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#长文创作激励计划#不久前, the European Defense Exhibition, which opened in Paris, France, is the world's largest defense exhibition event, attracting more than 2,000 companies from 62 countries to participate in the exhibition.
This international defense exhibition is not only a stage for the military industry to show its strength, but also a key platform for competing for international orders, and although the exhibition focuses on Europe, Chinese companies have become the center of global attention.
Chinese weapons "straight to NATO"
If you want to say where the highlight of the European defense exhibition, then there is no doubt that it is China's military industry, looking back on the last exhibition, among the many military enterprises participating in the exhibition, there are very few from China, only more than 10.
However, this year's show saw a significant increase in China's military industry, with the number of exhibitors surging to 61, with many offshore equipment manufacturers showcasing their star products, demonstrating China's technological progress and market competitiveness in this field.
Among the many arms provided by China's military enterprises, the PLZ-52 self-propelled gun and the SH-15 personnel carrier gun developed by North Heavy Industry are particularly eye-catching, which not only represent the advanced nature of China's military technology, but also demonstrate China's competitiveness in the international defense market.
In fact, these two guns seem to be the same as the domestic guns of the PLA in appearance, but after a closer look, a key change is on paper, that is, the barrel, which is the most critical part of the gun truck, has been directly upgraded to a 155 mm caliber after transformation.
This change is small but significant, knowing that the 155 mm caliber is the standard for NATO weapons, and has become the mainstream choice of self-propelled guns around the world, and NATO member states generally use artillery equipment of this caliber.
In other words, the howitzer is designed to be compatible with NATO-standard guns produced in the United States and other Western countries, making it significantly competitive in the international market.
This strategic technological upgrade not only enhances the versatility and applicability of products, but also adds important weight to the competitiveness of China's military products in the international defense field.
This not only means that we can use NATO-standard arms, but also marks our ability to compete with the United States and other Western powers in the international market, seize their traditional markets, and pave the way for the global influence of Chinese artillery.
In fact, China's demand for 155 mm caliber artillery did not begin today, since the 80s of the 20th century, the mainland began to develop 155 mm self-propelled guns, however, due to technical limitations, these artillery equipment is not fully mature, and the number of exports to foreign countries is quite limited.
However, the PLZ-52 and SH-15 heavy weapons on display at this exhibition represent the latest breakthrough in the field of heavy weapons technology from the mainland.
These weapons systems not only have automatic reloading capabilities, but also have a maximum range of more than 30 kilometers, and use the world's most advanced suspension and oil gathering systems, which greatly enhance the mobility of artillery.
These technological advances have not only enhanced the international competitiveness of China's military products, but also taken a solid step for China's artillery to go global.
Foreign experts praised Chinese artillery
Of course, countries consider a number of factors when considering military trade, such as price, geopolitics and technology transfer, which together determine the direction of trade, and in this regard, China's heavy weapons have shown its unique competitive advantage.
Compared with similar products in some Western countries, the continental artillery has a very obvious advantage in cost, and its cost-effective products are a very attractive choice for some small countries.
For many developing countries with limited budgets, access to advanced technology and equipment at a lower cost is undoubtedly very attractive.
Timothy Heath, a researcher at the RAND Corporation, a well-known research institute, spoke highly of China's remarkable progress in the field of arms in recent years.
He pointed out that the Chinese artillery on display in Paris surpasses its Russian counterpart in terms of technological advancement, performance and cost-effectiveness, and that compared with the same type of howitzer made in Europe or the United States, the Chinese product is not only less expensive, but also has better performance.
Therefore, the market prospects for China's howitzers are extremely broad, and China's openness in technology transfer and staff training also provides a unique competitive advantage for China's heavy weapons.
Moreover, many countries want to reduce their dependence on US arms for strategic reasons, so they are more inclined to import military equipment from diversified channels in order to reduce their dependence on a single supplier.
This makes Chinese-made howitzers ideal for them.
Of particular concern is the high cost performance of Chinese artillery, which is extremely attractive to countries with large stocks of weapons of the former Soviet Union.
These countries, while eager to acquire advanced equipment that meets NATO standards, are often constrained by economic conditions and have long relied mainly on Russian military supplies.
However, the current Russia-Ukraine conflict has led to the fact that Russia's military industrial capacity is mainly focused on meeting domestic demand, which limits its ability to continue to supply arms to other countries.
Against this background, China has the opportunity to take advantage of its cost-effective products to replace Russian, and even American-made weapons, to gain a place in the international arms market.
However, in the international military trade market dominated by Europe and the United States, it is not easy for China to break the status quo, although the United States and Europe have certain advantages in performance and cost performance, they are still more favored by countries in terms of technological maturity and reliability.
Therefore, for Chinese heavy artillery to successfully enter these traditional markets, it needs to demonstrate its effectiveness in practical applications and the ability to provide continuous technical support.
Huge addressable market
Although China's howitzers may face competitive pressure from the United States, in the Middle East and African markets, Chinese weapons have shown a clear competitive advantage.
The advanced nature of China's military technology, combined with its cost-effectiveness, makes it ideal for these regions, and as a result, Chinese arms still have a chance to gain market share around the world, and its development potential should not be underestimated.
At the same time, Russia lost a lot of markets due to the war.
This provides an opportunity for China to fill the gap in the market, and China is expected to gain a greater foothold in the international market with its cost-effective products.
However, some experts pointed out that China's arms exports will not be smooth sailing, but full of challenges and difficulties, after all, in the current geopolitical landscape, if some countries purchase Chinese arms on a large scale, it is likely to arouse the concern and vigilance of the United States and other Western countries.
At the same time, although Chinese heavy artillery has made significant progress in performance, there is still a certain gap in key indicators such as technological advancement and reliability compared with European and American countries.
This is a reality that cannot be ignored, and China's military enterprises need to continue to increase investment in research and development, improve the technical content and reliability of products, and narrow the gap with the international advanced level.
summary
Although the mainland's share of the global arms trade is still small, as China's influence continues to grow around the world, there is reason to believe that the mainland's arms exports will have broad prospects and a promising future.
China's arms exports are not only an economic act, but also a manifestation of the country's strength and scientific and technological level; with the continuous progress of China's military technology and the enhancement of its international status, the international competitiveness of the continental arms will be increasingly enhanced, and it will make positive contributions to world peace and stability.
Bibliography:
Insiders: Chinese companies have thoroughly studied NATO's weapons systems-Huanqiu.com
Europe's largest defense exhibition has many highlights-Jintai Information
The northern company appeared at the 2024 European International Defense Exhibition - Sina Finance