China orders training and equipment for airborne battalion from russia for invasion of Taiwan — RUSI

The aggressor country russia is selling and developing military equipment for China, as well as training Chinese military personnel. All this is happening as part of preparations for an invasion of Taiwan.

This is stated in an analysis by the Royal United Military Institute (RUSI).

The analysts studied about 800 pages of contracts and related documentation obtained by the Black Moon hacker group. According to the contracts, in 2023, the russian federation agreed to supply the Chinese army with a full set of weapons and equipment to equip an airborne battalion. The russians also undertook to train personnel in the use of this equipment.

The agreement provides for the sale of the following weapons:

• 37 BMD-4M, light amphibious assault vehicles with a 100 mm gun and 30 mm automatic cannon;
• 11 Sprut-SDM1 light amphibious anti-tank self-propelled guns with a 125 mm cannon;
• 11 BTR-MDM 'Rakushka' airborne armoured personnel carriers;
• several Rubin command and observation vehicles and KSHM-E command vehicles;

The agreements stipulate that all armored vehicles must be equipped with Chinese means of communication and control, as well as undergo a check for electromagnetic compatibility with russian electronic equipment. This is due to the need to ensure compatibility with other Chinese units that are armed with equipment from the russian federation or made on its basis.

The agreements also oblige russia to train a battalion of Chinese paratroopers in the skills of using this equipment at russian training grounds. After completing courses on training equipment and simulators, the collective training of the Chinese airborne battalion will be carried out at training grounds in China. The russians must teach the Chinese landing, fire control and maneuvering.

Russia also transferred to China the Orlan-10 reconnaissance UAVs, which have proven themselves in the war against Ukraine, and the 1B119 Rheostat mobile reconnaissance and artillery fire control points.

It was emphasized that China was transferred all the technical documentation, which will allow it to engage in the production and modernization of these systems in the future.

RUSI analysts believe that if Chinese aviation can successfully suppress Taiwan's air defense systems, then air maneuvers will be the fastest way to transfer units to the island. Helicopters are the most flexible means of deploying troops, but as the experience of the russian landing in Hostomel, Kyiv Region, has shown, light infantry without the support of armored vehicles and other heavy weapons will not be able to hold the landing site for a long time.

"The capacity to airdrop armour vehicles on golf courses, or other areas of open and firm ground near Taiwan's ports and airfields, would allow air assault troops to significantly increase their combat power and threaten seizure of these facilities to clear a path for the landing of follow-on forces," the RUSI report says.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, in September, The Washington Post wrote that US President Donald Trump had suspended military aid to Taiwan in order to reach agreements with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

As a reminder, in July of this year, Taiwan held large-scale exercises, during which the military trained to conduct combat operations in dense urban areas.

And in May, the Chinese conducted exercises during which they practiced the landing of marines on Taiwan.

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