CHINA PLANS TO DEVELOP THE NATIONAL-CLASS C3I SYSTEM.
China’s C4I SR by Andrei Pinkov

<Kanwa news April 14, 1999> In the aftermath of the crises in the Middle East and on the Balkan Peninsula, China attached great importance to the construction of its air-defense system. In this effort, China has expedited the development of various ground-to-air missiles and has enhanced the research of its C3I system (including command, control, communication, and intelligence). At present, the national-class C3I system is under development and planning. According to the source of the Chinese military industry, it has been several years since the development of the export-oriented C3I system started and some of its sub-systems have now been put to use in the Chinese army.

The national-class C3I system of China is now under planning and its regional-class C3I system is expected to be completed within the next several years.

According to the information that the Kanwa acquired, the national-class C3I system consists of two COCs and one MCOC as well as one VOC composed of the vessels on the water. Under the two COCs are several sets of coastal radar, coastal cannons, and sonar sub-systems. In addition, a data link is hooked to the NSOC, which, in turn, is connected via satellite with such systems as the JOC, ADOC, ARMY, and NNOC.

The whole national-class C3I system also includes two EWOCs, each of which has the ECM, ELINT, and ESM sub-systems and is linked to the EW planes. Furthermore, a RIPS is installed on the C3I system and has under it several air-defense radar sub-systems. It is linked to the TADS system, which includes the ground-to-air missile troops, air-defense radar, and fighter planes etc..

It is worth attention that at least one MCOC will be set up in the so-called "liberated" Taiwan.

The highest command level of the C3I system is the Joint Operations Center (JOC), which is directly connected with the ground army and the air-defense troops and assumes the overall commanding responsibility via satellite. It can be inferred that after the next century, the C3I system of China will rely more on the satellite for the monitoring and control purposes.

Affected lately by the crisis in Yugoslavia, China will probably expedite the development of its national-class C3I system (Satoko Tomiyama).