China Tests Amphibious Barges and “Floating Barriers”

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🎯 China Conducts Initial Beach Trials of Second Batch of Shuiqiao-Class Amphibious Barges

A second batch of China’s Shuiqiao-class amphibious landing barges is undergoing initial beach trial testing at Nansan Island in the South China Sea, with imagery dated January 16 showing the barges lowering their extendable bridges and linking sections together. The three-vessel batch arrived at Nansan Island on January 12 after being observed transiting south from the Shenzhen area earlier in the month. (more)

• The second batch includes three variants with jack-up legs: an eight-leg, 185-meter road-bridge version, a six-leg, 128-meter variant, and a four-leg, 108-meter variant.

• All Shuiqiao-class barges are equipped with extendable roadway bridges and jack-up mechanisms that allow them to form temporary docks or improvised logistics piers once raised above the waterline.

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🎯 $839B Defense Spending Deal Backs Next-Gen Air Dominance and Naval Aviation Programs

Congressional leaders released a compromised $839 billion defense spending bill that includes continued funding for next-generation aviation programs, notably the Air Force’s F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance fighter and the Navy’s Next Generation Air Dominance, or F/A-XX. This release comes as lawmakers push to sustain future air superiority amid rising global threats. The bill provides funding above the Pentagon’s request and preserves investment in advanced aircraft development despite broader budget constraints. (more)

• The legislation supports continued development of the Air Force’s F-47 program, intended to replace the F-22 as the service’s premier air-dominance platform.

• Funding is also maintained for the Navy’s F/A-XX program, which is planned to succeed the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in the carrier air wing.

🎯 China Using Large Fishing Fleets to Practice “Floating Barrier” Tactics

According to a report by The New York Times, China has organized large formations of civilian fishing vessels into dense, coordinated lines stretching hundreds of miles, temporarily halting normal fishing activity. In one instance, roughly 1,400 vessels assembled into a formation extending more than 200 miles, while another episode around Christmas involved about 2,000 vessels forming two parallel lines nearly 290 miles long, raising concerns about potential military utility. (more)

• Analysts assess these formations as training for China’s maritime “people’s militia,” a force of civilian vessels organized for state-directed operations.

• In a regional crisis, such formations could be used to congest sea lanes, create false radar targets, and blur the line between civilian and military activity in contested waters.

🎯 New Interim Air Force One Aircraft From Qatar Set to Fly This Summer

The Air Force plans to begin flying a temporary Air Force One aircraft provided by Qatar as early as this summer, creating a stopgap solution while the long-delayed VC-25B replacement program remains years behind schedule. The modified Boeing 747 will be used to maintain presidential airlift availability as the current VC-25As continue to age and face increasing sustainment challenges. (more)

• The aircraft is intended as an interim capability and will not replace the VC-25B program, which continues to face schedule delays.

• The Air Force is adapting the jet to meet required security and communications standards before it enters service.

SNAPSHOT

🚩 Air Force One (the 747…because any Air Force aircraft flying the President is “Air Force One”) aircraft carrying President Donald Trump diverted over the Atlantic after experiencing an electrical issue, according to the Air Force. (more)

🚩 NORAD announced that military aircraft will soon deploy to Pituffik Space Base in Greenland to support planned Arctic operations coordinated with Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark. (more)

🚩 Pentagon leaders named new deputies and program managers to oversee the Air Force’s Golden Dome missile defense effort, formalizing leadership for the emerging initiative. (more)

🚩 The Justice Department has seized two mobile Mission Crew Trainers allegedly built by the Test Flying Academy of South Africa using U.S.-origin software and NATO-derived ASW data and unlawfully prepared for export to China to support PLA airborne warning, control, and anti-submarine warfare training. (more)

🚩 Anduril Announces Major Expansion With New Long Beach Campus
Anduril Industries has unveiled plans for a major expansion in Southern California, announcing a new campus in Long Beach aimed at scaling production, engineering, and testing of its autonomous defense systems. (more)

THREAT OF THE DAY (TOD)

Su-35 (Flanker-E)

Threat Name: Su-35
Country of Origin: Russia
Initial Operational Capability: 2014

Primary Role: Multirole air superiority fighter
Variants: Su-35S (Russian service variant)
Proliferation: Russia, Algeria, China, Iran (2028…in theory)

Range: Public sources cite a ferry range exceeding 1,900 nautical miles; combat radius varies by profile and is significantly shorter
Speed: Reported maximum speed around Mach 2.25 at altitude
Payload: Up to approximately 17,600 pounds of air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions across multiple hardpoints
Propulsion: Two Saturn AL-41F1S afterburning turbofan engines with thrust vectoring
Defensive Capability: Advanced electronic warfare suite, radar warning receivers, infrared search and track, and high maneuverability enabled by thrust vectoring
Recent Combat Activity: Operated by Russian forces during the war in Ukraine, including air defense patrols and missile launches from standoff ranges

Fun Fact: The Su-35 is not a fifth-generation aircraft, but its thrust-vectoring agility and sensor suite were designed to counter stealth fighters in close-in engagements

Quiz: B, Thrust vectoring and advanced avionics. On a personal note, I did get to watch the Su-35 demo at the Dubai Airshow in 2017…the maneuverability was definitely impressive.