China Earthquake see the true strength of Chinese Soldiers

last SG · 2008-05-17T05:01:50+00:00

A PLA Black Hawk landed in Wenchuan, the epicenter of the earthquake. See how misty the surrounding mountainous area is

38 SG

saw the image and was a bit puzzled...;;;didnt know that china had blackhawks...

PLA Army Aviation got 2 dozens of S-70 Black hawks since 1980s, 20 belived still functional. As a matter of fact, the 1st copter landing in Wenchuan, the isolated area was done by the blackhawk, yet another impressive performance by the blackhawk:

http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/helicopter/s70.asp

wonderamazement SG

they even did airborne jumps...

Cpt.ZR SG

I was thinking maybe they can do heli rappling? Then drop supplies from the copters down to the epic center..

Then they can also set up temp aid stations or hospital using the uber big tent.

I was thinking if they could use motorbikes.. like you know those scramblers... just maybe 1 bike and 1 soilder with medical supply and food and water? No idea leh..

but dont flame me heh.

Pitot SG

The para op was led by the head of the jump sch and his deputy. Probably garang soldiers.

15 of them made it down and cancelled the operation due to bad weather. since then, no more airborne op afaik?

spencer99 SG

Actually... for 130,000 troops mobilized.... which is what i got a saw on the web... there is only 110 helicopters... something on another posters...which is a very lousy ratio...

I am not saying the SAF is better then the PLA... please! it is like saying an ant is stronger then an elephant!...

but the PLA is suppose to be modernized.... and become a '3G' type army with modern equipment... but from the soldier hiking article, it is largely still a "foot" army... with 'leg' infantry....

maybe only a very very small elite force is heli-capable.... the rest are still 'leg' infantry or 'motorized' only.

I think probably the 101st Air assualt division will have more heli-lift then the entire 'rescue' effort.... of 110 copters...

another likelihood is that the central govt is not really mobilizing all their forces... and is reserving their strategic reserve for other contingencies....

I doubt the chinese govt will 'accept' help in the form of Chinook helicopters from sgp or any other govt.. it will be a loss of 'face'...

actually, you can see the US, Indian or Russian military planners... to see how crippled the PLA is when the roads are destroyed.... what they have on their mind...

Atobe SG

It seems that the PLA Air Force is still technologically weak in terms of the latest electronic suites that are nearly standard with most western makes of aircrafts that allow 'All Weather Operation'.

Cockpit instrumentation in all the latest aircraft types would have allowed for flight in bad weather - that include flying through cloud or fog.

For military helicopter operation, the basic cockpit instrumentation that include digital map, GPS, inertial reference unit, Doppler radar, attitude and heading reference system - will probably help the PLA to overcome the present difficulties encountered.

Concerning the use of RSAF Chinooks to assist the DART team in the rescue efforts in China, it is unlikely that it can be done without the approval from the US Government.

Under the Rules of Purchase between the US and Singapore Governments, it would have precluded the use of the RSAF Chinooks to operate in territories that are considered a threat to US interests.

Arapahoe SG

intergrating technology with people and usage of equipment sometime goes into planning as well. And it takes an understanding of how it can work.

I had involved in labor intensive industry between SG and PRC. I can see the different management in implementing and managing a process and using technology to managed factory compare to Chinese base mgt preference of using human skills.

It is kind of surprise that with the huge defence budget we now see that support equipment was not considered.

BadzMaro SG

At the moment , they just need to send in masses and masses of ground troops. Pushing in slowly , the mobilisation is so propaganda man.. lol. Volunteer troops and people by the tens and thousands. Even with lack of air capabilities , they are showing to the world that the unity and duty . Communitarian style.

China style disaster relief.

There was once at a place where there was flood , PLA ran out of sand bags and troops volunteered to become sandbags. Damn i need to find that story. I idid not believe at first. lol

38 SG

Taking the US army’s handling 2005 Hurricane Katrina as a case, the human relief operation in large scale is always more complicated than what we thought easily.

The Sichuan earthquake has so far affected an area of more than 100000 sqkms and a population of near 5 millions. The aftershocks and bad weather and totally downed infrastructures and mountainous terrain make the rescue more difficult. For comparison, US army is much better equipped, the hurricane affected area’s infrastructures are basically intact and it happened in a flatted area. Yet the relief comes much later, remember the riots when the frustrated victims waiting for days for the relieving conveys?

38 SG

China style disaster relief.

There was once at a place where there was flood , PLA ran out of sand bags and troops volunteered to become sandbags. Damn i need to find that story. I idid not believe at first. lol

Basically every earthquake rescue is the same, before any human rescue is concluded, you have to basically use hand or light hand hold equipments to do the jobs. Even though, the earthquake has essentially whipped out the only road linking inside the affected area. Which means heavy equipments are difficult to be moved in in time. As most posters have already pointed out, the airlifting is initially huddled by the poor weather and the mountainous terrain, would you blunt enough here to tell us, pilot a Helo above the sea surface is exactly the same in a hilly and windy terrain with poor visibility?

BadzMaro SG

well ,u want me to be blunt , as a non-pilot , and my limited knowledge aerodynamics and almost no knowledge in the mechanics of piloting a Helicopter,I have to say that , to pilot a Helo above the the sea surface is NOT exactly the same in a hilly and windy terrain with poor visibility? Cause one is on sea , the other is in a hilly and windy terrain with poor visibility. lol. Unless the sea is windy with poor visibility too. anyways.. its not easy and safe in both situations

But whatever it is , the mobilisation is impressive given the curcumstances.

zaxis SG

their heli must be require very big landing ground

i do not see why they need to air drop drinking water? according to report 10 - 50 meter?

also can see from picture or video there are open rice field, why cannot land on rice field?

jayh272416 SG

also can see from picture or video there are open rice field, why cannot land on rice field?

I believe it's because they are in need of all those necessseties like rice and thus, do not want their helis to hand on the rice fields and destroy them.

38 SG

their heli must be require very big landing ground

i do not see why they need to air drop drinking water? according to report 10 - 50 meter?

also can see from picture or video there are open rice field, why cannot land on rice field?

Maybe to avert pestilence? Water may have already been polluted considering how many people died and can’t be retrieved in time. Drinking such water can be devastating.

Rice field is muddy place, no helo wants to be trapped in a swamp.

zaxis SG

so what different from throwing drinking bottled water from heli down?

doesn't that waste of effort?

how many bottle from heli can landed safely?

bottle drinking water is different from boxed maggie mee!

lionnoisy SG

US wil provide satellite images for rescue.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2008/may/104967.htm

the terrible terrain....

http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/2008-05-17/1110500780.html

lionnoisy SG

1.emergency evcaution for fear of dam collapse

http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2008-05-17/182915561446.shtml

17 05 2008 evening news

2. http://taiwan.huanqiu.com/hot/2008-05/114268_2.html

before--left and after--right

Arapahoe SG

so what different from throwing drinking bottled water from heli down?

doesn't that waste of effort?

how many bottle from heli can landed safely?

bottle drinking water is different from boxed maggie mee!

how long it takes to walk/Run to the epic center.

I would think that you can haul at least a Pallet of something between 800 lbs to 1200 lbs of aid.

Arapahoe SG

Taking the US army’s handling 2005 Hurricane Katrina as a case, the human relief operation in large scale is always more complicated than what we thought easily.

the katrina stories isn;t about not able to organized relief effort that was late. It was the Planner at Firma and local political level Govenor of the state that did not have a well thought out "Plan" and carry thru by alerting the national Guard to prepare for emergency. So when the levees broke everyone just watch TV. and finger start pointing.

everything was too late.

Shotgun SG

Under the Rules of Purchase between the US and Singapore Governments, it would have precluded the use of the RSAF Chinooks to operate in territories that are considered a threat to US interests.

Which is funny, cos Sikorsky sold PLA 20 S-70 Blackhawks some time ago...

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