From: v-nguyen@cis.ohio-state.edu (Viet-Anh V Nguyen)
Subject: [NEWS] New clout as a territorial dispute heats up
Originator: v-nguyen@tortoise.cis.ohio-state.edu
Organization: The Ohio State University Dept. of Computer and Info. Science
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 02:09:27 GMT

Excerpted from the NYT, Sunday, August 23, 1992
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CHINA OBTAINS TECHNOLOGY FOR AERIAL REFUELING OF JETS

By Nicholas D. Kristof

BEIJING, Aug. 22 - The Chinese Air Force has obtained the technology to refuel
its jet fighters in midair, an ability that will allow it to extend its power
beyond China's borders and is likely to alarm neighboring countries, diplomats
and military experts say.

It will probably take several years of rigorous preparation and training before
the air force can use its new technology effectively, the experts say. But some
add that by the end of the 1990's, in-flight refueling could significantly en-
hance the armed forces' clout.

"The long-term implication is that China may be more effective in using its
military power in a regional capacity," said G. Keith Jacobs, an analyst of the
Chinese military who is based in the United States. "This is a development that
will have only a slight impact in the middle of the decade but could become far
more serious late in the 1990's."

China has never acknowledged obtaining the refueling technology. Asked to con-
firm or deny the acquisition of the technology, the Foreign Ministry took two
days before providing this terse response, "The reports you raise are incon-
sistent with reality."

But diplomats and military specialists are virtually certain that Beijing has
acquired the technology. They say China apparently intends to use aerial re-
fueling to enforce its claims to territories in the South China Sea, which
extends 800 miles south of the nearest populated Chinese territory.

In the last few months, Beijing has taken a more assertive stance toward the
claims. This has alarmed not only the five Southeast Asian countries that have
conflicting claims, but also Japan, which imports oil on tankers that pass thru
the area in dispute.

A senior Chinese official said in an interview that the nation's military tech-
nology would never be used for aggression. But some countries are nervous, 
noting that a few months ago China reportedly pledged its full military force
to back petroleum exploration in the disputed area.

In another sign of a more assertive approach, People's Daily reported this 
month that China has spent $4 million building a fresh-water supply system on
one of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. The water is thought to be
intended to serve a permanent military base on the island.

"China is certainly the military power to keep an eye on," said Robert C.M. 
Hall, the editor of Jane's Intelligence Review, a London-based monthly magazine
on potential conflicts around the world. "It is going much more toward a longer
-reach capability at sea."

China is also building a new generation of destroyers and frigates that will
significantly increase its navy's abilities. And military leaders are said to
be considering the purchase of an aircraft carrier from Ukraine.

Most military experts believe that China obtained the refueling technology from
Iran. Some believe that Pakistan and Israel may have also helped.

China appears to have learned how to use aerial refueling only in the last year
or so and faces enormous obstacles in fully incorporating it.

One problem is that China's F-7 fighter cannot be adapted to in-flight refuel-
ing. And it is uncertain if the longer-range F-8-2 is adaptable.

But China is taking delivery of 24 Russian-made Su-27 fighters this year, which
can be refueled in flight. And China's H-6 bomber can apparently be adapted for
aerial refueling.

The air force is believed to have converted a Yun-8 transport plane into an
aerial fuel tanker, and it may also have similarly converted an H-6.

"With the Su-27's and a tanker, it's possible to have a normal operation over
the South China Sea or over South Korea or anywhere," a Western diplomat said.

Foreign military experts doubt that the pilots could be counted on to refuel
their fighters unless they have several years more practice. But even without
dramatic increase in training, aerial refueling will make a significant differ-
ence in China's ability to project military power in Asia, said Andrew Yan, a
specialist on China at the Hudson Institute in Washington.


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