Effectiveness of China's Air Defence?

solarz said:

Seeing how effortlessly the Western coalition destroyed Libya's air defences (billed as one of the best in the Middle East, second only to Egypt), how well do you guys think China would fare against such an attack? Or, more likely, against a much more massive attack in the same vein.

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Billed by who and based on what exactly? Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia not in the middle east?

The Libyans had nothing impressive and the bulk of their radars and SAMs were obsolete by even North Korean standards. Not to mention the fact significant parts of their armed forces defected or refused to fight, significantly weakening what air defense capabilities they might have had to start with.

If anyone had tried to achieve air superiority over mainland China with the same assets used against Libya, they would have been slaughtered. Might achieve a decent kill ratio, but they would still be hopelessly outmatched and ultimately destroyed.

plawolf said:

Billed by who and based on what exactly? Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia not in the middle east?

The Libyans had nothing impressive and the bulk of their radars and SAMs were obsolete by even North Korean standards. Not to mention the fact significant parts of their armed forces defected or refused to fight, significantly weakening what air defense capabilities they might have had to start with.

If anyone had tried to achieve air superiority over mainland China with the same assets used against Libya, they would have been slaughtered. Might achieve a decent kill ratio, but they would still be hopelessly outmatched and ultimately destroyed.

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Sorry, that's second on the African continent. Which, I guess, isn't saying much.

Still, I'm interested in what kind of defenses China would have against tomahawk strikes?

solarz said:

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Sorry, that's second on the African continent. Which, I guess, isn't saying much.

Still, I'm interested in what kind of defenses China would have against tomahawk strikes?

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Fighters, SAMs and AAA as well as active offensive measures aimed at taking out the launch platforms.

The PLA might have a problem with subs, but surface ships would need to stay a long way out to keep risks to an acceptable level.

Without air superiority, tomahawks strikes will have questionable effectiveness to say the least, especially those coming over the sea as would need to happen.

With long range ground based radars as well as AWACS, cruise missiles will be spotted from a long way out. One of the mean reasons the PLAAF is loathed to loose numbers and insist on keeping the likes of the J7 is to counter exactly this threat.

Ground controllers and AWACS will vector fighters to intercept cruise missiles and they will get easy kills with slow strait flying tomahawks.

What get past the fighter screens will have to run the gauntlet of SAMs and AAA, all of which will know where and when these missiles will be coming into range.

Then, what missiles get past that may well have to then penetrate CIWS which are likely to be protecting key targets.

One of the first thing China would do is to take out all of the opponent's reconnaisance satellites within the space vicinity of the country. Intelligence would likely have already been gathered well before the start of the attack, and so all mobile high value assets will have to be to be moved and shifted far from their original location with many decoys put in their place.

Does China have a fully integrated network similar to the North American something something (forgot the full name all of the sudden) built since the Cold War?
Somehow, from reading current reports, the PLA seems to only have terminal phase protection using S-300s and its indigneous duplicates for few large cities. The rest of China seem to eb fully exposed to all possible attacks.

pugachev_diver said:

Does China have a fully integrated network similar to the North American something something (forgot the full name all of the sudden) built since the Cold War?
Somehow, from reading current reports, the PLA seems to only have terminal phase protection using S-300s and its indigneous duplicates for few large cities. The rest of China seem to eb fully exposed to all possible attacks.

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NORAD?

I would think so. at least in regional level.
back in the olden days where it was shifting its HQ-2s to deal with intel-flights from ROCAF it had an air defence command HQ to direct where its interceptors were to launch.
They didn't put in those fiber optical cables backbones for nothing.

besides isn't there a 2nd Arty command and control center Gates visited a while back?

i.e. said:

NORAD?

I would think so. at least in regional level.
back in the olden days where it was shifting its HQ-2s to deal with intel-flights from ROCAF it had an air defence command HQ to direct where its interceptors were to launch.
They didn't put in those fiber optical cables backbones for nothing.

besides isn't there a 2nd Arty command and control center Gates visited a while back?

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Yes, the 2nd Arty did let Gates visit the command center but that was a gesture of courtesy since Gates requested it. PLA let Gates in out of good will but merely showed a minimal faction of the large 2nd Arty force.

solarz said:

Seeing how effortlessly the Western coalition destroyed Libya's air defences (billed as one of the best in the Middle East, second only to Egypt), how well do you guys think China would fare against such an attack? Or, more likely, against a much more massive attack in the same vein.

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Hi,

Sir---I hope that you have been reading the news about libya----one of the interesting items was that Gadaffi had not armed his millitary well----. Possibly his security forces were better equipped and trained than the millitary.

Now as far his air force goes---what did it have other than the mig 21's and23's---the mirage F1's are I believe retd----obsolete missile systems---no training---no tactics---no exposure to western style warfare----no war air war excercizes---.

No answer to tomahawk cruise missiles-----. Where is the comparison in this case---plus all the coalition planes can take off from bases not too far away and bomb the target---.

As of today---all libyan aircraft have either been destroyed or incapable of flying-----. Of the 300 aircraft--maybe 150 were operational----and they got taken out where they were parked.

FarkTypeSoldier said:

Yes, the 2nd Arty did let Gates visit the command center but that was a gesture of courtesy since Gates requested it. PLA let Gates in out of good will but merely showed a minimal faction of the large 2nd Arty force.

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my point is that they do have an integrated and centralized command center to monitor their own nukes and early warning systems to watch for ballistic missiles and I presume air threats.

which answers the point raised:
"Does China have a fully integrated network similar to the North American something something (forgot the full name all of the sudden) built since the Cold War?"

Well, even if the air defense network is penetrated, it appears of PLAAF is This meant instead of total air supremacy we have seen in last few conflicts, the situation will be more like a contested air superiority as seen in WWII.