Is China building a carrier?

Jane's Defence ^ | 12 August 2005 | Andrew Koch

[Jeff Head]

Most people never bought the story that the Chinese bought this relatively new carrier hull from Ukraine to make it into a floating Casino...particularly when it was revealed that the "company" that bought it had extremely close ties to the Chinese Military (surprize), and then especially after the purchase and towing to China when that "company" went out of business.

Now, as work continues and the vessel takes on more and more vistage of a ship being worked on and potentially prepared for service, that is all the more obvious.

China is embarked on one of the largest naval military buildups in history. Given the miriad of new vessels they are building, including all of the vessels necessary to comprise a Carrier Battle Group, except the carrier, an operational Chinese carrier group in the China Sea will pose a major upset in the balance of power.

For much more information on the Chinese Naval buildup, see:

[Jeff Head]

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

[warchild9]

It just seems odd to me that a regime which is basing a new blue water fleet on the submarine, and concentrating on developing and amassing anti-carrier weapons, would bother with an expensive-and in their view, eventually worthless-weapons system like an aircraft carrier.

[BulletBobCo]

I acquired this photo at great risk.

[kcar]

Casino ship or not, it still seems like there's alot of gambling involved.

[coconutt2000]

Communist China has Imperialistic ambitions...

[kcar]

That's hilarious.

[Tiger Smack]

big whoop.......buying a aircraft carrier dont mean squat until you have experience in sea warfare. Which China DOESNT.

[iThinkBig]

"It just seems odd to me that a regime which is basing a new blue water fleet on the submarine, and concentrating on developing and amassing anti-carrier weapons, would bother with an expensive-and in their view, eventually worthless-weapons system like an aircraft carrier."

A status symbol as well as a capability perhaps? It will really scare me when China has a competent submarine fleet. Until then, they really are limited in projecting their power.

[konaice]

epairing a badly damaged ex-Russian

I missed something here... How did it get damaged?

[BulletBobCo]

Another Chinese carrier.

[Jeff Head]

It is clear that within China that the carrier is not viewed as worthless at all by many of the planners.

The PLA leaders want to look at it that way, but those interested in projecting power beyond the 1st Island chain do not feel that way at all and have clearly influenced the money strings. The Vayrag is just the latest in at least 3 or 4 other older carrier purchases that the Chinese have made. They are studying the issue and the main arguement right now is whether to build their own first one...or to make the fist something like the Vayrag from which they can learn.

In addition, for the last couple of years at least, at internal airfields, they have been practicing SU-27 and SU-30 aircraft take-offs from land based bow jumps...just like on the Vayrag.

My bet is that they will end up doing both.

[warchild9]

An aircraft carrier is old war thinking. With modern ASW capabilities widely available, the submarine isn't very much more advanced.

I can't see the Chinese spending all that money on a carrier when they have so many bases around the world to develop--like in Panama and the Bahamas, for instance...

[Born to Conserve]

That aircraft carrier will be used to put Chinese aircraft in the Caribbean and central America. It is not tactically significant, but it does have strategic value. There will be occasions where the Chinese will use their aircraft to annoy and distract our military operations.

[Jeff Head]

I would suggest that we do not trivialize or underestimate them...a lot of people did the same to the Japanese prior to WWII and it came back to haunt them...and cost a lot of lives to put that genie back in the bottle.

[mylife]

Still, China's ultimate intentions for the Varyag remain unclear.

Seems plain as day to me

[Jeff Head]

Agreed...but that is always the case with totalitarian governments that have a history of attacking their neighbors.

[Lx]

Bump to send to Chinese friend.

[warchild9]

Per my #13, one would think their resources were better spent on hardening bases. That, and submarines, seem to be where their heads are at these days.

[Servant of the 9]

If you look at the bow, it appears to be a jump jet carrier rather than a full sized fleet carrier.

SO9