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In the past, Shandong’s Jinan Military Region was where China kept its strategic reserve force to guard against invasion by the Soviet Union. But since 1996, the region’s strategic role has changed. The ground forces of this region, with the No. 54 Group Army at their core, now include a number of fast reaction units. The navy and air force units deployed in this region have also been built up; the Strategic Nuclear Submarine Force and the Air Defense Force in Shandong have been given priority attention.
Observers have noticed lately that a large proportion of the People’s Liberation Army’s new-generation navy and air force equipment, as well as air defense systems, has been deployed on the Shandong Peninsula. The Shandong military command’s capacity for air defense operations and long-range beyond-border air strikes has been greatly enhanced.
The strategic intent behind reinforcing both the offensive and defensive postures of this command could be summarized as follows:
First of all, with two 094 SSBNs – nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines – entering service, the overall combat strength of the No. 1 Nuclear Submarine Flotilla based in Qingdao, on the eastern Shandong Peninsula, has been greatly improved. As a consequence, there is a legitimate need to reinforce air defense and aerial interception capability in this region.
Secondly, in the event of a confrontation, the air force and navy aviation units stationed on the peninsula would coordinate with the combat operations of the PLA Navy North Sea Fleet, and play the critical role of blocking U.S. and Japanese forces heading south to the Taiwan Strait.
To implement this strategy, the PLA Air Force No. 5 Attacker Division has been armed with JH-7A fighter-bombers. This is the second JH-7A division of the Chinese Air Force after the No. 28 Attacker Division.
The airport at Weifang in central Shandong is now being drastically revamped. The No. 28 Attacker Division is armed with 24 JH-7As, and the No. 5 Attacker Division is expected to receive an equal number of JH-7As. These fighter-bombers are the latest variant, fitted with multirole pods, KD-88 long-range air-to-ground missiles and Y-91 anti-radiation missiles. With a combat radius of 1,500 kilometers (about 930 miles), the JH-7A fighter-bombers deployed on the Shandong Peninsula could theoretically cover all the U.S. military bases in Korea and the Taiwan Strait. If these fighter- bombers were all transferred to the Wendeng military airport, most of Japan’s Kyushu Island would be within their combat radius.
The JH-7A fighter-bombers of the No. 5 Attacker Division could also receive aerial support from the J-11 fighters deployed at the No. 19 Fighter Division at Jining, in southwestern Shandong. Jining has the best military airport on the peninsula, where huge underground aircraft hangars and first-line maintenance and support facilities have been completed.
By contrast, the No. 12 Fighter Division, armed with J-8II fighters, has been somewhat neglected both in terms of construction at its airport and upgrading of its equipment. In terms of combat missions assigned to the two fighter divisions in this region, the No. 12 Division would probably be responsible for territorial air defense, while the No. 19 Division would be engaged in out-line operations along with the No. 5 Attacker Division.
In line with this trend of development, as well as the experiences of the No. 2 and No. 3 Fighter Divisions, the No. 19 Fighter Division may very likely receive more advanced combat aircraft in the future.
The Navy Aviation Force No. 5 Division has also been strengthened. This division is now equipped with new-generation J-8F fighters. The electronic reconnaissance and intelligence collection capabilities of the Navy Aviation Units under the PLA Navy North Fleet have been fully enhanced over the years.
In recent years, there have been quite a number of occasions on which U.S. or Japanese fighters have intercepted Y-8 serial high-tech electronic reconnaissance and maritime patrol aircraft in the airspace above the East China Sea. The key base of the Y-8 serial reconnaissance aircraft is Laiyang, in the middle of the peninsula, the home base of the Independent Reconnaissance Regiment of the North Sea Fleet.
By extensively reinforcing the air force units stationed in Shandong, the PLA has naturally upgraded its air defense posture. The Shandong Peninsula has become another key area for the deployment of S-300 or HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles. So far, two S-300 or HQ-9 SAM positions have been located, currently under construction in Shandong. One is at a location close to Qingdao, which is obviously intended to provide protection for the headquarters of the North Sea Fleet and the No. 1 Nuclear Submarine Flotilla.
The other SAM position is located at Penglai, in northeast Shandong. It is likely that the purpose of deploying S-300s or H-Q9s in this region is to provide protection to the nuclear power stations that are now in the planning stage. Shandong is planning to construct three nuclear power stations along 120 kilometers (about 75 miles) of coastline connecting three major cities – Qindao, Yantai and Weihai.
Of course, reinforcing air defense on the Shandong Peninsula will also enhance Beijing’s air defense posture. Some of the U.S. Air Force units stationed in Korea and Japan would have to cross the Shandong Peninsula in order to attack Beijing. The above two S-300 or HQ-9 SAM positions, both currently under construction, will very likely be put into use after receiving S-300PMU2 air defense systems.
Reinforcing Shandong’s air defense will naturally give nearby Henan province an effective air defense shield as well. Henan is the key strategic base of the PLA Second Artillery Force, with the mission of exerting strategic nuclear deterrence against the United States.
Also, an unconfirmed source says that a DF-31 long-range strategic missile (ICBM) brigade of the No. 52 Group Army is based at Laiwu in central Shandong province. China’s immense efforts to reinforce Shandong’s long-range air defense system seem to have special significance.
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(Andrei Chang is editor-in-chief of Kanwa Defense Review Monthly, registered in Toronto Canada.)
