[Jeff Head]

For those following the continued PLAN (Red Chinese Navy) buildup...this latest from Jane's on the carrier.

[Stonewall Jackson]

The Chinese have spent the past twenty years studying the old ex-Australian carrier Melbourne and I believe they also purchased another old flattop a few years ago. Their engineers have undoubtedly been using these older models as hands-on classrooms for the repair of the Varyag and the construction of some homegrown carriers of their own (rumors have been persisting for the past several years that they might have already begun construction, but I haven't seen anything definite, yet).

Anyone who doesn't believe that China will not be a major threat to the United States in the next few years needs to take a major dose of reality and consider the fact that China has been wooing Mexico and many of our southern neighbors for the past few years. A build-up of several million Chinese troops on our southern border could very well be in the cards in the next decade. This carrier, and any future brethren, would go a long way toward securing a supply corridor between China and Mexico. Capture a few small islands in the Central Pacific and the Chinese will have a series of airbases to provide air cover for their convoys.

Yes, our fleet could possibly stop this scenario, or at least put a damper on their plans, but a Pearl Harbor-style assault on the US bases at Pearl Harbor, San Diego, and Bremerton would cripple the US Pacific Fleet long enough for the land war to be decided one way or another.

[Doohickey]

True story: When the Soviets were building their so-called aircraft carrier, they copied the jet-blast deflectors (JBD's) from the Nimitz class based.

They missed one little detail though. Our JBD's are water cooled. Their burned straight through the first time they applied afterburner to it.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!