Posted on 07/31/2011 9:02:23 AM PDT by lbryce
China's Defense Ministry said its first aircraft carrier would be used for "research, experiments and training" and would not affect its defensive naval strategy, in an apparent attempt to ease regional concerns that the vessel could be used to enforce Chinese territorial claims.
Senior Col. Geng Yansheng, a Defense Ministry spokesman, also confirmed for the first time that Chinese pilots were training to operate from the carrier, which is based on an empty hull bought from Ukraine, and which is due to start sea trials this summer. But he said it would take a long time to become fully operational.
"Building an aircraft carrier is extremely complex and at present we are using a scrapped aircraft carrier platform to carry out refurbishment for the purposes of technological research, experiments and training," Col. Geng said, according to a Chinese transcript of a monthly Defense Ministry news conference published on its web site.
Asked about media reports that the vessel would be launched on Aug. 1, China's Army Day, he said: "There is not a question of when this ship is launched, because it has been in the water all along. As for the precise timetable for the ship beginning sea trials, it will be decided according to the schedule of the refurbishment project."
He also dismissed a question suggesting that China's sudden relative openness about the carrier was linked to recent tensions in the South China Sea, where China has conflicting territorial claims with Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei, and has warned the U.S. to stop reconnaissance operations.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
bttt
Maybe the PLAN should paint a big “RESEARCH” on the side, like the Japanese whaling ships.
That should prove it’s not a warship.
Reminds me of Japan killing and processing Whales purely for scientific studies and research.
Are ALL gub mints full of pooh?
I know ours is.
I’m sure they’ve already stolen enough American technology to make a good go of it. China’s weakness is their enlisted personnel. As long as you have rank-and-file that are slave labor and discouraged from thinking, you’ll never have a decent military.
Bah, destruction of a carrier is a declaration of nuclear war. They’ll put that carrier in our way somewhere, some time...
The Chicoms are not our friends. Our own government has allowed American corporations to outsource willy nilly sensitive technology to the Chicoms on a retarded promise that this technology will not be used to develop weapons systems against the American military.
We have some real stupid leaders, I mean real stupid.
This is not a free trade issue, this is a national security issue.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admiral_Flota_Sovetskogo_Soyuza_Kuznetsov_aircraft_carrier
Kuznetsov has spent most of its time pierside.
The Chinese one will probably do the same once China finds out how expensive it is to buy, train and operate it, its CAG, and the associated ships of the CVBG - especially when almost all of its near abroad missions can be fulfilled by shore-based aircraft using aerial refueling to fly out from its long north to south coastline.
“Free trade” as currently practiced, IS about national security.
America is de-industrializing, and arming the world’s next superpower. Our next growing adversary.
A monolith, which we ignore foolishly.
Remember when “free traders” argued that sending our jobs to China would make the country democratic?
Only thing it’s done is make us WEAKER, BROKE AND HOBBLED.
“Free trade” is driving America’s speeding decline.
They had it right the first time.
“And our first experiment is, ‘How many bombs must we drop before Taiwan surrenders?’”
You seem to have the hang of things. :-)
mmmm... Maybe it will have a “Forrestal” accident and they will get a reality check on carrier ops.
My guess they will load it up with Helicopters and use it in their invasion of Taiwan. That kind of operation they could handle. Now its just a fancy hood ornament to show their power. But, don’t be lulled into a false idea that they will not use their new toy to expand Chinese goals.
Eventually his wish was granted and he spent a day riding “the boat.” Victor flew on and off in the COD (carrier onboard delivery) — a Grumman C-1. He watched flight ops (launch and recovery) and freely mingled with the crew.
He was astounded by the professionalism and competence of even the lowest enlisted to the captain of the ship and CAG (carrier air group commander). Belenko said that the communists told his pilots the American sailors were pirates and mercenaries. After seeing things for himself, Belenko saw the propaganda for the lie it was.
Belemko said the Soviets had nothing comparable to carrier aviation and it would take them a long, long time to develop the kind of well-oiled machine he'd witnessed aboard ship.
Just before he left, the ship gave him a Naval Aviator's leather flight jacket with all the squadron badges. Belenko treasured that gift like no other. He was paranoid that someone might steal it (never happened). Later, Belenko and GEN Chuck Yeager became fast friends.
Maybe, at this point I think it’s too easy for them to ‘buy’ Taiwan though.
It would make a cheap airbase in the far Yellow sea to impress it’s neighbors- or more. Could drop by those ‘disputed’ ocean oil deposits some time for some ‘research’. Friendly visits to South America and Africa
could yield profitable research in the future.
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“Victor Belenko defected to the West in his MiG-25 (1976). One of the things Belenko wanted to see was an American aircraft carrier in operation”
__________________________________________________________________________________
Yes. I remember ther story well. And his tarp draped Mig 25 sitting on that Japanese airfield
During my first year in college, my Composition I instructor asked us to write a short story to be turned in
before the end of class. She asked us to write about who we considered to be heroes. I wrote about Viktor Belenko and how he made a decision to leave what was a very prestigious and promising career in The Soviet Union, a fighter pilot, and find out for himself if the stories about life in the west were true or not.
He was told famine was common in the west. He said that he was always suspicious that these stories were lies. I think it was heroic that he gave up that life to satisfy in his own mind if freedom really existed in the west.
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