China Reportedly Building 3 Aircraft Carriers (Rumor yet to be confirmed)

http://www.strategypage.com/fyeo/howtomakewar/default.asp?target=htnavai.htm&base=htnavai&Prev=0&BeginCnt=31 ^

[Filibuster_60]

February 13, 2004: Publications in China report that China is building, with the assistance of Russia, three aircraft carriers. Called Project 9935, the ships are probably based on a Russian Nevskoye Design Bureau design contracted for in 1994. An article published in China says that the final design decision was made by Hudong Shipyard, Shanghai in 1999. The ship is thought to be a modified Russian Admiral Ghorshkov carrier “to Chinese specifications.” The ship is scaled up only about 6 percent.

Significant changes are the mounting of all point defenses and associated fire control systems, the mounting of a steam catapult on the angled flight deck, and modification/updating of the electronic suite. The Chinese article says that formal authorization to build a carrier was made in 1992. This apparently refers to legislation passed in that year which authorized “two aircraft carriers.” Three covered graving docks were constructed at Shangahi and eyewitness reports indicate all three now have carriers building in them. Another source says the lead ship launched in 2002 and was expected to complete about 2004. The Chinese article says the lead ship should “commission” in 2006 and that a “battle group” should form “by 2010.” These appear to be very conservative dates. Evidence strongly suggests that these ships are intended to be a technical surprise in several senses, including initial operating dates. The 2006 date is more realistic for the first carrier group. All three ships could be operational with battle groups by 2008-2010. The Chinese article says that maintenance facilities have been built at Shanghai, Dailan and Zhejiang. From this, and PLAN (Peoples Liberation Army Navy) organization, it appears each fleet will be allocated a single carrier.

The operational concept of these aircraft carriers differs from that of other nations. Aircraft carriers are not seen as the “core” of the fleet. Rather submarines are. Instead, carriers have a primary fleet defense mission: to provide air and anti-submarine defense for surface forces, especially amphibious flotillas and logistic convoys. There is a significant secondary offensive strike mission, indicated by the mounting of SSMs and also inherent in the ability of fighter-bombers to carry offensive weapons. However, it appears that the carriers are not intended for distant power projection operations in the sense US CVNs are. Designed to operate near PLAN bases, they are to be offshore aviation platforms for a mainly land based naval air force. This may mean the aviation staying power of these ships is much greater than would normally be expected if they operated dedicated air groups. Further, in the absence of the need to buy aircraft and train crews for them, the unit cost of the carriers is lower than otherwise would be the case, while the cost of lost maintenance assets is also less, should a carrier be sunk. This is an imaginative, but very reasonable, application of naval air power to the essentially regional requirements of the PLAN. However, the Chinese air force (PLAAF) is buying carrier capable aircraft and training pilots to use them.

General Characteristics:

Full Load Displacement: 48,000 tons (stated) Standard Displacement: 44,700 tons (estimated from Orel data) Light Displacement: 35,000 tons (estimated from Orel data) Maximum Displacement: 52,750 tons (estimated from Orel data) Overall Dimensions: 288x71x9 meters (calculated from Gorshkov data) Waterline Dimensions: 254x33x9 meters (calculated from Gorshkov data) Flight Deck Dimensions: 288x67.5 meters (calculated from Gorshkov data) Angled Flight Deck Dimensions: 220 meters long (standard length); 6.5 degree angle Hanger Dimensions: 144x68 meters = about 9,800 sq. meters (estimated from Orel data) Draft: 9 meters nominal, 10 meters maximum (same for all classes in design series) Full Speed: 28 knots (stated; confirmed by calculation from Gorshkov data) Machinery: Type: Geared Steam Turbines driving 4 shafts (same for all classes in series) Machinery: Turbines: 4xRussian TU-12 55,000 hp maximum (49,750 hp sustained)

[My2Cents]

That's the bad news. The good news is, the carriers are based on the French design.

[martin_fierro]

Buncha junk.

[Bikers4Bush]

The design that scuttles itself at the first sign of enemy ships or the other one that just capsizes and has a big white flag painted on the bottom?

[af_vet_rr]

Would not surprise me, they are hot to trot in space, stands to reason they aren't going to ignore the sea.

[Taylor42]

I can't wait for them to try real naval aviation. Boy are they in for a few surprises.

But I expect they have copies of all of our NATOPS manuals...

[Semper Paratus]

I can't wait for them to try real naval aviation. Boy are they in for a few surprises.

Yeah considered the late aviator Wong Wei was one of their aces.

[NorseWood]

Heads up, Jeff Head!

[dixierat]

Nice of them to build the first significant targets our navy has had since WWII.....

[longtermmemmory]

The Chinese bought the USSR's last and only jet aircraft carrier. It stands to reason they would build more.

[Filibuster_60]

If these rumors prove to be true, the most disturbing thing is how it challenges the conventional wisdom that China's given up on aircraft carriers for the time being. I remember a while back People's Daily English version actually ran an article explaining why the PLAN won't acquire carriers in the near future. More recently the Taiwanese press has reported China's seeking small helicopter carriers as a stopgap measure. We'll see soon enough what's really been going on.

[AngryJawa]

The local fish population will be very happy to hear that they have a couple of new artificial reefs coming their way.

[Enterprise]

The Three A/C names:

1. Mai Ding Dong

2. One Hung Low

3. Yu Fat Too

[Armedanddangerous]

That thing is two Harpoon Missles away from being an artificial reef for divers to swim though.

[Modernman]

Chicom Aircraft Carrier Ping.

Do you think they'll be able to make this work? Carrier aviation is tougher than it looks.

[Ronin]

NATOPS manuals are only a part of the equation.

The real strength of U.S. carrier aviation is the living history and experience in countless areas that is handed down, squid to squid, officer to officer, pilot to pilot in an unbroken chain going back to the old USS Langley.

No other nation even comes close.

Still, it will be interesting to see what the Chinese do with these things. Not that I expect them to be very effective, at least, not for many years.

[Captain Rhino]

Wow, a carrier without assigned air assets.

So I guess any carrier-capable fighter or attack jet stick in the PLAN will be expected to just show up full qualified to trap and launch from any of the three carriers. Mix and match. With and without ordnance, day, night, NVG, in all weather conditions (above flight minimums). And they will gain and maintain their at-sea flight quals by ???

This is an extremely dangerous business even with dedicated carrier air groups. Unfortunately, the Chinese may be in for some unpleasant surprises. Wonder how many pilots they will kill, aircraft they will destroy and how much damage they will do to the ships before they realize buying a dedicated air group is actually cheaper. (Nice power protection bonus when they do that too.)

But who knows. With their reliance on the extensive carrier operation experience of the Russians and their own potent submarine operational experience, they could be a serious menace in the western Pacific region. ;-)

[Filibuster_60]

These aren't carriers like we're used to. Seems to me they won't be of much use more than 500 miles off the Chinese coast. Area and sea denial, not power projection, would appear to be their mission. On the other hand, if the steam catapult feature is indeed being added, it would indicate they do intend to operate at least a few heavy strike planes.

[Fierce Allegiance]

This may be what is driving steel prices sky high lately. China is buying up ALL of the us scrap steel available.

[hchutch]

"I have always been here."