Construction of an airfield on the disputed Spratly Islands puts Australia in reach of China’s strategic bombers: Reports
CHINA is building an air base on a remote, disputed island chain off its coast. For the first time, it would put China’s bombers within range of Australia.
AN air base being built on a disputed island chain is raising eyebrows as its puts Chinese strategic bombers in range of Australia for the first time.
Defence Publication IHS Janes says analysis of satellite photographs shows China is turning Fiery Cross Reef in the contentious Spratly Islands into a land mass big enough to hold a military air base.
The construction work shows China is enforcing its claim on the mineral and oil-rich chain of islands which are also claimed by Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and the Philippines. Beijing claims nearly all of the resource-rich South China Sea.
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The vast land reclamation project is one of several pursued by China but the first that could accommodate an airstrip, says US military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Poole.
“It appears that’s what they’re working toward,” Poole told AFP.
China does not appear to be hiding its intentions. Computer generated images of its proposed base have been circulating in local media for much of the year.
Stepping stone to Australia
If China truly is building an air base — and Janes says land 3km long and 200 to 300m wide has been reclaimed since August is “large enough to construct a runway and apron” — it even has implications for Australia.
Despite being some 3200km distant, Taiwanese media has pointed out that China’s long range bomber — the Xian H-6K — can deploy with cruise missiles capable of striking “all US military facilities in Australia”.
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The H-6K, which is based on the Russian Tu-16 “Badger” design from the 1960s, entered service in 2009. China claims it has a combat radius of 3500km. The heavily reworked design is said to have replaced its bomb bay with extra fuel tanks, while six weapons — such as the nuclear capable CJ-10A cruise missiles — can be slung from pylons beneath the wings.
The CJ-10A cruise missile can reportedly home-in on targets a further 2000km away.
Tensions set to soar
Regardless of the implications for Australia, the construction work is being seen as a further escalation of tensions in the South China Sea.
Janes notes that, in addition to the reclaimed land, significant effort was being put into dredging a deep harbour alongside the reef capable of containing “tankers and major surface combatants”.
“The land reclamation at Fiery Cross is the fourth such project undertaken by China in the Spratly Islands in the last 12-18 months and by far the largest in scope,” the Janes report said.
China already has built islands at Johnson South Reef, Cuateron Reef, and Gaven Reefs, it said.
“Given its massive military advantage over the other claimants in terms of quantity and quality of matériel, this facility appears purpose-built to coerce other claimants into relinquishing their claims and possessions, or at least provide China with a much stronger negotiating position if talks over the dispute were ever held,” IHS Jane’s wrote.
The project is believed to cost about $6 billion and may take up to 10 years to complete.
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