Lessons from Ukraine: Chinese marines need better air defence capabilities, magazine says
- Sinking of Russian warships in Black Sea highlights threat posed by missiles, drones
- Amphibious fleets ‘vulnerable to attacks when they approach Taiwan’s coastline’
A big lesson for China from the Russia-Ukraine conflict is the need to strengthen the air defence capabilities of the nation’s marine corps, especially when conducting operations against Taiwan, according to a Chinese military magazine.
The magazine Naval and Merchant Ships said the biggest lesson from the Russia-Ukraine crisis is the urgent need to strengthen the air defence and anti-missile combat effectiveness of China’s marine corps, especially for front-line units.
The article said China traditionally placed a disproportionate emphasis on surface vessels in operations. That was an acceptable tactic when uploading weapons and crossing waters, but there was a void when it came to conducting anti-air and anti-missile operations after landing on a rival’s territory.
“The main duty of escort fleets is to provide various assistance, such as air defence and anti-missile shields, to amphibious fleets, which are vulnerable to attacks when they approach Taiwan’s coastline,” the article said, adding that amphibious ships’ air defence and anti-missile capabilities are weak even if they are equipped with HQ-10 short-range air-defence missiles.
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The article also said that Chinese missiles from surface ships lacked the range to effectively protect the marine corps.
The article also mentioned that Taiwan’s existing Thunderbolt-2000 multiple rocket launch system and the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, which might be procured in the future, could make it even harder for Chinese surface ships to mitigate threats.
