China developing 11,0000 ton 'super aircraft carrier' to rival US naval power

Asian News International (ANI) ^ | December 22, 2013

[sukhoi-30mki]

China has declared it is building a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

The size of the carrier will be huge enough to rival the biggest in United States naval service in the first move of a major new arms race.

According to China Daily, Chinese website qianzhan.com said 'top People's Liberation Army' sources as saying the 110,000-ton aircraft carrier should be launched by 2020.

The news follows rising tensions in the South and East China Seas.

The design of the carrier is reportedly based on drawings from the former Soviet Union of a nuclear-powered, 80,000 ton vessel capable of carrying 60 aircraft, the report added.

[tcrlaf]

Without a sizable blue water fleet, the huge Chinese merchant fleet is vunerable.

China’s weak spot is OIL.

They must control the lanes that provide the oil to their industries, which means Controlling the South China Sea, and the ability to contain any threats to the Malacca Straights, the Lombok Straight, the Sunda Straight, and the Celebes Sea.

[The Duke]

There’s a whole lot more to carrier operations, carrier defense and effective carrier deployment than just having a big old ship.

So, if Bill Clinton sold China our ICBM secrets what stopped him from selling our aircraft carrier plans and procedures?

[layman]

Am I the only one who realizes that aircraft carriers are not only obsolete, but they are also STUPID ??? You don’t have to sink them .... you only have to screw up the landing strip.

[section9]

Jeff, what is Combined Fleet doing to counteract the Chinese build-up, given the relative inattention of the U.S. to its Navy since the early Nineties.

[Jeff Head]

Well, 1st he US Navy has not been sitting still. v We have been building Arleigh Burke Class destroyers continually through the entire time and now have about 65 of them along with 22 Ticonderoga cruisers.

Those vessels are the best multi-role combatants on the planet...although some of our allies, with their own Burke builds have equally strong combatants.

In addition, the US has been building Virginia Class nuclear attack submarines, which outside Sea Wolf class, there are no other SSNs that can equal them either. Now, the Astutes the Royal Navy are building are very good too...but they only have two of them and will build no more than seven of them. We currently have ten of the Virginia's commissioned, and five more building, and another seventeen planned.

By comparison, the PLAN has seven nuclear attack subs, and four of those are very antiquated Han class boats,. The other four Type 093 boats are not even as good as the Los Angles class boats we still use...and we have about forty of them.

As t the Japanese Maritime Self defense Force, they are still very strong. They have fallen behind the PLAN in terms of new vessels and tonnage. They still hold an edge in experience which is very important...and they are not sitting on their laurels. They do not have the economic strength however to keep up with the Chinese. However, between ourselves and the Japanese, there is still overwhelming numbers, tonnage and experience. But the Chinese are pushing to try and match that.

The Japanese have six AEGIS destroyers, four Kongo class and two Atago Class. They are going to build two more Atago class. They also have 13 Murasami class DDGs, five Takanami Class DDGs, and are have now launched all four of their Akizaki Class DDGs which are very powerful. All of those have been built since the late 1990s.

Their Diesel/Electric subs are among the best in the world, particularly their AIP capably Soryu class. However, they cannot keep up with the build pace of the Chinese. The JSMDF has about 22 good diesel Electric subs. The Chinese have about 34...and their build rate is outpacing the Japanese.

The Japanese have commissioned two new, large Hyuga class DDH carriers. They are large, 20,000 ton flat deck carriers that are ASW oriented and principally carry ASW helicopters, though they could carry Ospreys, and probably a small contingent of Joint Strike Fighters if the Japanese ever buy any of the Bravo variant (the STOVL variant).

They have also just finished a larger, 30,000 ton vessel which is also a carrier, the Izumo and are building a second of those. These too are put forward as helicopter ASW carriers, but could clearly carry even more JSFs if they so desired. Here's a picture of the new Izumo.

IZUMO CLASS CVH

So, the Japanese are continuing to modernize and build up, just at a slower pace.

The South Koreans are doing the same and are themselves very strong, as are the Australians. Right now, China's [problem is that they have to catch up with and surpass and then maintain a lead over all of these nations combined. A very difficult task.

Or they will have to try and take them on piece meal, one at a time. We are there to make sure they do not do that.

Some good reference links:

World-wide Aircraft Carriers

AEGIS and AEGIS-like vessels of the World

The US Navy in the 21st Century

The Rising Sea Dragon in Asia

[GeronL]

I like the fact that some of our allies in the East (not so much Euroland anymore) are taking up the slack. This ship is 11,000 tons...

Sejong the Great of the South Korean Navy carries 128 missiles instead of the 96 that the Arleigh Burke and Atago Class carry. Making it one of the most heavily armed surface ships on Earth (the Russian KIROV battlecruisers carry 352 though)

[Jeff Head]

Yes, that is the Se Jong Class...the KDX-III DDG the South Koreans have built. They have built three of them and plan to build three more.

This is the larger Arleigh Burke Flight IIA variant I believe we should base our Burke Flight III vessels on that will start replacing the Ticonderoga vessels around 2020 or later.

[q_an_a]

y9ou da man

[pacific_waters]

What number is 11,0000?

[Stonewall Jackson]

The Essex-class fleet carriers were about 36,000-tons. The Independence-class light carriers were about 11,000-tons. There were several different classes of escort carrier, but they generally ranged in the 8,500-10,000-ton area. The Midway-class battle carriers were completed just after the war ended and weighed in at 45,000-tons.

The pre-war carriers were of several different classes. The Langley was 14,000-tons, the Lexington-class was 43,000-tons, the Ranger was 18,000-tons, the Wasp was 19,000-tons, and the Yorktown-class was 26,000-tons.

[clearcarbon]

I suppose this is why they want to build a new canal in Nicaragua.