Analysis Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Shows Chinese Military Needs Better Counter-strategy: Report

[Fuzuli NL]

13th December, 2020 18:07 IST

Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Shows Chinese Military Needs Better Counter-strategy: Report​

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a reminder to the Chinese military that they need to carefully consider counter-strategy as wars will be different from the past​

Written By Bhavya Sukheja

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a reminder to the Chinese military that they need to carefully consider counter-strategy as wars of the 21st century will be different from the battles of the past. While citing an article published by a firm that supplies military equipment to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that an alarming lesson from the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, which concerns drones’ transformation of battlefields, shows that China needs a better counter-strategy. It is worth noting that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the first in which drones deployed by one side turned the tide in the Azerbaijan-Armenia war.
According to reports, the ‘Naval and Merchant Ships’ article reviewed how the Armenian army was overwhelmed by enemy drones. Even though Armenia is superior to Azerbaijan in terms of conventional ground forces, the article noted that the Armenian army was easy prey for armed drones, especially Bayraktar TB2 drones that mounted precise attacks against targets in trenches and moving vehicles. The drones were also used for reconnaissance operations, which helped Azerbaijan to force an Armenian surrender within six weeks.

The article read, “In case of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the ‘shield’ to counter drones was not used effectively. Although each side hit large numbers of enemy drones, neither had the capabilities to stop incoming drones from inflicting damage”.

It added, “Our military has a large number of drones of various types and is also facing the threat of advanced enemy drones.. compare with the drones we saw in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the drone threat confronting us is more technologically advanced, harder to detect and defend”.

China’s ‘suicide drone’​

Further, the article went on to suggest PLA that they should increase its awareness of the threat from drones and incorporate it into its training and strategy. It also suggested the Chinese army of building a multilayer detection network with anti-drone radars, blind compensation radars, radio detection stations and other infrared or acoustic measures in a bid to seamlessly monitor incoming drones in multiple locations in a wide range. Apart from detection, the article also recommended tactics such as electronic jamming, using LD2000 ground-based anti-aircraft defence weapons and scattering fake objects.
According to ANI, China is known for its use of drones in the military as well as in surveillance over Uyghurs. They are reportedly developing new drones with greater capabilities in terms of speed, altitude, endurance and autonomy. Moreover, China has also developed a new low-cost “suicide drone” that can be launched from a light tactical vehicle or helicopter in a swarm to attack a target.

(Image & inputs: ANI) ​

https://www.republicworld.com/world...ary-needs-better-counter-strategy-report.html







First Published: 13th December, 2020 18:07 IST

 

[Fuzuli NL]

Drone attacks in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict ‘a warning for Chinese military’​

• Armenia’s ambush by Azerbaijan’s armed drones gives glimpse of a future for which China should up its readiness, says article published by supplier to PLA
• China is developing drones of increasingly advanced capability, but experts say they also allow less well equipped militaries to inflict punishing losses

Kristin Huang

Published: 6:00am, 13 Dec, 2020

Updated: 6:00am, 13 Dec, 2020

Azerbaijan’s drones targeted Armenian troops on the ground and helped force a surrender. Photo: EPA-EFE

An alarming lesson from the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict
over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh concerns drones’ transformation of battlefields, and shows China needs a
carefully considered counter-strategy
, according to an article published by a firm that supplies the
People’s Liberation Army
(PLA).
The article, in the latest edition of Naval and Merchant Ships– a Beijing-based magazine published by the state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation – reviewed how the Armenian army
was overwhelmed by enemy drones
.
Despite their superiority in conventional ground forces, including tankers, radars and armoured vehicles, the Armenian army were easy prey for armed drones from Azerbaijan, notably Bayraktar TB2 drones that mounted precise attacks against targets in trenches and moving vehicles.

Videos taken by Azerbaijan’s hovering drones showed Armenian soldiers being identified and targeted on the ground. The drones were also used for reconnaissance operations, helping Azerbaijan to force an Armenian surrender within six weeks.

Deadly clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan reignite over Nagorno-Karabakh​

The enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh is inside the internationally recognised borders of Azerbaijan but was controlled by ethnic Armenian factions.


“In the case of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the ‘shield’ to counter drones was not used effectively,” the Naval and Merchant Ships article said. “Although each side hit large numbers of enemy drones, neither had the capabilities to stop incoming drones from inflicting damage.”

It went on to say: “Our military has a large number of drones of various types and is also facing the threat of advanced enemy drones … compared with the drones we saw in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the drone threat confronting us is more technologically advanced, harder to detect and defend.”

The article said the PLA should increase its awareness of the threat from drones and incorporate it into its training and strategy.

“For most grass-roots units of the Chinese military, how to counter drones is still a new lesson,” the article said, adding that units needed to gain a deeper understanding of the characteristics of different drones – ranging from attacking drones to stealth drones – and strategies to counter them.

It suggested building a multilayer detection network with anti-drone radars, blind compensation radars, radio detection stations and other infrared or acoustic measures “to seamlessly monitor incoming drones in multiple locations in a wide range”.

Other than detection, it recommended tactics such as electronic jamming, using LD2000 ground-based anti-aircraft defence weapons, and scattering fake objects.
China is also an active user of drones
in the military sphere and continues to develop new drones with greater capabilities in terms of stealth, speed, altitude, endurance and autonomy.

It has developed a new low-cost “suicide drone” that can be launched from a light tactical vehicle or from helicopters in a swarm to attack a target, Chinese media reported in October.
Michael Raska, an assistant professor with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said that despite use of drones in warfare dating back to US drone strikes in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Armenian political and military leadership had failed to react to technological advances.

“The conflict will certainly increase the debate on the use of drones in conflicts, and ways to find effective countermeasures,” Raska said.

Timothy Heath, a senior security analyst from US think tank Rand, said the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict had made clear how theoretically weaker militaries could deploy armed drones effectively to inflict punishing losses on conventional ground forces that are supposedly superior yet unprepared.
“The recent conflict shows that advanced militaries must develop low-cost and plentiful defences against drones,” Heath said. “Ground forces should field plenty of portable radars and surface-to-air missiles that can keep up with travelling armour and other ground force formations.”

Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst in defence strategy and capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict had shown the future of warfare, in which lethal autonomous weapons and loitering munitions – also known as suicide or kamikaze drones – could open up new paths for small and middle powers to exploit new technologies for lethal effect.

“Used effectively with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability, a drone fleet gives states the ability to strike rapidly and precisely at exposed or unprotected ground forces,” Davis said. “For states which can’t afford sophisticated air forces, drones give a cost-effective means to gain control of the air.”
He added that it was essential for countries to develop counter-drone capabilities. “I think that of key importance is counter-unmanned autonomous systems – technologies being employed at the tactical level down to individual units, with tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles having their own counter-drone systems incorporated into the design,” he said.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/dip...cks-nagorno-karabakh-conflict-warning-chinese

 

[Fuzuli NL]

It is clear how big a successTurkish drones and electronic warfare have been.
The latest operations in Syria, Libya, and Iraq by Turkish forces, and Nagorno karabagh by Azerbaijani forces have shown how effective Turkish technology, experience, tactics, and strategic thinking could decimate adversaries with the lowest risk possible, which have now attracted many countries to rethink their drone sttrategies for the future.

This calls for Turkish defence industry to work rapidly to develop more advanced solutions to counter the anti-drone measures which will be adopted soon by those countries and which they may sell to enemies of Ankara.

It's truely something to be proud of, but we need to be one, two , even ten steps ahead while we're at it.

 

[xizhimen]

China’s ‘suicide drone’​

Further, the article went on to suggest PLA that they should increase its awareness of the threat from drones and incorporate it into its training and strategy. It also suggested the Chinese army of building a multilayer detection network with anti-drone radars, blind compensation radars, radio detection stations and other infrared or acoustic measures in a bid to seamlessly monitor incoming drones in multiple locations in a wide range. Apart from detection, the article also recommended tactics such as electronic jamming, using LD2000 ground-based anti-aircraft defence weapons and scattering fake objects.
According to ANI, China is known for its use of drones in the military as well as in surveillance over Uyghurs. They are reportedly developing new drones with greater capabilities in terms of speed, altitude, endurance and autonomy. Moreover, China has also developed a new low-cost “suicide drone” that can be launched from a light tactical vehicle or helicopter in a swarm to attack a target.


First Published: 13th December, 2020 18:07 IST

These "suicide drones"?