AH challenge- WI Chinese weapons were world class?

raharris1973

Gone Fishin'
Donor
Monthly Donor
Here's the challenge, have Chinese manufactured weapons platforms surpass Soviet or Russian weapons in quality and popularity no later than 1995. Double your points if these are Chinese manufactured and Chinese *designed* weapons. The challenge cannot be won by small arms or light artillery alone, to qualify, this needs to be across several categories including tanks aircraft and ships.
 

MacCaulay

Banned
Chiang Kai Sheck does not pursue the 1946-47 offensive out of Manchuria that would result in the Kuomintang Army being driven to Taiwan a few years hence.

He listens to his American advisors and stays in Manchuria, then asks for UN mediation. The United States and USSR jointly decide to accept a...we'll call it Democratic People's Republic of China in the west and south, and the Republic of North China (normally known as North China).

The Chinese military, under Chiang Kai Sheck, was already a great military. In 1946 it consisted of airborne, top WWII-era aircraft, and light armour. Chiang Kai Sheck was immmensly interested in technological advancements and how his Nationalist Chinese forces could stay abreast of all the current improvements that were sweeping the world.
With the granting of independence, the United States and Britain proceeded to arm the Northern Chinese with surplus WWII equipment.
Among these were a massive amount of machining equipment. Bridgeports, lathes, and other precision machining equipment were brought in to assist the North Chinese in attempting to build mining equipment in country to exploit the massive amounts of coal and iron prevalent in Manchuria.

In 1952, Kim Il Sung's North Korean forces begin an offensive across the parellel into South Korea, suprising the US and RoK forces stationed there. The conflict will last almost a year before the North Koreans are garaunteed sovereignty by the UN.
During the war, however, the North Chinese economy provides the US with a close supply base, teaming with Japan in the rising Asian economic boom to provide ammunition and most importantly: spare parts for tanks and jet engine parts for the F-86 Sabre.

After only a few months of peace, North Korean-inspired guerilla activity in the extreme southern portions of the country along the Yalu river forces North China into what would become known as the Attrition War, a six-year on-again/off-again series of air strikes and skirmishes between regular and irregular forces of the two sides.

In 1955, Chiang Kai-Sheck approaches US President Dwight D. Eisenhower to arrange for the crossover of the North Chinese Air Force air superiority fighters from piston-engined P-51 Mustangs to F-86 Sabres.
A deal is struck for 42 new build aircraft and 10 surplus, with the first 20 built in the US with a view to shifting production gradually over to a factory in Harbin for the final dozen.
On the same trip, the idea of developing a special medium tank especially for North China is floated. The US seems to be lukewarm on the idea. The British, however, seem very open.
In 1957, with production of landing gear assemblies just beginning at the Chinese Aircraft Corporation factory in Harbin, the British and North Chinese governments arrange a deal to construct a variant of the Centurion MBT, designed specifially for cold-weather and steep terrain. The North Chinese report that it will be called the Jia Yuo (Basic Machine).

In 1957, after North Korean field guns shell across the Yalu in response for what they say was a "border raid", the North Chinese air force responds for the first time by employing Durandal anti-runway bombs against several North Korean airfields.
The French Defense Minister, when asked privately if he knew the North Chinese had these in their posession, is heard to reply simply: "Yes. And we wanted to know if the things really worked."

The People's Republic of China continues to slip further into economic abscess. While they are well funded with what is increasingly large amounts of fairly up to date weaponry, they are increasingly far behind in technology, and unable to keep up with the booming economy that is being created in North China through export of consumer goods, and even food to Japan.

In 1960, North China and India sign a treaty of understanding to begin development of what they state will be an "indigenous light fighter." This in itself seems impressive and is a shock to the world, since North China has just signed a deal with the US to provide them with F-102 Delta Daggers for use in the tactical bombing role, as well as a French deal for exported Mirage IIIs to fill their fighter role in the interim until, as the North Chinese defense secretary stated, "we can lift the indigenous light fighter off the ground."

The Indigenous Light Fighter, or ILF, is fraught with difficulties. The North Chinese and Indians, both with the same problem (operations at high altitudes in low temperatures) decide to tackle the problem from two directions.
The Indians develop the airframe, which to no one's surprise takes the shape of a slightly modified Mirage III, with a drooped nose to accomadate the new phased array radar that will be installed.
The North Chinese, after more than three years of trial and error (mere peanuts compared to most trial programs), come out with the Sabutai engine, which when finally scrutinized by a Western intelligence worker at the 1964 Paris Air Show was described as "a J40 Westinghouse with the kinks worked out."

The ILF, now known as the Bantam, debuted at the 1965 Paris Air Show, though it's engine made it's static display appearance in France a year before. It managed to impress enough people with it's barrel roles and loops that not one but three countries, Egypt, Syria, and Yugoslavia, discreetly approached North China and India for export information.

By 1970, with the Bantam in production alongside the remaining dozen F-102 Delta Daggers, the North Chinese aerospace industry is looking in great shape.
The Navy, as well, is feeling the effects of this economic boom. North Chinese rice is exported around the Pacific and to some parts of the rest of the world by North China's extensive Merchant Marine.
The Army is also ready to defend the country should the need arise, and the 1971 new year sees it undergoing it's first major remodernization of the Jia Yuo tank into the Jia Yuo II, adding an IR lamp and upgrading the transmission.

Well, that's just to the early 70s, but you get the drift. I just sort of shot that out off the top of my head.
 
Yeah after the Red Army played tentacle monster to the Kwantung Army's Japanese Schoolgirl a safe heaven was set up for Mao and the ChiComms, the Nats base was in the south and coastal areas.
 

MacCaulay

Banned
Alright...cut and paste the North and the South in the country names. Does it work, then?

edit: No wait, it doesn't. They're not on the border of North Korea. Well, I don't know, then. I still like the idea. I might just crap out a timeline about this even though it'll probably make people loose what respect they have for me. :p
 

Hendryk

Banned
"Superpower Empire" fulfills the challenge: with a POD in 1912, by the present day Chinese-designed weapons systems are on a par with those of Russia, France and Britain. The US still has a slight edge over China in this regard.

Chiang Kai Sheck does not pursue the 1946-47 offensive out of Manchuria that would result in the Kuomintang Army being driven to Taiwan a few years hence.

He listens to his American advisors and stays in Manchuria, then asks for UN mediation. The United States and USSR jointly decide to accept a...we'll call it Democratic People's Republic of China in the west and south, and the Republic of North China (normally known as North China).
A Nationalist victory in the Chinese civil war is indeed a possibility, but as Merry says, you have it backwards. It's the Communists who held Manchuria.
 

MacCaulay

Banned
Damn! I was all psyched, too! I still stand by my "this was stream of consciousness so it's not that bad" defense, then.
 

raharris1973

Gone Fishin'
Donor
Monthly Donor
It sort of was -

"China would have to be allied to the West, with a superior economy and standard of education than the Soviet Union."

China was de facto allied to the west in the last 18 years or so of the Cold War, not with a higher standard of education though.

It is actually interesting that the ChiComs rode to power largely with captured Japanese and American weapons, switched to Soviet weapons, were in an escalating spat with the Soviets lasting from as least 1959-1989, but kept relying on Soviet knock-off technology, even in the years in 1970s and 1980s when they were working with Washington against Moscow. Then of course after the fall of the USSR, the Sino-Russian arms collaboration was rejuvenated.
 
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