China has inked a deal with Russia to buy 24 Sukhoi Su-35 and 2 Amur-1650 Class submarines.
The announcement was made by President Xi Jinping before an anticipated visit to Russia.
Two of the submarines will be built in Russia, while an extra two submarines is to be built in China by Chinese workers. If we go by speculated costs of the purchases being made then the cost of the submarines will come to a total of $400 million, while the 24 SU-35 Flankers will come to a cost of around $1bn. However, we of course do not know the real price of the deal.
China’s defense budget is suspected to be the second largest in the world, with a suspected $100bn per year being spent on its national armed forces. By comparison the United States spends 7 times as much, with a $700bn commitment to its armed forces by tax payers.
The deal is suspected to be an agreement with the Russians for a more balanced role in the Asia pacific region to possibly challenge US commitments in the area.
The People’s Daily said: “The Su-35 fighters can effectively reduce pressure on China’s air defence before Chinese-made stealth fighters come online,”.
Overview: SU-35 ‘Flanker’
Specification: Single Seat, Twin Engine.
Maximum speed: Mach 2.25 or 1,490 mph
Range: High altitude: 3,600 km (1,940 nmi), 4,500 km (2,430 nmi) with 2 external fuel tanks; Ground level: 1,580 km (850 nmi)
Guns: 1 × 30 mm GSh-30 internal cannon with 150 rounds
Weapons: Capacity to carry 8,000 kg of weapons
Unit cost: $35-66 million each
Overview: Amur-1650 Class Sub
Displacement: 950 long tons surfaced
Length, speed: 192 ft 11 inches, 20 knots
Endurance: 40 days
Range: 3,000 nmi (5,600 km)
Crew: 18 Armaments: 4 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes
Weapons: • 16 torpedoes • 10 VLS cells
Unit cost: $100 million each
