PLAN SCS Bases/Islands/Vessels (Not a Strategy Page)

plawolf said:

If I was in charge, I would remove the round huts but unify and strengthen the support structures and connect it to the main facility with a ramp and make that into a helipad. That is the only thing obviously missing from that facility, and would be far more useful for either personnel transfer, resupply, medivac, evacuation and for investigating anything away from the base.

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Agreed 100%.

They could clearly do this, and it would improve the conditions on that small facility, and the use and utility of the station as well.

It is a small station that is basically staking claim by the PRC to that area of water. A presence that basically says...this is ours. Clearly it is not a place that could be defended...but that is not its purpose. It sends a message that is backed up by the strength of the PRC and PLAN.

Imagine you kicked a football off the court and have to swim in the water to get it lol

I don't know about you gents, but I see me a nice big patch suitable for small to medium helicopter operations. A bit of a snug fit for the Z-8 but it could be done in a pinch (and yes, going from G-Earth this is pretty close to a standard ball court in size).

Preux said:

I don't know about you gents, but I see me a nice big patch suitable for small to medium helicopter operations. A bit of a snug fit for the Z-8 but it could be done in a pinch (and yes, going from G-Earth this is pretty close to a standard ball court in size).

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Sure they can use the open courtyard to land a small to medium sized helicopter in good weather, but if you get any sort of adverse weather, trying to land a helicopter that close to a building is a significant risk. One strong gust at the wrong time could be all it takes to cause a major accident.

There are also no markings, which both indicates that the PLA never intended to use it as helipad, and also makes it extra difficult and dangerous to use it as such.

Can it be used to land a small helicopter? Sure. Would you want to use it as a helipad? Absolutely not, and it is not something you would want to be doing on a regular basis.

plawolf said:

Sure they can use the open courtyard to land a small to medium sized helicopter in good weather, but if you get any sort of adverse weather, trying to land a helicopter that close to a building is a significant risk. One strong gust at the wrong time could be all it takes to cause a major accident.

There are also no markings, which both indicates that the PLA never intended to use it as helipad, and also makes it extra difficult and dangerous to use it as such.

Can it be used to land a small helicopter? Sure. Would you want to use it as a helipad? Absolutely not, and it is not something you would want to be doing on a regular basis.

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I am sure they have something like that in mind, if only because space is at a premium on such a small structure and a large open space like that would have many purposes earmarked.

You also need a heavily reinforced platform to be a helipad, so what I think we are looking at is that this base is not intended to operate helicopters except under emergency conditions, which is also why I said 'in a pinch', hope that makes it clearer.

plawolf said:

Can it be used to land a small helicopter? Sure. Would you want to use it as a helipad? Absolutely not, and it is not something you would want to be doing on a regular basis.

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I agree and think that rebuilding those huts and their supports into a nice medium sized (or even large sized while they are at it), would be an excellent addition to this forward base.

Jeff Head said:

I agree and think that rebuilding those huts and their supports into a nice medium sized (or even large sized while they are at it), would be an excellent addition to this forward base.

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Helicopters don't always need to land, they are usually equipped with winches and cargo hooks used for personnel and/or cargo transfers. Basket ball courts are just fine for those purposes.

The establishment of an ADIZ over the East China Sea naturally let me think of a similar zone in this area. Do I understand correctly that no Chinese runway on any of the islands is fit to operate J-10 or J-11 fighters? Would a light fighter version of L-15 be able to use runways in this area. They would only be armed with a cannon and perhaps carry external fuel tanks. Supported by KJ-200.
No doubt the institution of this zone will await experience with the zone over the East China Sea and of course the production of suitable aircraft and the establishment of a support organisation.

delft said:

The establishment of an ADIZ over the East China Sea naturally let me think of a similar zone in this area. Do I understand correctly that no Chinese runway on any of the islands is fit to operate J-10 or J-11 fighters? Would a light fighter version of L-15 be able to use runways in this area. They would only be armed with a cannon and perhaps carry external fuel tanks. Supported by KJ-200.
No doubt the institution of this zone will await experience with the zone over the East China Sea and of course the production of suitable aircraft and the establishment of a support organisation.

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I doubt China will be the first to establish an ADIZ over the SCS; it's just not China's style. China's style is to wait for the opponent to do something and then respond in kind. As such, I believe that China will only establish an ADIZ only if another claimant does so first. However, I don't think any of them will, since none of them have a strong air force. This makes the establishment of an ADIZ over the SCS an unlikely occurrence in the near future.

delft said:

The establishment of an ADIZ over the East China Sea naturally let me think of a similar zone in this area. Do I understand correctly that no Chinese runway on any of the islands is fit to operate J-10 or J-11 fighters? Would a light fighter version of L-15 be able to use runways in this area. They would only be armed with a cannon and perhaps carry external fuel tanks. Supported by KJ-200.
No doubt the institution of this zone will await experience with the zone over the East China Sea and of course the production of suitable aircraft and the establishment of a support organisation.

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I agree with Job. Its simply not in China's style to raise the stakes and heighten tensions unilaterally no matter what the western press likes to say.

If anything, the establishment if the East China Sea ADIZ is a good example for South East Asian States with disputed claims with China to see just what poking the dragon gets you.

If China sets up an ADIZ in the South China East which covers disputed islands, that may well force the likes of Vietnam and the Philipines to respond even if they don't want to so as to avoid looking like they are backing down or conceding. In addition, setting up another ADIZ would only play into the hands of America and the western media as they could then use the reaction from South East Asian countries to continue their narrative that it is China that is making waves.

However, even if China did nothing, none of those countries are stupid and can see clearly that setting up an ADIZ is now an option Beijing could use if they annoyed China sufficiently, so if anything, the threat of setting up an ADIZ is a much greater and effective deterrent than actually setting one up. So things may actually quieten down a little.

If anything, I would be wary of Washington trying to entice the likes of the Philipines into sending out military air patrols over disputed territory precisely to provoke China into setting up another ADIZ so that Washington and their minions in the press can paint the Chinese ADIZ as some kind of sinister land grab attempt and continue their narrative that China is cause problems with 'all' its neighbours.