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Originally Posted by RN7
Taiwan does have a large and sophisticated air defence network with modern radars and Patriot, Hawk Phase III and Sky Bow II long ranged SAMs, E-2 AWACS and over 350 fighters. You can't just send in transport planes loaded with troops over a heavily defended country without eliminating the air defence network, which will take some time even in the unlikely event that America didn't intervene.
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No argument. But, as someone else likes to point out, technology has its weakness, and swamping the defenders is likely. Sure, the Chicom losses would be horrendous. Since when do the Chicom leaders care about killing thousands (or millions) of their own? Short answer is they don't. Is it sustainable? No. Does it need to be? No. The Chicoms throw several hundred planes and thousands of missiles at Taiwan, both of which they have. Eventually the defenders run out of defenses. The only question is how long it takes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RN7
Also I think mass paratroop drops are probably a thing of the past, and have been since the development of airmobile helcopters. Also paratroops are fairly lightly armed troops and have to be reinforced, the Taiwanese army has over 900 tanks and thousands of AFVs.
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Manpack AT missiles are a lot cheaper than the AFVs they're meant to take out, they're highly effective, and all modern armies have thousands of them. They are readily carried even by airborne troops. HALO drops after most of the airspace over Taiwan is secured allows the Chicoms to get a toehold on the island and capture key objectives, clearing the way for second-wave airmobile reinforcements, which in turn secure more objectives clearing the way for third-wave amphib reinforcements.
The only issue is if the PLA air force can achieve air supremacy before the US arrives to kick serious butt. They don't even have to achieve it and maintain it for long. Just long enough to allow airborne/airmobile forces to get a toehold. Once Chicom forces are already on Taiwanese soil the nature of the battle becomes much more thorny for the good guys.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RN7
Also if China planned to reinforce its paratroops then it would have to assemble armour, artillery, troops and supplies on the mainland in large numbers to be shipped over on Chinese landing craft and cargo ships, all of which wouldn't go unnoticed to American satellites.
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It would go unnoticed if the loading happened over a long enough period of time, and was done when the sats weren't overhead. You can put an awful lot of troops and vehicles on a commercial RO-RO and no one would be the wiser until said ship started spewing its cargo on to the docks. Surprise!