China's Focus on Aircraft Carriers

RealClearPolitics ^ | 5/27/07 | Halloran

[pabianice]

Fresh from a visit to China, the new commander of U.S. military forces in the Pacific and Asia said he found Chinese military leaders intensely interested in acquiring aircraft carriers. At the same time, Adm. Timothy Keating said: "I suggested let's not be naive about the complexity of those ships, and they are not cheap."

The admiral, a naval aviator who has made 1,200 carrier landings, said all of the Chinese leaders with whom he spoke during a five-day stay earlier this month indicated their inclination to pursue the development of aircraft carriers. "No one said we're not going to do this," he said in an interview at his Pacific Command headquarters overlooking Pearl Harbor.

Keating declined to speculate on when China might start building a carrier, but noted that it took the U.S. Navy, even with the most extensive experience in the world, more than a decade to design, build, equip with aircraft, and train both air and ship crews.

"This would be a profoundly difficult venture if the Chinese choose to undertake it," he said.

The U.S. Navy had nearly 800 planes crash in training accidents in 1954 during the transition from propeller driven aircraft to jet aircraft, say Andrew Erickson and Andrew Wilson, who are on the faculty of the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, R.I. Even as late as 1999, the Navy lost 22 planes flown by the world's most experienced aviators.

[pabianice]

I love "Stargate SG-1," but the depiciton of an Air Force crew flying an aircraft carrier-like spaceship just makes me laugh, and they're US military.

[Msgt USMC]

China is going the same way Japan did back in the 30’s and 40’s. watch out pearl harbor, and “WAKE UP AMERICA”!

[jdub]

If they are anything like the crap they build now, they won’t last more than a year before wearing out.

[b359]

“China is going the same way Japan did back in the 30’s and 40’s. watch out pearl harbor, and “WAKE UP AMERICA”!”

Ditto

[Sundog]

This Thread’s for you.

[jetson]

Steel is at a premium right now as we send iron to China.

[winner3000]

(Even as late as 1999, the Navy lost 22 planes flown by the world’s most experienced aviators.)

The advantage the Chinese have is that their leadership is much less likely to care about the death of a few of their pilots if it helps them meet their goal.

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

We Americans are paying for these Chinese carriers
because of all the cheap crap we keep buying from them.

[rjp2005]

Building? They’ve already bought more than a few Russian carriers and are refurbishing one. Others are docked as “museums” and “casinos” that could be turned into a re-fit process also.

No comment on Stargate.

[samtheman]

The Chinese have bought four decommissioned carriers since 1985, the Melbourne from Australia and the Minsk, Kiev, and Varyag from Russia. The three former Russian ships are tied up and open to the public as educational museums now. What the Chinese have learned from those ships can only be speculated.

Here's what they learned:

1. Don't buy ships from Russia.
2. Help a Clinton get elected and buy the needed technology direct from the White House.

[John Leland 1789]

Aircraft Carriers would not be nearly as expensive to build in countries which use slave labor to build them. . . China.

[org.whodat]

If they are anything like the crap they build now, they won’t last more than a year before wearing out.

A year, you sure they would last that long.

[aegiscg47]

The big difference here is that Japan had a naval tradition, so they were able to come to grips with carrier warfare pretty quickly. China has no experience in this area and stealing stuff will only get you so far. Building(or converting) a carrier, training an air wing and crews, plus surrounding the carrier with a task force is going to take them until 2015 at the earliest. It might not be until 2020 before it's ready for full fledged combat operations. I'm not saying it isn't a potential threat, but a lot can happen in between the concept and deployment phases.

[diogenes ghost]

"They've already bought more than a few Russian carriers.."

Oh really??

China may be a threat in 30-40 years, no need to spread fear of them now.

You, sir, have NO idea what you are talking about.

[Jeff Head]

"This would be a profoundly difficult venture if the Chinese choose to undertake it," he said.

I believe they are already well on their way.

Turning the former Soviet Varyag into an Opertional PLAN Carrier

[StoneWall Brigade]

Wow

[LantzALot]

Should I spot one sidling up to the COSCO berth (nee Long Beach Naval Shipyard) I’ll sound the alert.

[onedoug]

New reefs for the bottom.

[Sender]

Q: And why does a country need aircraft carriers?

A: To project power and destruction far away from their own land.

[rjp2005]

Why the anonymous animosity? China bought three Russian carriers - the Minsk, The Varyag, and the Kiev. This is a fact. The Minsk and the Kiev are part of "military theme parks", and the Varyag has been painted in PLAN colors and is being prepared (flight deck) to accomadate the SU-33 purchases they made.

Putting words in someone's mouth is irritating. I made no statement about year projections, merely stating a possibility. How long until the Varyag is operational? I don't know. Jane's Fighting Ships reported it was re-named the Shi Lang after an admiral who re-took Taiwan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_aircraft_carrier_Varyag