Bradley Perrett covered China, Japan, South Korea and Australia. He is a Mandarin-speaking Australian.
Before joining Aviation Week in 2006 he was a macroeconomics, politics and aerospace journalist with Reuters. Perrett holds a bachelor’s degree in law from Macquarie University, Sydney. He left Aviation Week in 2020.
BEIJING — China’s DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile is still in development, the chief of the Chinese general staff says, despite U.S. assessments that the potentially revolutionary weapon is operational. The missile has a range of 2,700 km (1,680 mi.), the China Daily says in its report carrying the comments of Gen. Chen Bingde. The range figure seems well in excess of U.S. estimates, most recently stated as more than 1,500 km. The program has encountered a lot of trouble, says Chen, who also acknowledges China’s aircraft carrier program.
BEIJING — Korea Aerospace Industries will move ahead with preliminary development of South Korea’s proposed light attack helicopter, following the Defense Ministry’s decision to contract with the company for concept definition.
China’s airline industry needs to consolidate further, with the aim of building only two or three internationally competitive airlines, says the Civil Aviation Administration of China. The remarks, by administration chief Li Jiaxiang, seem to suggest at least one merger among China’s four main airlines—China Southern, China Eastern, Air China and Hainan Airlines.
