l and air forces. As the world's third largest nuclear power, the PRC had in 1995 about 225-300 nuclear weapons, including about 450 nuclear warheads deliverable by land-based missiles, bombers and a few dozen intercontinental ballistic missiles which were described by Caldwell and Lennon (1995, Fall) as a "credible, minimum deterrent nuclear force" (p. 28).
Until the 1990s, the Chinese had a third class airforce, consisting largely of obsolete 1950s and 1960s designed Soviet bombers, transports and older MIG class fighter planes. Since then, the Chinese have purchased 72 Russian modern SU-27s, and other modern supersonic aircraft. Their anti-aircraft defenses have been strengthened through the introduction of electronic countermeasures and $250 million of AWACs type early warning radar systems purchased from the Israelis (Crock, 1999, December 20, 1999, p. 68). However, Dobson and Fravel said in 1997: "most of China's aircraft cannot even reach the South China Sea" (1997, September, 261). The basic limiting factors are the lack of air to air refueling capability and forward airbases, which could be remedied fairly soon.
In the 1980s the PRC navy consisted of coastal craft and about 50 Soviet 1950s design submarines. A crash effort is, however, underway to build a blue water navy, including the purchase in 1994 of four modern Russian attack submarines, the purchase in 1997 of two Russian destroyers, the introduction of the first antisubmarine warfare and electronic warfare countermeasure equipment aboard surface ships and the purchase from Russia of shipboard surface to air missiles (Crock, p. 68; and Dobson and Fravel 256). The Chinese as yet have no aircraft carriers. The Chinese have emphasized the acquisition of medium-range missiles which they demonstrated during the 1996 crisis in the Taiwan Straits and are believed to have added to since. They have improved their capacity to conduct joint service amphibious operations. D...