S10
SENIOR MEMBER
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On a serious note, if a conflict was to occur, South Sea Fleet of PLAN will take the offensive against Vietnam. The fleet is the most modern out of the three, and also has the support of 2nd Air Division not to mention its own naval aviation arm. Simply put, it outguns Vietnamese navy in all measures, and that's a cold fact.
The problem China will encounter the most is distance to SCS, as its forces must operate from Hainan. That means Chinese ships and airplanes have to travel hundreds of kilometres to reach their objectives, placing alot of strain on logistics. Part of the reason that China did not drive the Vietnamese off other islands in 1988 was because of the concern that Vietnam might use its airforce to attack Chinese navy task force. At the time air defence on Chinese ships were nearly non-existant, a problem which has since been largely addressed.
However, distance is still the main problem. Let's just say China deploys its forces there. If Vietnam decides not to engage and keep its navy away from the area, Chinese forces will have to return to Hainan for resupply sooner or later, allowing Vietnam to return again since they are closer. This problem will not be solved unless China can get aircraft carriers into operation, which is still a few years away.
The problem China will encounter the most is distance to SCS, as its forces must operate from Hainan. That means Chinese ships and airplanes have to travel hundreds of kilometres to reach their objectives, placing alot of strain on logistics. Part of the reason that China did not drive the Vietnamese off other islands in 1988 was because of the concern that Vietnam might use its airforce to attack Chinese navy task force. At the time air defence on Chinese ships were nearly non-existant, a problem which has since been largely addressed.
However, distance is still the main problem. Let's just say China deploys its forces there. If Vietnam decides not to engage and keep its navy away from the area, Chinese forces will have to return to Hainan for resupply sooner or later, allowing Vietnam to return again since they are closer. This problem will not be solved unless China can get aircraft carriers into operation, which is still a few years away.