China Trains Carrier Pilots

China has begun training the first 50 cadets for its projected carrier fleet, according to a 19 September 2008 The Indian Express article.

The article further states that the Kiev class carrier has been named the Shilang and is being fitted with a Chinese power plant. The article states that Indian sources believe the carrier will never be fully capable of combat operations, and will only be a training platform. US sources are reported to have said the PRC cannot have "an operational, domestically-produced aircraft carrier before 2015".

Other sources such as Naval-Technology.com indicate that the Varyag is considerably larger (Kuznetsov class, 58,500 ton compared to 40,400 ton)than the Kiev class. The larger Kuznetsovs can carry high performance aircraft such as the Sukhoi SU-27 instead of the V/STOL YAK-38 used by the Kievs.

Aussies Contemplate F-35

A 28 April 2008 story from The Australian reports a confidential report to Australian Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon is expected to suggest the F-35 multi-role aircraft to replace a mix of F-18 Hornets and the aging F-111 attack bombers after 2010.

China is likely to become the predominant air power in Asia in the next 30 years.

U.S. Troops in Taiwan?

A 23 April 2008 Taipei Times article reports at least the suggestion that U.S. Marines might be stationed at the American Institute in Taiwan headquarters in Neihu, Taipei City.

U.S. military forces have been absent from Taiwan since 1979.

Chinese Electric Cars

Electric and hybrid cars are difficult to sell in China, according to a 21 April 2008 Wall Street Journal story. The problem is the high prices of the environmentally friendly cars. The Toyota Prius, which sells for about $21,000 in the U.S., sells for almost double that amount in China.

Vietnamese Satellite Launched

A Lockheed-Martin built communications satellite, Vinasat-1, was launched 18 April according to a 19 April 2008 story from Bloomberg. The satellite was launched from French Guiana on a rocket built by the French company Arianespace. It is intended to remove dependence on ground stations for television and wireless communications for rural communities.

U.S. Shipped Nuclear Fuses to Taiwan

The Pentagon announced today that it had accidentally shipped four electrical fuses for MK-12 nuclear warheads to Taiwan, according to a 26 March 2008 NY Times story.
The U.S. claimed that the shipment should have contained helicopter batteries, and that the fuses have been returned unopened.