In episode 103 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast, Hardened Shelters and UCAVs: Understanding the Chinese Threat Facing Taiwan, John Baum chats with China expert Daniel Rice about a set of capabilities the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) may bring to bear in a possible future cross-strait conflict. Based on an independent analysis of unclassified aerial imagery, it looks like the Chinese military may be seeking to harness airfields adjacent to the Taiwan Strait for permanent, sustained operations in the event of an attack. The existing and newly installed hardened aircraft shelters afford secure facilities for maintenance, refueling, and rearmament in the event of surge operations during conflict. These airfields may also be instrumental in a broader PLAAF strategy to conduct large-scale attack drone operations against Taiwan. These are important factors for the U.S., Taiwan, and allies in the region to consider as they assess what it will take to deter, and necessary defeat, such an attack.

Image Source: Ken Allen

Credits:

Host: Lt Col (Ret.) John “Slick” Baum, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Daniel Rice, China Expert, Brute Krulak Center for Innovation and Future Warfare, Marine Corps University

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