerial target over Taiwan and could also reach New Delhi, Calcutta, Hanoi and Seoul as well as enforcing China’s East China Sea ADIZ. Vasily Kashin, a Russian specialist in China’s military development, said the PLA can extend its influence but not dominate the airspace over the disputed Diaoyutai islands (Senkaku to Japan, Diaoyu to China). Targets within North Korea could also be attacked, Minnick noted.     [FULL  STORY]