Old jets converted into cruise missiles could hit US ships

The People's Liberation Army has turned more than 1,000 retired second-generation Jian-5 fighters into unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or cruise missiles that could be used to target US aircraft carriers in a cross-strait conflict, according to a mainland military magazine.

The weekly Military Digest, run by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, said yesterday that the unveiling of five UAV models at the 6th Zhuhai air show last year had shocked the outside world because some of the aircraft were stealth fighters capable of evading enemy radar.

'The UAV aircraft will surely undertake the main mission of attack in any future war against Taiwan independence because they are low cost but high efficiency,' the magazine reported.

It said mainland UAV expert Lu Qingfeng had confirmed the development at the show.

'If China installed enough explosives and a remote positioning system in the retired fighter, they could become cruise missiles to attack aircraft carriers effectively.'

The report said China's UAV development had been swift to catch up with advanced international standards, including those of the US and Israel, even though its aviation industry started half a century later than in other countries.

Milton Liao Wen-chung, a Taiwanese military researcher who specialises in the PLA, said mainland UAVs would target United States aircraft carriers in or near the Taiwan Strait in the event of a conflict.