Images of China’s aircraft carrier and its accompanying warships were released by the PLAN (People’s Liberation Army Navy) to celebrate the battle group’s first successful deployment.
Along with Liaoning, 10 more warships took part in the parade (which reminds the American ones): three destroyers, three frigates, three submarines and an amphibious assault ship. A total of eight jet fighters overflew the BG during the return leg of the cruise to Qingdao home port on China’s east coast.
But, as pointed out by defense journalist David Axe on War is Boring, the shots reveal the weaknesses in Chinese naval organization.
The secret to American naval power is the capability to support flattops by means of logistics ships, including tankers, dry stores vessels and ammunition ships.
“The Pentagon’s three-dozen active combat-support vessels, manned mostly by civilian mariners, busily crisscross the globe, carefully plotting their courses to regularly meet up with the carriers and other task forces in order to refuel and resupply them. But no logistics ships are visible in Liaoning’s recent photos. That could be because China possesses only a token naval logistical flotilla—and mostly uses it to support Beijing’s counter-piracy force off of East Africa. “Limited logistical support remains a key obstacle preventing the [Chinese] Navy from operating more extensively beyond East Asia,” the Pentagon reported recently” Axe explains.
Therefore, an image whose aim was to project an image of strength, also highlights the limits of the current Chinese maritime power.
Date posted is wrong.Should be January 3, 2014
Those will make fine man-made coral reefs.
MMMmmm. Targets.
Dumb question. Are the fighters pictured land based, carrier based, or photoshopped?
Made from high quality Chinese steel. Lifetime warranty.
How many container ships does China have, to keep the WalMart shelves stocked, and how hard would it be to take a few and convert them to support vessels? Better yet, support vessels which could continue to operate as commercial vessels until actually needed for naval support?
So who will the ChiComs, with Russia’s help, go after first, Taiwan or Japan? Maybe they’re planning to assist a North Korea takeover of SK as well.
What do you make of these photos?
it will be even more impressive if they ever put aircraft on their aircraft carrier.
The next in the now well-established series of exercises called Peace Mission 2009 will be carried out in northeastern China, the Russian Defense Ministry announced March 18, according to a report carried by the RIA Novosti news agency.
The first bilateral Peace Mission maneuvers -- described at the time as counter-terrorism exercises -- were held in Russia and the eastern Chinese province of Shandong in August 2005.
As we reported at that time, they were a lot bigger than mere counter-terrorism exercises. Warships, squadrons of combat aircraft and more than 10,000 troops were involved carrying out landings against hypothetically hostile shores. The maneuvers also involved large-scale paratroops drops. The scale and nature of those exercises suggested a trial run for a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan with Russian support. ..."
My neighbor used to be the CO on a fast attack sub. He would say, “Those look like very impressive - - targets”.
For the life of me, I can't understand why we (collectively) continue to underestimate the Chinese and their capacity and capability. Other than arrogance based upon the past, we should be concerned. They are stronger financially, they are learning quickly through us giving them technology and what we don't give them, they steal anyway.
They can produce stuff rapidly and have massive manpower to scale up. They've got us by the balls from a financial perspective and any conflict means US companies shutting down plants there, decimating the economy worldwide.
My point: Do NOT under-estimate the Chinese nor any other enemy.
See:
That site includes my analysis.
One of the main reasons the Chinese released these pics when they did was because of their desire to pre-empt the upcoming Indian Navy exercises with her two aircraft carriers, which has now also occurred on January 5th and been reported.
Many more pictures at those two sites.
I posted both of those reports here to FR too.