China Finds Milplex Opportunities In Africa Aplenty Part Two

MILPLEX

Poland may withdraw troops from Chad, Lebanon to cut costs: Tusk
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Saturday Poland may withdraw its troops from Chad and Lebanon as part of a 3.9 billion euro cost-cutting plan to help ward off the financial crisis. "We will consider whether it makes sense to continue with certain foreign missions. We will certainly take a decision about Chad and Lebanon this year," he said. The government said on Tuesday it is cutting spending by 17 billion zlotys (3.878 billion euros, 5.06 billion dollars) from the 321.221 billion zlotys it had planned to spend this year, in response to the global economic crisis. Poland's current 400-member mission in Chad is the second-largest in the European Union's peacekeeping force after France. Last month Defence Minister Bogdan Klich said the size of its mission could be cut to 300, when the EU's UN-approved mandate expires in March and the mission is passed to the world body. Poland also has nearly 500 troops in Lebanon as part of the UN peacekeeping force (UNIFIL), which is helping to monitor a ceasefire between Israel and the militia group Hezbollah following a month-long war in 2006. Photo courtesy of AFP.

by Andrei Chang
Hong Kong (UPI) Jan 30, 2009
The Angolan army is in contact with Chinese defense manufacturer Norinco, seeking to buy heavy artillery, armored vehicles and ammunition.

China already has been supplying an extensive range of light weapons and ammunition to Zimbabwe and Angola.

African military sources told United Press International that Norinco recently exported a number of 155mm howitzers to North African countries, including Algeria, Sudan and Egypt.

One source told UPI that Algeria purchased enough 155mm auto-propulsion howitzers to equip a battalion. Algeria traditionally has not been a purchaser of Chinese ground-force equipment, but seems to have taken its lead from Sudan, which first bought the howitzers.

One company of Chinese auto-propulsion 155mm howitzers consists of six artillery vehicles, one 704-1 positioning radar and one 720-D meteorological radar. One battalion is composed of 18 155mm howitzers, one command vehicle and one surveillance vehicle.

This type of auto-propulsion 155mm howitzer originated from the 45-caliber PLL01 towed howitzer, which uses extended range full bore, base bleed or rocket-assisted -- ERFB-BB/RA -- ammunition with a maximum range of 50 kilometers (30 miles).

Other ammunition used for the howitzer includes the 30-kilometer (18 mile) range ERFB/HE -- high explosive -- and the 39-kilometer (24 mile) range ERFB-BB/HE. The weight of the artillery weapon is 13 tons.

Analysts from the African military industry believe China has fitted Russian Krasnopol semi-active laser-guided gun launch projectiles on its 155mm howitzers. The United Arab Emirates uses the Chinese-version Krasnopols, which are almost one-third cheaper than the Russian originals.

A military source also told the author that Norinco has delivered WMZ-551 6X6 wheeled armored vehicles to both Zambia and Kenya in the past three years.

Kenya is not a traditional market for Chinese ground-force equipment, but as China has been competing fiercely with Russia and South Africa in selling arms in Africa, it appears to be opening up new markets.

The Royal Guards of Oman have imported 50 of these vehicles, and the Sudanese army also has them.

The WMZ-551 uses a new turret and is equipped with the 2A72 30mm gun produced under license from Russia. The armored vehicle can be fitted with a 12.7mm machine gun, 105mm smooth-bore gun, 120mm mortar and four HJ-8 anti-tank missiles.

It has been reported recently that the Chinese army's light mechanized brigades have received batches of WMZ-551 wheeled armored vehicles fitted with 120mm mortar guns, 105mm smooth-bore guns and 2A72 30mm cannon guns. A source from the Chinese military industry told United Press International that the turrets of the WMZ-551 can be transferred to 8X8 wheeled vehicles once those have been developed.

Aside from the weapon systems fitted on board, the WMZ-551 has a combat weight of 13.5 to 19 tons. It is powered by one 235-kilowatt diesel engine, has a maximum speed of 85 kilometers per hour, a maximum duration of 600 kilometers (360 miles), a length of 6.69 meters, width of 2.86 meters, and its speed in water is 8 kilometers per hour.

(Andrei Chang is editor in chief of Kanwa Defense Review Monthly, registered in Toronto.)

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MILPLEX

Analysis: European defense contracts

Brussels (UPI) Jan 26, 2009
French arms exports soared by almost 15 percent in 2008, the French government announced earlier this month. France hopes to further boost its international arms exports by finally creating overseas demand for its long-criticized Rafale fighter jet, manufactured by Dassault.

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