You'll Never Guess Who's Building an Aircraft Carrier Now (Seriously... Try)

Motley Fool ^ | May 31, 2015 | Rich Smith

[QT3.14]

All of a sudden, aircraft carriers are back in fashion.

Over in Russia, they're drawing up plans to build the world's biggest aircraft carrier, a 100,000-ton beast that can carry 100 combat aircraft. China's building one, two, or maybe even four aircraft carriers. And here in the United States, we're busy building our second ­Ford-class supercarrier.

Around the world and across the seas, aircraft carriers are popping up in the unlikeliest of places -- in Korea, in Thailand, in India, Japan, and maybe soon in Singapore, as well. But you'll never guess the latest country to announce plans to acquire one.

[Joe 6-pack]

There’s a WKRP/Les Nessman, “Turkeys can fly,” joke behind this article...

[blackdog]

Chad bought a dozen F-14's back when I was in flight school. They had a special air field where they based them. Unfortunately they could not safely depart from the runway due to it's rather short length and poor condition. The government would film the planes taxiing around and never discuss the fact they couldn't get them in the air...........

My roommate was a pilot from the Chad Air-force. .

[Oztrich Boy]

Only the U.S. and Great Britain have the decades of naval experience necessary to carry out the latter.

France and India have it. And Britain will have to relearn a decade of not having it.

[QT3.14]

Chad AF inventory as of December 2014

[Beowulf9]

Matel?

[ROCKLOBSTER]

You'll Never Guess Who's Building an Aircraft Carrier Now (Seriously... Try)

Switzerland?

[ExCTCitizen]

Ok... I thought the country was going to be a land locked 3rd world country like Zimbabwe.

[McGruff]

Baltimore rioters?

[rbg81]

Gee....I thought build A/C Carriers was stupid and outdated. Apparently not.

[Charles Martel]

I guess a carrier deck will be ideal for all the muzzies on board to roll out their little prayer rugs to kneel down on when they face Mecca. That’s one pic I’d like to see.

You know how in WWII, Japanese capital ships had pagoda-shaped superstructures? Can't wait to see how these guys incorporate the minaret.

[Vendome]

So?

Let em support the ship in pure F.O.B. terms.

Then man the thing with competent men.

Then competent airmen.

Keep the machines running.

Aircraft flying.

Dodge bullets and missiles

Then support them with blue water capabilities

Don’t forget whatever their version of AWACS would be.

Now, get the logistics for resupply fine tuned...

Who cares what they build...

[M Kehoe]

Hey Achmed, bring her around to 090, grab the rugs, and it's Miller prayer time...

5.56mm

[Cronos]

Why aircraft carriers are popping up in the unlikeliest of places -- in Korea, in Thailand, in India, Japan, and maybe soon in Singapore, as well. ? All 5 of those are naval powers who need to project their power far into the ocean, so an aircraft carrier makes logical sense

[bunkerhill7]

Waco

[The_Reader_David]

Why? Because NATO is still constituted as an alliance directed against Russia, and is now an aggressive anti-Russian alliance, rather than a defensive anti-Russian alliance. What makes you think that Sunni Muslims don’t make reliable allies for multicultural secularists when the enemy is a large Orthodox Christian power that is standing up to multicultural secularism and has Shi’ite allies of convenience?

[Rebelbase]

Stand off weapon sytems have made carriers obsolete. We just don’t know it yet.

[Forward the Light Brigade]

I thought it would be Cuba or Ireland.

[MasterGunner01]

The world of carrier aviation is probably the most dangerous kind of flying known to man. Carrier pilots EARN the title of aviator. Your average US Navy super carrier is 1,000 feet long and 200 feet wide. it has four catapults and four arresting wires.

Launch — Aviators take it as a matter of faith at launch the ‘cat’ will accelerate them from 0 to 160 mph in 200 feet at launch. If not, it's ejection time before impacting the ocean. You have the end of two to three seconds to decide whether you're flying or ejecting.

Recovery — Aviators are faced with a postage stamp sized landing area that is moving away from them at 35 knots. The landing area itself is roughly 80 feet wide by 250 long. Your approach speed is roughly 160 mph with a very steep glide slope. The idea is to hook the No. 3 arresting wire [perfect trap]. If you miss the wires for any reason, you give the bird full throttles so your ‘bolter’ can take off and set up for another pass. Day light traps are usually no problem. Night carrier landings can (and do) get very serious when: 1) the wind and sea state get aroused: 2) that causes the carrier deck to pitch, yaw, and roll; and 3) our aviator's pucker factor really pegs the red line when the carrier goes tactical and the only lights are those for landing and all electronic emissions are shut down. The Navy measured its aviator's reactions under night carrier landings under these three conditions and not even combat spiked adrenaline flows like these conditions.

Tanking -- Sometimes even the best aviators can't get aboard and they have to get fuel. at least one bird is up carrying a 'buddy store' carrying a hose reel and extra fuel. The thirsty jet then takes on enough fuel using the probe and drogue system to execute three more landing attempts. Missed traps and tanking to get fuel actually boost the stress level because the aviator knows he's either got to land his 'bird on the boat' or eject into the inky black darkness over the ocean.

Those countries wanting to do carrier operations are going to find there is a very unforgiving and fatal learning curve associated with such flying.

[skinkinthegrass]

i love April Fools. 😄

[skinkinthegrass]

Liechtenstein is Good.