China to create Aircraft Carrier fleet: Report

India Defence ^

[Potowmack]

"An aircraft carrier is a very important tool for big countries defending their interests in the sea. China is a big country with a long shoreline. An aircraft carrier is necessary to defend our interests in the sea," he said.

No, an aircraft carrier exists for one purpose: Power projection. You can defend your coasts with land-based aircraft and non-carrier ships.

China's long-term goal is to be able to project power throughout Asia and the West Pacific.

[monkeywrench]

Stolen technology! LOL!

[parsifal]

My ongoing question about Taiwan is whether or not they have the bomb. I suspect they do. If South Africa and Israel can do it, the Taiwanese probably could. Aren't about half of our physicists from Taiwan???

parsy, the guesser.

[observer5]

Just keep sending all your money and factories there...

[cmdjing]

The image has been altered. The ship in the image is the USS Ronald Reagan, the most recently comissioned USN carrier. It's just that Chinese text has been added to one of the dock cranes.

[untrained skeptic]

Don't underestimate China. They are taking a very long term view on economic and military development.

I expect that their first aircraft carrier will be be less than formidable when compared to ours. However, they will learn much from building and deploying it, and even a relatively weak carrier gives them more ability to project power farther from their shore.

[ASA Vet]

HTMS Chakri Nareubet

[bondjamesbond]

Looks like you are right. Definitely looks like the Reagan.

[Kuehn12]

China has been conducting research into aircraft carrier for sometime. They really don't do anything half a..ed, so I am willing to believe it will be a supercarrier or pretty close in size and it will be designed to complement the J14 4+ fighter they are developing.

They have a lengthy history of ship building so building the super structure won't be a problem, and the catapult won't a problem either.

It will the developing the radar,EW, and Miniature Nuclear plant that will be a problem.

The complexity of aircraft carrier operation isn't a easy thing to master, it took us decades to master it and even with that we still have allot accidents.

I don't think we have to worry about a Chinese for at least a decade or so.

The motivation for building one isn't power projection it is the fact that India is coming out with them like BIGMACS.

[monkeywrench]

Their long term goal is to secure their oil and trade routes.

[cmdjing]

India doesn't operate that many carriers. As of now, there is only one operational carrier with the Indian Navy, with two scheduled to join the fleet in the next decade. The modified Admiral Gorshkov (~40,000 ton) and an indigenous Air Defense ship (~30,000 ton). For a brief window, the Indian navy will operate 3 carriers but India's present carrier is long overdue to be decomissioned. It's hull was laid down in 1944.

[USS Alaska]

Here are design plans for two different styles.

[blackie]

Jeff ~ have you seen this latest Chi-Com move?

[DustyMoment]

China has outlived many of its historical contemporaries. Like teams at the Superbowl, you can't rule out history.

[USS Alaska]

Though I'd pay good money to see Ward Churchill and Cindy Sheehan dogpaddle to Cuba.

I volunteer to man the chum bucket on the escort boat...

[jpsb]

What you are arguing is factually correct, but a little miss leading. In 476 AD China was not the home of the worlds leading civilization, Rome (Europe, middle east, north africa), and maybe India too, were all more advanced. But then Rome fell, muslims ravaged most of the western world and progress in the west came to a halt for close to 1000 years. China largely escaped, (yea monguls were a b*tch) but for most of that 1000 years their civilization remained largely intack. When civilization returned to Europe 13, 1400's Europe once again became home to the world most advanced civilization(s). Why? beats me, but that's the way it's been going since day one.

[tanknetter]

But, there you go.

That picture is probably photoshopped. The carrier is the USS Ronald Reagan, as identified by its "standard" Nimitz-class lines marred by its unique bulbous bow.

The Reagan did deploy out for Tsunami relief ... so I can't dismiss the possibility that the ship had to put in to drydock somewhere in SEA. But since it didn't make any of the naval trade news, I think the likelihood is exceptionally remote. --Garth

[tanknetter]

No, an aircraft carrier exists for one purpose: Power projection. You can defend your coasts with land-based aircraft and non-carrier ships.

No, there are other purposes. For a country like China the national prestige value of owning/operating a carrier is a purpose in its own right.

[M Kehoe]

I would pay to watch their first quals. Should be fun and expensive (for them).

5.56mm

[NeonKnight]

5000 years of history?

The US has the oldest constitution on the planet.