Posted on 03/05/2002 8:40:46 AM PST by rightwing2
London Times
March 5, 2002
China Pays £17m For Giant Soviet Carrier
By Oliver August in Beijing
CHINA has taken delivery of a Ukrainian aircraft carrier and will try to copy the decommissioned vessel in an attempt to expand its naval power. A Chinese shipyard confirmed yesterday the arrival of the carrier in the northern port city of Dalian, where military experts are expected to use the vessel as a template for China’s own carrier design. The 1,000ft Varyag is the largest of at least three former Soviet carriers acquired by China. All the vessels were bought by private companies, allegedly with links to the military, which invited naval architects from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to inspect them.
A Western diplomat in Beijing said: "They already have a design on their computers ready for the day when they decide to build their own carrier. They will extract the best parts of the Varyag’s design and add them to their own." The Varyag, built a decade ago, was towed from the Black Sea around the Cape to the Yellow Sea. The Soviet Navy never finished building the vessel owing to a lack of funds after the end of the Cold War. The hull is not fitted with any electronic or hydraulic equipment. It was supposed to be turned into a casino in Macau, according to the official Chinese buyer, a company called Chong Lot that has no known links to the gaming sector but has been linked to the military. When Macau awarded new casino licences last month, Chong Lot was not among successful bidders.
Analysts believe that instead the PLA could use the Varyag as a training platform for carrier take-offs and landings. The purchase and towing of the carrier has cost about £17.5 million, probably making it too expensive for use as an entertainment facility. China paid the Ukrainian Government £14 million for the hull and the Turkish Government at least £210,000 as a transit fee. The towing is said to have cost between £2 million and £3.5 million. China’s other two decommissioned ex-Soviet carriers have been turned into floating amusement parks moored in the coastal cities of Shenzhen and Tianjin. Under pressure from Washington, the carriers were stripped of their most sensitive technology before Beijing was able to buy them.
Robert Karniol, the Asia editor of Jane’s Defence Weekly, said: "The Chinese haven’t seen this type of carrier before and it could be very useful to them. They are trying to vacuum up as much knowhow as they can." Beijing has long harboured plans to build aircraft carriers to catch up with the United States in terms of power projection. Liu Huaqing, a recently retired senior general who fought with Chairman Mao in the 1930s, has spoken of the 21st century as the "century of the sea" and called for rapid naval modernisation. In response, the US Navy has said that Chinese plans could upset the regional balance of power. Independent experts say, however, that the launch of a Chinese carrier is still many years away. China’s shipyards are believed to be able to build carrier hulls, but not the catapults to launch and recover aircraft. However, former Soviet naval architects may be available to help.
"That looks a bit like a carrier designed for VTOL aircraft - do the Chinese have any VTOL aircraft?""In its building, unique engineering working were used, allowing to aircraft to take off practically without starting run. Post #14
| Designation | Manufacturer | Model; Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Z-5 | Harbin | Mil Mi-4 built in China; known as "Syuan Fen" (Whirlwind) | |
| Z-6 | Harbin | Turboshaft version of Z-5 (prototype only, not produced) | |
| Z-7 |
|
||
| Z-8 | Changhe | Aérospatiale SA321 built in China | |
| Z-9 | Harbin | Eurocopter AS365N Dauphin built in China; versions include Z-9, Z-9A (AS365N1) and Z-9G | |
| Z-10 | - | Conflicting references: - Attack helicopter - 12-14 seat transport helicopter |
|
| Z-11 | Changhe | Eurocopter AS355 Fennec built in China | |
| Z-? | Harbin | Chinese-built attack helicopter (based on Z-9) | |
I had a bit of a look around the net and discovered the launching ramp you can see in the photos isn't quite the same thing as seen on Royal Navy carriers that launch Harriers, and is actually used to launch non-VTOL aircraft. The ramp is replaced on US carriers by the catapult - and the technology for one is apparently quite difficult to perfect. That surprised me, but the key problem is getting good reliability from a design, which is fair enough when you think of what must have been in the design brief.
The ramp concept is a bit of a budget solution that doesn't permit launching in all weathers like the catapult. It's got to be one important difference between a good carrier and an inferior one. Having VTOL aircraft is another way to go all weather, although that has its problems too.
If the Chinese are desperate enough for the tech that they'll buy carriers, you can bet they are snooping around elsewhere too.
So solly, Numba one son has not won gambering ricense. My o My, now we must sell to miritaly so famiry investment wirr not be rost! (If you have any trouble with the accent, see any science teaching assistant at a major university.) Suplize suplize!
So what's the specs on this carrier? Supposed to be Nuclear? 40Knts Plus? What was it supposed to launch? BTW, that is one heroic towing job.
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