J-15
Z-8 AEW
Posted on 05/06/2011 6:31:24 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Chinese Carrier Lacks Fighters
May 5, 2011
By David Axe
If China's navy wants to undertake real long-range operations, its new aircraft carrier will need a more diverse air wing.
As noted by Douglas Paal here over the weekend, in recent weeks, the Chinese navy has taken big steps toward deploying its first aircraft carrier, underscoring the nation's rapid ascent as a world power. Twelve years after Beijing purchased the incomplete Russian aircraft carrier Varyag, the 60,000-ton vessel — renamed Shi Lang — is reportedly on track to begin sea trials this summer. Shi Lang's first planes are nearly ready, too. In late April, the first J-15 fighter, an unlicensed copy of the Russian Su-33, appeared in navy colours.
A seaworthy vessel and operational naval fighters will provide the backbone of the Chinese navy's evolving carrier force. But they are not, in themselves, adequate for a useful carrier force. Leaving aside the huge manpower, planning and logistical demands of a modern aircraft carrier, there are additional hardware needs that China hasn’t yet met.
To enable true, long-range carrier operations, the People's Liberation Army Navy still needs to develop, build and field carrier-capable airborne command-and-control aircraft plus aerial tankers and electronic-warfare planes. Without these so-called ‘enablers,’ Shi Lang and her J-15s represent little more than training assets, with few real-world applications.
Just ask the Russians. Admiral Kuznetsov, the Russian navy's sole carrier and Shi Lang's sister ship, has completed fewer than 10 operational or training cruises since commissioning in 1996 — and none of the cruises were more than a couple months in duration. More to the point, she has never seen combat. The US Navy's 11 supercarriers, by contrast, spend around a third of their 50-year service lives at sea and see steady combat.
Admiral Kuznetsov's problems are manifold. Mechanical faults and inadequate crew training are exacerbated by the Russian navy's irregular funding. Also, her air wing simply isn't very practical. With just a dozen or so Su-33s plus a handful of radar- and sonar-equipped helicopters, Admiral Kuznetsov can’t reliably deliver sustained combat airpower against a serious foe.
By comparison, US carriers — and France's sole flattop — are lavishly equipped, with balanced air wings containing two types of fighters plus fixed-wing E-2 radar planes and, in the US Navy's case, specialized EA-6B or EA-18G radar-jamming planes for the suppression of enemy air defenses. US and French naval fighters are equipped with fuel pods and reelable hoses that allow them to refuel other planes in flight. The Russian Su-33s also have this capability, but it's not clear that their pilots are trained for it any more.
Lacking the diverse air wing of American and French carriers, in the near term Shi Lang will be as limited as Admiral Kuznetsov. Her fighters will have poor range because they can’t be refueled in mid-air. They will be all but blind, guided only by their own radars and those of Shi Lang herself. And they will be vulnerable to enemy air defenses.
The PLA is aware of these limitations and is working to address them. Beijing has purchased Russian Ka-31 helicopters fitted with aerial radars and is also experimenting with a Z-8 helicopter — a copy of the French Super Frelon — equipped with a radar. The PLA could use these choppers as stepping stones to a more robust command-and-control capability.
But that still leaves aerial refueling and electronic warfare as critical gaps for Shi Lang and any future Chinese carriers. The dawn of Chinese carrier aviation is imminent, but the full daylight of mature Chinese carrier aviation is still many years away.
J-15
Z-8 AEW
Z-8 AEW
Looks like a big slow-moving target to me.
Carrier ready planes?
A mear after thought.
What could go wrong?
It is obvious that the chicoms have us on the ropes with their stunning naval technology./s
That tail in Pakistan should accelerate them 20+ years.
“But that still leaves aerial refueling and electronic warfare as critical gaps”
I watched a 12 part series called ‘Carrier’. One night, they had a very difficult landing; and, lots of refueling was going on. No refueling capability could be problematic.
I thought they were gonna use ultra-lights?
Obama will sell ‘em some.
Carrier planes have distinct requirements, foremost being the ability to take a pounding. Maintenance is also an issue.
ping
Everything starts somewhere.
It is not today's China that I worry about. I worry about the future China.
In the 1970's, when Nixon opened relations with China, China was an economically backward, industrial pygmy. Today, China finances U.S. Government deficit spending and is the manufacturing giant where the computer keyboard you are now typing on and half the stuff in your house came from.
In 1853, when Admiral Perry opened relations with Japan, the Japanese had never seen a steam engine before. By 1876, the Japanese had their first steam warship and, by 1905, Japan had annihilated the Russian Baltic Fleet at the Battle of Tsushima.
By the end of December 7, 1941, Japan had annihilated the U.S. battleship fleet at Pearl Harbor.
Looks vaguely like a Sikorsky HH-3 Jolly Green Giant. More than likely, they took ownership of the British choppers in Hong Kong, when the British lease ended in 1997.
No, it’s the Chinese variant of the French Super Frelon sold to them in the 70s.
Having served in the U.S.Navy for 26 years aboard seven different carriers,with a dozen major deployments, running for my life on the flight deck,gives me some bona fides regarding carrier ops.
The Soviets observed us closely for the better part of forty years and the Kuznetsov class was the best they could come up with when trying to develop their naval aviation program.
They failed,big time. What makes anyone think that a cast -off Soviet carrier will somehow emerge as a potent carrier with advanced war-making capabilities?
Nobody can come even close to being able to master the everyday details of flight deck ops overnight...or even in a few years.
Carrier operations are both an art and a science,which would take the Chinese at least a generation or two to gain anything like proficiency in.
In my next rant I'll address inconsequential things like shipboard damage control,re-fueling at sea and night ops.
Armchair experts should spend a little more time pondering practical things instead of hand wringing over chicken little scenarios.
Then in the 80's they told me the Japanese couldn't make a V-8. One word - Lexus.
See Post 12.
Thinking one generation or two generations or three generations ahead is exactly how the Chinese think. You and I will never have to worry about the Chinese Navy in our lifetime but our grandchildren will.
How does the current U.S. Commander-in-Chief think?
"I will bankrupt the future America of my chldren with a crushing debt today so that I can buy the votes needed to get me reelected next year."
“he Soviets observed us closely for the better part of forty years and the Kuznetsov class was the best they could come up with when trying to develop their naval aviation program.
They failed,big time. What makes anyone think that a cast -off Soviet carrier will somehow emerge as a potent carrier with advanced war-making capabilities?”
Well, as an engineer that has been involved with the Chinese issue for 20+ years, I can say they are not paying attention from afar like the Soviets did. These guys have their people inside American companies and have been sending direct engineering specifications, plans, and procedures back to China.
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