Seong Hyeon Choi

3 weeks ago | scmp.com | Seong Hyeon Choi |Amber Wang

A battle for air superiority between the United States and China has heated up with Washington’s announcement of a contract for the US Air Force’s sixth-generation fighter jet – the F-47. But, despite the American project’s assumed overall advantages in aerospace technology, questions hover over the aircraft’s delivery timeline and price tag.

Jan 12, 2025 | scmp.com | Seong Hyeon Choi

American president-elect Donald Trump’s complaints about a delayed US Navy frigate programme suggest he plans to increase cost efficiency in shipbuilding in response to growing competition with China, according to analysts. In an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt on Monday, Trump criticised the US Navy’s efforts to procure a new class of warship, saying design changes and “tinkering” by “Biden administration admirals and generals” had raised the cost of acquiring the vessels.

Dec 27, 2024 | scmp.com | Sylvie Zhuang |Seong Hyeon Choi

Chinese experts believe the country’s first sixth-generation stealth fighter jet may have even greater stealth capabilities at hypersonic speeds, with one commenter suggesting the PLA has “fully surpassed global advanced standards”. China’s official media appeared to tacitly confirm speculation that a fixed-wing aircraft with a three-engine configuration seen over Chengdu in the southwestern province of Sichuan on Thursday was in fact the stealth fighter on its maiden flight.

Dec 20, 2024 | scmp.com | Seong Hyeon Choi

The Chinese military has “the world’s leading” hypersonic missile arsenal, weapons that are helping it to operate “deeper into the Indo-Pacific region”, according to the Pentagon’s latest assessment of its rival’s armed forces. In its annual report to the US Congress on Wednesday, the Department of Defence said the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) remained focused on developing abilities to “dissuade, deter, or, if ordered, defeat third-party intervention in the Indo-Pacific region”.

Dec 17, 2024 | scmp.com | Seong Hyeon Choi

China’s export ban on critical minerals to the United States could disrupt more than 1,000 US weapons production systems, according to a defence intelligence company report. The analysis, published on December 3 by Govini, found that more than 20,000 individual parts used by the Pentagon and the US coastguard are captured under the ban, announced earlier this month by the Chinese commerce ministry.