China Reportedly Building 3 Aircraft Carriers (Rumor yet to be confirmed)

http://www.strategypage.com/fyeo/howtomakewar/default.asp?target=htnavai.htm&base=htnavai&Prev=0&BeginCnt=31 ^

[Filibuster_60]

February 13, 2004: Publications in China report that China is building, with the assistance of Russia, three aircraft carriers. Called Project 9935, the ships are probably based on a Russian Nevskoye Design Bureau design contracted for in 1994. An article published in China says that the final design decision was made by Hudong Shipyard, Shanghai in 1999. The ship is thought to be a modified Russian Admiral Ghorshkov carrier “to Chinese specifications.” The ship is scaled up only about 6 percent.

Significant changes are the mounting of all point defenses and associated fire control systems, the mounting of a steam catapult on the angled flight deck, and modification/updating of the electronic suite. The Chinese article says that formal authorization to build a carrier was made in 1992. This apparently refers to legislation passed in that year which authorized “two aircraft carriers.” Three covered graving docks were constructed at Shangahi and eyewitness reports indicate all three now have carriers building in them. Another source says the lead ship launched in 2002 and was expected to complete about 2004. The Chinese article says the lead ship should “commission” in 2006 and that a “battle group” should form “by 2010.” These appear to be very conservative dates. Evidence strongly suggests that these ships are intended to be a technical surprise in several senses, including initial operating dates. The 2006 date is more realistic for the first carrier group. All three ships could be operational with battle groups by 2008-2010. The Chinese article says that maintenance facilities have been built at Shanghai, Dailan and Zhejiang. From this, and PLAN (Peoples Liberation Army Navy) organization, it appears each fleet will be allocated a single carrier.

The operational concept of these aircraft carriers differs from that of other nations. Aircraft carriers are not seen as the “core” of the fleet. Rather submarines are. Instead, carriers have a primary fleet defense mission: to provide air and anti-submarine defense for surface forces, especially amphibious flotillas and logistic convoys. There is a significant secondary offensive strike mission, indicated by the mounting of SSMs and also inherent in the ability of fighter-bombers to carry offensive weapons. However, it appears that the carriers are not intended for distant power projection operations in the sense US CVNs are. Designed to operate near PLAN bases, they are to be offshore aviation platforms for a mainly land based naval air force. This may mean the aviation staying power of these ships is much greater than would normally be expected if they operated dedicated air groups. Further, in the absence of the need to buy aircraft and train crews for them, the unit cost of the carriers is lower than otherwise would be the case, while the cost of lost maintenance assets is also less, should a carrier be sunk. This is an imaginative, but very reasonable, application of naval air power to the essentially regional requirements of the PLAN. However, the Chinese air force (PLAAF) is buying carrier capable aircraft and training pilots to use them.

General Characteristics:

Full Load Displacement: 48,000 tons (stated) Standard Displacement: 44,700 tons (estimated from Orel data) Light Displacement: 35,000 tons (estimated from Orel data) Maximum Displacement: 52,750 tons (estimated from Orel data) Overall Dimensions: 288x71x9 meters (calculated from Gorshkov data) Waterline Dimensions: 254x33x9 meters (calculated from Gorshkov data) Flight Deck Dimensions: 288x67.5 meters (calculated from Gorshkov data) Angled Flight Deck Dimensions: 220 meters long (standard length); 6.5 degree angle Hanger Dimensions: 144x68 meters = about 9,800 sq. meters (estimated from Orel data) Draft: 9 meters nominal, 10 meters maximum (same for all classes in design series) Full Speed: 28 knots (stated; confirmed by calculation from Gorshkov data) Machinery: Type: Geared Steam Turbines driving 4 shafts (same for all classes in series) Machinery: Turbines: 4xRussian TU-12 55,000 hp maximum (49,750 hp sustained)

[Poohbah]

And US submarine captains will take one look at the ChiCom carrier and say, "There's a Navy Cross just waiting to get pinned on."

[Filibuster_60]

A follow-on piece says the PLAN doesn't intend to form dedicated air groups for these carriers, instead drawing on existing aircrews. For some years they've had pilots practice on mock flight decks.

I'm more worried about the simple fact they're now able to build larger warships at a faster pace. With all the shipbuilding technology they're getting from South Korea & Japan & the electronic expertise they're getting from all their advanced trading partners, along with the huge expansion of their maritime facilities, they could conceivably acquire the world's second-biggest navy by 2020.

But hey, Japan won't stand idly by & should keep a qualitative edge at least another decade. The western Pacific is looking to get rather interesting.

[hchutch]

If, that is, the carrier wings didn't get them first.

:)

[Poohbah]

With all the shipbuilding technology they're getting from South Korea & Japan & the electronic expertise they're getting from all their advanced trading partners, along with the huge expansion of their maritime facilities, they could conceivably acquire the world's second-biggest navy by 2020.

Ivan did the same thing. Fat lotta good it did him.

[ErnBatavia]

Once they get the carriers, they need planes and pilots...and we all know what happened to their best hotshot zoomie...

[DM1]

These guys have been working on a navy for a long time
they want to "negate" our naval superiority so that they can grab Taiwan back

[My2Cents]

LOL...You mean "Wong Wey"?

[My2Cents]

LOL....The latter.

[MediaMole]

48,000 tons is pretty small in today's world. They are between the old WWII Essex Class and the immediate post-WWII Midway Class carriers.

They certainly aren't in any way equivalent to the Enterprise or Nimitz class ships we have.

[Vinnie_Vidi_Vici]

Time for Taiwan to speed up the production of those submarines! Perhaps we could loan them a couple, fortraining purposes only , of course! (cough, cough)

[Filibuster_60]

The Soviets never enjoyed the kind of massive trade with the developed world the Chinese have today. So they managed to build a "luxury fleet" centered on a bunch of SSBNs with poor electronics. It wasn't much of a navy by our standards but quite threatening at the regional level.

[Poohbah]

A "luxury fleet" is any fleet that can't stand up to its opponents. And that will include the PLAN's toy aircraft carriers. SUBRON 7 at Yokosuka will take care of business as needed.

[reagan_fanatic]

Oh goody goody! Target practice for the U.S Navy!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I wonder if the Russian air craft carrier was of the same fine quality as their submarines ?

[valkyrieanne]

These aren't carriers like we're used to. Seems to me they won't be of much use more than 500 miles off the Chinese coast. Area and sea denial, not power projection, would appear to be their mission. On the other hand, if the steam catapult feature is indeed being added, it would indicate they do intend to operate at least a few heavy strike planes.

Yes, very conveniently located to Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

[skeeter]

Isn't Japan building their first (loosely termed) aircraft carriers since '45?

[Teacher317]

It's always dangerous to underestimate an opponent. Let's wait until the carriers are underway before photo-shopping Titanic life preservers on 'em.

[LibWhacker]

Thank you, Bill Clinton, you traitorous c********r! I guess the democrats plan to complete the program of high-tech transfers to China he started as soon as they win the White House again.

Well, we're nuts if we allow China and the democrats to build up the Chinese military until it becomes a modern high-tech nuclear power that can pose an extreme threat to America. We should take them out right now. The Chinese we can deal with later.

[Joe 6-pack]

Commie Kerry said he knows, "something about aircraft carriers for real..."

Maybe this is what he was talking about?

[e_castillo]

He ate a propeller didn't he.