Dr. Alexandr Nemets
Thursday, March 21, 2002

During the recent annual session of the Chinese Parliament, on March 5-12, Hong Kong and Taiwanese media published many reports about a huge new increase in the Chinese military budget and PLA modernization prospects.

Some of these reports even claimed that China's real defense expenditures are five times greater than the ones stated officially (the author still believes that real expenses surpass the official by "only" four times).

Indeed, almost unlimited financing allows the PLA to purchase hundreds of modern fighters, dozens of ICBMs and intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) to be used against the U.S. and Japan, hundreds of short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) and land-attack cruise missiles (LACMs) to be used against Taiwan, and many submarines and destroyers.

Some reports even claim that China is now concentrating on aircraft carrier construction: the Ukrainian-made Varyag carrier, after more than a year of miraculous adventures, finally came to Dalian city and could be re-equipped at the huge local huge military shipbuilding plant.

'Killing Maze'

Another direction of PLA warfare development, however, is as dangerous as all the listed weapons put together.

In January 1999, the PLA paper Jiefangjun Bao stated – for the first time, it seems – the necessity of developing a "shashoujian" or "killing maze" weapon, which could bring the PLA victory in a conflict over Taiwan, even if U.S. forces are involved.

In February 2001, Hong Kong media reported that Chinese President Jiang Zemin himself is supervising the development of the killing maze. "As a large nation, China should have procured some shashoujian weapons in the struggle against global hegemony," Mr. Jiang, also chairman of the Central Military Commission, told a commission meeting.

Let's look at what concrete forms the killing maze or "quasi-absolute weapon" could take in China in the near future.

Remarkably, in the 21st century the PLA wants to be armed with weapons systems suitable for local conflicts in high-tech environments. This includes (a) electromagnetic weapons, (b) high-precision missile weapons, (c) electronic weapons and (d) oriented energy (lasers) producing narrow energy clusters of high capacity. Following is a brief description of the major trends in electromagnetic and laser weapons.

Electromagnetic Weapons

1. Electromagnetic gun

In 1999-2001, the PLA was engaged in developing a "shell-less gun" (electromagnetic gun, or EMG). Present efforts are concentrated on developing (a) an anti-tank EMG and (b) an anti-aircraft EMG.

At the same time, the PLA is engaged in developing a new generation of light weapons for the 21st century (portable weapons for ground troops), based on new principles. This includes a shell-less gun and small-sized sources of an electromagnetic field.

2. Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) bombs, to be used primarily against the U.S. and Taiwan navies

At the beginning of 2000, Chinese military strategists called for the accelerated development of EMP bombs or missiles as a means to destroy U.S. aircraft carriers.

The PLA claims the "high degree of electronization" is the Achilles' heel of U.S. aircraft carrier fleets, whose electronic equipment is their "central nervous system." Also, U.S. carrier groups are easy targets for attacks by satellite-guided EMP missiles, which could paralyze the fleets' electronic equipment and render ships helpless to conventional air and sea attack.

Short- or medium-range EMP bombs or missiles only need to explode within dozens of miles around the carrier to destroy all important shipboard integrated circuits and chips in the electronic equipment, thus paralyzing the radar and telecom system of the aircraft carrier and the vessels around it, as well as ship-mounted missiles and aircraft.

Remarkably, the joint development of electromagnetic weapons of several kinds is definitely included in the June 1999 and January 2000 Chinese-Russian agreements on long-term military-technological cooperation on high-tech weapons.

In December 2000, Col.-Gen. Zhang Wannian, second in command of the PLA (after Jiang Zemin), said that war with Taiwan is "inevitable" and that the use of EMP warheads will paralyze Taiwan's electrical power supply and potentially its air force as well.

Reportedly, the development of EMP warheads in China accelerated in 2001.

3. Radio-frequency (microwave) weapon

By the end of 2001, Russia had developed a microwave weapon and proposed it to "old friends" China and India.

Particularly, in November-December 2001, Russia's state-owned arms-export monopoly, Rosoboronexport, began selling the world's first openly marketed radio-frequency weapons, the "super-enemy" of electronics.

Experts have long worried that terrorists and thugs would use radio frequency (RF) weapons. RF weapons can disperse a non-nuclear electromagnetic pulse over a wide area, crippling computers, phone networks and electrical appliances, civilian as well as military.

Executives from Rosoboronexport made presentations about two weapons – "Ranets-E" and "Rosa-E" – at the Lankagwi International Maritime and Aerospace 2001 exhibition in Malaysia in October 2001.

The Ranets-E system is claimed to be able to incapacitate the electronics of incoming aircraft and missiles. It is a "mobile RF defense system against high-precision weapons."

This system consists of an antenna, a high-capacity power generator, control and measuring equipment and an energy supply subsystem. The Ranets-E can be installed on a stationary or mobile base, including transport aircraft. Its energy output exceeds 500 megawatts and it can disable the guidance system of missiles and avionics of fighter aircraft in a 20-mile range.

The Ranets-E is a real "RF cannon." It has a maximum range of 20 miles and can fire in a 60-degree arc. Targeted electrical and electronics systems stop functioning.

The Rosa-E system is designed to break the electronics of the enemy's radar systems and other ground-based military installations. Though smaller in size and having less output than Ranets-E, Rosa-E is intended to disperse over a wide area, affecting any and every electronic device in the target area.

It can be launched from aircraft or even from short-range missiles. It releases an energy burst of 100 kilowatts, affecting everything from computers to power distribution systems and radar screens. It, too, works in the centimeter-wave frequency range.

It will not be difficult for China to rapidly organize serial production of both systems.

Laser Weapons

1. Anti-satellite weapon (ASAT)

By 1997-99, China, using predominantly Russian technologies, had made serious progress in developing a ground-based ASAT, worrying U.S. experts. This weapon was designed to destroy U.S. civilian and military satellites and, consequently, to interfere with U.S. intelligence and commercial communications networks as well as the GPS network.

By the end of 1998, PLA already had the capability of damaging optical sensors on satellites in low orbit with ground-based lasers. This means that in the case of conflicts around Taiwan and in the South China Sea, Chinese lasers could blind U.S. reconnaissance and communications satellites.

Reportedly, in 2000-2001 ASAT research and development have been promoted greatly in China.

2. Short-range battlefield laser gun

In 1998-99, China received from Russia and Israel a lot of related technology. And in 2000, the PLA was engaged in "independent development" of a portable laser for ground troops.

3. Anti-missile laser weapon

By the end of 1999, the PLA had developed a state-of-the-art laser anti-missile weapon for use in the Chinese Theater Missile Defense. During August-September 1999, the PLA successfully tested advanced laser weapons to destroy incoming missiles.

China conducted laser weapons experiments to intercept low-flying cruise missiles in Qinghai and Tibet in August 1999. Unlike traditional anti-missile defenses, where missiles are dispatched to shoot down incoming rockets, Chinese airborne lasers destroy the guidance systems of attacking missiles, causing them to fall harmlessly to Earth.

The accelerated development of PLA anti-missile lasers represents a response to the U.S. NMD and East Asian TMD projects.

In 2000, the PLA was developing an advanced laser system controlled from space or from airborne platforms to destroy enemy cruise and ballistic missiles. PLA experts realize this is a long-term project, and foresee a three-phase development.

In the first stage, a laser weapons system will be installed on an airborne platform. In the second stage, lasers will be put on a more advanced airborne platform, and 10 years after this second stage, the system will be operated from a pilotless aircraft and/or from military satellites.

In fact, the PLA is currently developing ground-based, airborne and satellite-based anti-missile laser systems for its TMD.

According to the Hong Kong media, in June 2000 the Chinese military was developing sophisticated laser artillery (also known as "death ray" artillery). It was listed in China's "1998 National Security System Project," adopted by Jiang Zemin in 1999.

The PLA successfully tested laser artillery – for the second time – in intercepting low-flying missiles in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in early June 2000. This laser weapon could significantly upgrade the anti-aircraft and anti-missile capability of, particularly, the PLA navy. Reportedly, new tests of "laser artillery" took place in 2001.

It should be emphasized that China received from Russia much of its laser technology, both for civilian and military use, from 1992 to 1998. And in June 1999, in Moscow, Col.-Gen. Zhang Wannian concluded agreements on joint laser-weapons development.

Dr. Alexandr V. Nemets is co-author of "Chinese-Russian Military Relations, Fate of Taiwan and New Geopolitics."

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