China & Chinese Shenanigans

[HeyEng]

China Eastern Flight 5735 crash now declared a “State Secret”!
 

Almost three years ago a China Eastern 737-800 (not a Max) plunged near vertical into a muddy hillside. There was no indication of any mechanical failure and looked more likely as a result of suicide or hijacking.

https://loyaltylobby.com/2025/06/28/china-declares-the-true-cause-of-china-eastern-mu5735-accident-a-state-secret-pilot-suicide/

[Mole]

A Chinese national was recently detained after entering Kadena AB via Gate 2. I'll add the link once it works. 

 

Edited September 2 by Mole
Added snapshot of story, link won't work.

[Clark Griswold]

Commute worthy longer read

https://www.twz.com/air/u-s-needs-to-be-building-tens-of-thousands-of-shahed-136-clones-right-now
 

The US needs this but really it’s our allies that need this as they live in the neighborhood 

Every aggressor should know if they decide to forcibly change borders there are 10s of thousands of these and like systems just waiting to be launched at them

[M2]

On 3 September 2025, China organized a large-scale military parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War (“V-Day”). The parade displayed a wide array of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) forces, weapons, unmanned systems, and other equipment.  As described by a state news broadcast, the featured “unmanned intelligence systems, underwater combat units, cyber and electronic forces, and hypersonic weapons,” as well as “the latest generation of conventional weapons,” highlight the “PLA’s growing capacity to harness emerging technologies, adapt to the evolving character of warfare, and prevail in future conflicts.”

Notable features of the 2025 V-Day parade include:

--- Longer but less dense format except in key areas (namely, unmanned systems)

--- Personnel from the aerospace, cyberspace, information support, and militia forces

--- Representation of forces for global power projection

--- Cyber warfare, electronic warfare, and information support equipment

--- Many newly revealed unmanned platforms, particularly for aerial operations

--- China’s nuclear triad, shown together for the first time

--- Prominence of laser weapons and (at least one reported) anti-satellite weapon

In these and other ways, the military parade signals China’s rapid and ongoing investment in new military capabilities. These platforms very likely reflect perceptions among the leadership in Beijing that China must be capable of prevailing not just in homeland defense and regional conflict — such as over Taiwan — but in securing its interests worldwide when necessary. It is unlikely that China pursues state-of-the-art weapons systems (like aircraft carriers) and world-class military status mainly for prestige (though that is very likely a part of China’s motivation as well). However, the presentation of these platforms does not have particular value for assessing the PLA’s actual combat and joint operations capability now or in the future.