The introduction of Soviet/Russian weapons and equipment has been the only way for China to have access to the world’s latest and top-notch equipment for a long time.
From the early introduction of MiG-15/17/19/21 fighter jets, T-54A tanks, AK-47 rifles, P-2 missiles to the Russian Su-27/30 fighter jets, Hyundai-class destroyers, Kilo-class conventional submarines, S-300/400 air defense systems and other equipment in the 1990s have all become us at that time. The absolute main equipment in the army. After all, the fact that the “foundation is weak” lies there.
There was no way to enrich oneself through the Soviet Union/Russia to obtain the most advanced equipment.
Type 59 tank based on T-54A
Modern class destroyer
But after decades of painstaking development, the current situation is no longer the same as it was in the past. Russia is still the big arms exporter, but sales are shrinking year by year, but we are no longer the “primary school students” of the past.
One thing that should be faced squarely is that in the development of many of our existing advanced weapons, the assistance given by Russian-style equipment is extraordinary. It is based on these most advanced weapon platforms at the same time that we have a good start.
Whether it is reverse imitation or transformation and upgrading, Russian-style equipment is the basis. Without these, everything is impossible to talk about, but we cannot deny our own capabilities.
Compared with India and South Korea, even if it is imitation, it is difficult to reach the sky.
The comparison chart of aircraft carriers that make Russia “heart-struck”, above is the Russian navy aircraft carrier
Taking the Russian-style high-end weapon platform as the starting point and its own unremitting efforts, success will be natural. Up to now, most of the Russian-style equipment on sale is actually unattractive to us, and we have already surpassed in many ways.
Although Russia is still holding its former “honor” and refuses to bow its head, it is foreseeable that after more than ten years of development, it is not impossible for the Russian army to import China weapons. Especially in these areas:
Warship manufacturing
The design and construction of large military ships (excluding submarines and special ships) may be the biggest problem facing the Russian Navy. Although it inherits a large number of shipbuilding industries in the Soviet Union, it has been due to economic and financial problems plus Western blockades and sanctions.
World-class shipyards have not received any decent orders for military ships. They only talk about small missile boats and patrol boats (in military industry).
The latest warship that the Russian Navy has recently entered service is only the Gorshkov-class frigate with a displacement of 4,700 tons. In addition, the planned warships also include 120,000-ton destroyers and two amphibious assault ships.
However, due to energy prices The collapse of the Russian economy and the coldness of the Russian economy, it is still unknown whether these plans can be realized. As for the aircraft carrier, judging from the current economic strength of Russia, it can only be said to be powerless.
Gorshkov-class frigate
The industry has stagnated for many years, a large number of talents have been drained, and technology has not been updated, resulting in a continuous decline in the level of Russian warship manufacturing technology and high costs.
On the other hand, China is another scene. Various types of destroyers, frigates, and aircraft carriers produce dumplings, and their technological level is constantly rising. In comparison, the overall strength has surpassed Russia, especially the construction of the Type 055 destroyer and the domestically-made aircraft carrier has left the “big brother” far behind.
Domestic aircraft carrier
055 destroyer
Therefore, if the Russian navy wants to develop rapidly in a short period of time, it is actually a good choice to purchase Chinese warships. If you can’t let go of “face”, cooperation between the two parties is also feasible.
(But Russia is more inclined to French products, is Putin also a good face!)
Airborne active electronically scanned array radar (AESA radar)
Currently the strongest radar on fighter aircraft is this active phased array radar, which has a stronger detection range, higher resolution and multi-task target tracking ability than previous passive phased array radars.
The key is that this kind of radar is difficult to detect, and it can complete the search and tracking of the target without revealing its position after being turned on.
Although Russia started early in the development of passive phased array radar, the development of active radar has not yet entered the stage of large-scale practical use. Up to now, it is only news that Su-57 and MiG-35 may be equipped with similar Radar, but the maturity of the technology is still unknown.
We have developed relatively fast in this aspect. This equipment has been widely adopted on the J-10C, J-15 carrier aircraft, J-16 and J-20, and is not inferior to Western products in terms of performance.
Long-range air-to-air missile
In addition to the performance of a fighter, which air-to-air weapon is also an important determinant, especially the air-to-air missile. Taking the American AIM-120C as the standard, China PL-12 air-to-air missile is similar in performance, while Russia’s most advanced R-77 over-the-horizon air-to-air missile is slightly weak.
The performance of the PL-15 air-to-air missile is even more “one ride”. In terms of range, it has even surpassed the R-33 air-to-air missile with the longest range in the world.
The dual-pulse engine configuration allows the missile in flight to get a second time. Accelerate, the Russian R-33 is only equipped on the MiG-31 fighter.
Stealth technology
Relatively speaking, China advantage in stealth technology for the fifth-generation fighter is stronger than Russia. Whether it is in stealth coating, fighter aerodynamic layout design, and development of wave absorbing materials, it can be clearly understood from the J-20.
However, the development of Russia’s Su-57 is obviously not smooth, which is actually related to Russia’s backwardness in stealth technology.
China J-20 and Russia’s Su-57
Drone technology
What kind of equipment is the most “hot” in the 21st century? That is undoubtedly drones. The recent local conflict in the Naka region is a microcosm of drones dominating modern warfare. China development in this area can also be described as “ruling the roost” on a global scale. The system from micro-UAVs to large-scale UAVs integrating surveillance and combat is sound, with a wide variety of types covering almost all fields, both internally and externally. Both enjoy a very high reputation.
On the other hand, Russia’s development in UAVs is slightly slower than that of manned fighter jets. Most of its models have also been developed in recent years. Compared with the world’s top UAVs, the level of technology is quite different. At least ten years or so.
Therefore, in the local conflicts in recent years, the Russian army has not widely used this equipment because it is a bit “unavailable.”
In addition to these aspects, China has surpassed Russia in the development of composite materials, precision guided weapons, avionics systems, and artificial intelligence, although Russia will not recognize these facts.
Of course, our ultimate goal is not as simple as surpassing Russia. Reaching the world’s top in all fields is the real revival.
The reason why Russia is still regarded by the United States as a strong opponent, it does have some “heavy” capital in its hands, such as strategic bombers, nuclear submarines, more advanced air defense systems, ballistic missiles that make the world “frightened”, etc.
It is still the world’s top presence, and we still need to continue to work hard in these areas.
