[Ramble ON]

] After the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 Western military technology was banned from exports to China. Some countries ignoring that did run into severe US-pressure related to that.

In the ’60s and ’70s, China and USSR became antagonists, and the Chicom elders imploded the country, so the PLAAF was stuck with MiG-17, -19, and -21 derivatives.
In the ’70s, France sold heloes to China, which still develop and produce them as the Z-8, Z-9, and Z-11.
In the ’80s, USA sold some UH-60s to China, and they are still alive and breathing in Si Chuan and Xi Zhuang.
In and after the ’90s, OTOH, Israel was pressured to not upgrade the UAVs sold to China, but now China, or Chinese aerospace companies, evidently can domestically develop compatible UAVs.

BTW, on October 1, while watching the Chinese fire drill [sic], I was glancing at the company logos on the fronts of the ground vehicles, because some of these car and truck makers are listed in the Hong Kong stock exchange market. 8D
(Incidentally, the German MAN is buying 25% into Sinotruk (3808.HK), another Chinese heavy industries company is buying up the Hummer brand, &c.)
I’m not an expert of armoured fighting vehicles (except those few that I blew up in flight sims), but I guess the PLA has some IMO apparently redundant hardware, because China has many different brands and makers of military ground vehicles?
I mean, for instance: self-propelled howitzer that’s tracked, then self-propelled howitzer that’s wheeled; self-propelled mortar that’s tracked, then self-propelled mortar that’s wheeled; &c, and these are just the self-propelled surface-to-surface cannons. Can’t they just do like the Yanks do, and have only one M109 self-propelled gun, and one M110? 8D

] The CV ex. Varyag was not bought for years to overcome the shortage of steel or transform it into a casino at first.

IIRC, by now, China, or Chinese companies, have bought three carriers: two from Russia, and one from Australia?
OTOH, and IIRC, Taiwan, or Taiwanese company, has also bought one carrier from Canada, to scrap, eh, to recycle for metals. 8(
As I said before, in Asia, India and Thailand have carriers, and Japan and South Korea have helo carriers, that the USA doesn’t complain. Shrug.
Closer to the USA, in South America, Argentina and Brazil have carriers, that the USA doesn’t complain. Shrug^2.
If USA, on the other side of the Pacific, worries about an eventual Chicom carrier, then should the PLAN who’s enjoying the coconuts on Hai Nan Island, be scared sh_tless by the actual Thai carrier next door?

[Ramble OFF]

Just learnt that the Taiwanese model maker AFV Club plans to make a model kit of a Q version (egg-shape) IDF.

http://thepmw.com/phorum/read.php?f=3&i=12020&t=12019

The image is F-CK-1A 1452 (85-8073). For comparison, here’s the real 1452:

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Taiwan—Air/AIDC-F-CK-1A-Ching/1153572/&sid=dc445392415aca6f13b844775ced5570

] You could go through the F-5 gallery and see what they carry.

Ah. You meant A-5.

] KJ-200 cockpit looks far more modern than KJ-2000

IMO: seems the analogue and digital instruments are in English, not Chinese…
And the pilots don’t seem to have fans that are in Russian cockpits…

(Off-Topic Alert)

http://tw.knowledge.yahoo.com/question/question?qid=1105070303071

Yahoo! Taiwan Knowledge has a brief article in Chinese that says ROCAF pilots flew a North Yemeni squadron between 1979-1991, but I don’t know much, and haven’t researched much, into this matter. Shrug.
I assume Taiwanese blogs and sites have more about this matter… At least, I haven’t read anything (declassified) about ROCAF pilots buying the farm over there.

(On-Topic Alert)

Am I the only sod here who thinks USA-made jet fighters with IIAF markings look romantic?

Just read
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20090922-0
again, and it has two photos of reportedly the crash site.

] Have you seen todays news that Iran is carrying out in their words “missile defence excercises” , this involves firing off surface to surface missiles…

Were they again Photoshopped to show they seemed to launch a dozen missiles, when they actually launched only two? 8D

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/10/navy-looks-to-stop-enemy-ray-guns/

“Navy Looks to Stop Enemy Ray Guns”

* October 6, 2009 |
* By Noah Shachtman Email Author
* 11:00 am |
* Categories: Lasers and Ray Guns, Navy, Science!, Weapons and Ammo

The Taliban may prefer improvised bombs to ray guns, today. But that isn’t stopping the U.S. military from getting ready to defend against lasers and other so-called “directed energy weapons.”

(IMO: Red alert. Shields up.)

http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/ic/des/videos/index.html

“ATL Engages Ground Vehicle”