PLAN Carrier Operations..News, Videos & Photos

Originally Posted by Blackstone

How complicated is it to install a magnetic catapult on Ex-Varyag's angled deck?

The ship will spent a couple of month in drydock. May bee years and month. The first conversion to steam catapults for US-carriers with the SCB-27C-programm took 2½ years for each carrier.

ExVaryag will get her waist cat with her first refit, I guess, in about two to four years. With the introduction of catapults we will see a new airframe using it.

Originally Posted by Kurt

The airwing China can soon run from such a carrier are aircrafts with low stall speed. These are VTOL and they have lots of capable aviators for this task.

When you speak of "such a carrier," are you talking about the Varyag? The only VTOL aircraft the PLAN will embark are helicopters, so let's not run the risk of confusing people. Generally when one speaks of VTOL Aircraft they are talking about HArriers. or the new Joint Strike Fighter, F-35C. the PLAN has not such aircraft to operate off of the former-Varyag, only helicopters for vertailca take off and laning.

Originally Posted by kurt

Next step can be the low stall speed fixed wings that can serve in surveillance roles which include searching for submarines among a lot more important tasks like SAR. They will very early on try to develop the skills for operating fixed wing fighter aircrafts, but that is training to develop a future capability and get an idea about what future carriers should look like.

I expect we will see, within the next few months, either training aircraft (like a navalized JL-9) and/or J-15 aircraft doing qualification testing on the former-Varyag, and then full blown training on her. As the PLAN build more J-15s, and I do not know what their schedule is, but since they now have the carrier I would expect that productions chedule to pick up, they will do more and more flight operations training and then later, actual operations and exercises.

Originally Posted by kurt

It's very unlikely that this carrier has much sunk costs, but rather that it's the world's largest school ship and after China has mastered sufficiently the art of carrier operations, the Varyag will serve as a major worldwide "funfair" attraction. It will be cruising the world and offer free rides on and off a real aircraft carrier (to highlight Chinese capability), even housing a casino as promised. This service is very instrumental in order to have an influence ship design people will talk about - maximum mind-bomb effect - learned from Greenpeace. The stories of all seen and heard, while visiting this ship, will spread like wildfire, especially about the Chinese humanitarian aid efforts and brilliant Chinese inventions for ameliorating life with the tools of a developing nation.

You have to be kidding, right? If you are not, then this is simply rediculous. There will be no casino on board the former-Varyag, and though she may take a cruise to "show the flag," I expect her next few years will be a rather intensify time of training up to operate and entire airwing of J-15 Strike Fighters, and to be able to work with other vessels (her escorts) to operate as a full blown carrier battle group.

Originally Posted by kurt

The US will have a very hard time to compete against that with the Ford-class. In the end, the Varyag will be disassembled in an Indian or Vietnamese shipyard, but it will be the carrier with most landings and take offs to book. Future US-generations will even ask why the US didn't have such a clever idea and rather created artificial reefs.

Ok, now I know you must simply being sarcastic and funny. Hehehe, thanks for the laughs.

Originally Posted by Blackstone

How complicated is it to install a magnetic catapult on Ex-Varyag's angled deck?

VEry, very complicated. I expect she would get a steam catapault or two first, in the waist position.

My own personal feeling is that the ex-Varayg will not get catapaults at all. they will use her totrain up the J-15 crews and then she will become an operational carrier herself, operating in the TSOBAR configuration.

I expect the catapaults will come on the first indegenous PLAN carriers, and then probably built up to have a ski-jump and cats (at the waist). Probably two of these type carriers first to operate with the former-Varyag and move PLAN carrier aviation forward incrementally and steadliy.

Ultimately I think the PLAN will build complete CATOBAR carriers, probably another two which they will then operate in that function and increase her versatility with a full air wing to take advantage of it, having leardned from the hyvrind carrier built earlier.

Then, as first the Varya, and then the other two, reach the end of their service life, they will be replaced by full blow CATOBAR carriers from that point forwad. That's probably a good 35+ years from now.

Time frames, from my perspective?

2015 Former Varyag fully trained in air ops and continuing training in carrier group doctrine
2017 First indegenous carrier with ski-jump and cats launched
2018 Second indegnonous carrier with ski-jump and cats launched
2023 Frst full blown CATOBAR indegnous carrier launched
2027 Second full blown CATOBATR indegenous carrier lunached

Something like that, IMHO.

whoo doing tokyo drifts as well!

wish there are clearer pictures

Old markings?

Or the longer runway markings of trial no. 9 PS-work?

perhaps just older footage aired recently

Originally Posted by Jeff Head

Time frames, from my perspective?

2015 Former Varyag fully trained in air ops and continuing training in carrier group doctrine
2017 First indegenous carrier with ski-jump and cats launched
2018 Second indegnonous carrier with ski-jump and cats launched
2023 Frst full blown CATOBAR indegnous carrier launched
2027 Second full blown CATOBATR indegenous carrier lunached

Something like that, IMHO.

that's a very conservative estimate Jeff
i'd be old the time PLAN's nuclear CATOBAR launches

why don't you think they will not gut the current ex-Varyag for waist cats to experiment
and start CATOBAR immediately with the 2 upcoming indigenous carriers?

Originally Posted by paintgun

that's a very conservative estimate Jeff
i'd be old the time PLAN's nuclear CATOBAR launches

why don't you think they will not gut the current ex-Varyag for waist cats to experiment
and start CATOBAR immediately with the 2 upcoming indigenous carriers?

Because they wil want three total carrier so they can have one at sea at all times with a clear path to surge two at any one time. Once they get them built and are using them, they will be coming in for minatenance and refit every few years, spending a six months prepping, a year at dock, and another 6 months workin up...so two years out of service after every 4-6 years at sea.

By the time the Catobar's coe online, they will already have two Hybrids and will, again, as they grow, want to not have to take an extrra vessel out of the rotation if they can avoid it. When they have five carrers, they can easily have two at sea at all times and surge four.

Anyhow, it's just my guess. The could go entirely different and bring the former-VAryag back in as soon as the first indegenous carrier is launched too. Time will tell.

Too much Vodka ?

China bought Varyag arresting cables from Sweden: Russian media

Unconfirmed sources suggest that China has purchased arresting cables from Sweden for its lone aircraft carrier, the Varyag, according to Military-Industrial Courier, a newspaper based in Russia.

Russia had refused to sell arresting cables to China under pressure from the United States. Arresting cables make it possible for aircraft to come to a full stop on the short runways of aircraft carriers — without them, the Chinese air force was unable to land jets on the Varyag's deck.

The only option left for Beijing has been to purchase them from a third party. Unconfirmed sources say that China has obtained cables from Sweden.

When the Varyag — a former Soviet carrier purchased from Ukraine — arrived in Dalian, a major port city in northeast China, the ship was roughly 60%-80% completed. China began refitting the craft in 2005 with relative ease, given that its power system is similar to that of the Type 956E destroyer produced in the country.

Except for the radar, arresting cables, steam catapult and several other communication systems, all equipment used on the Varyag is made in China, the Russian newspaper said. Sources also say that China has obtained an electromagnetic aircraft launch system through reverse-engineering western technology.

China bought Varyag arresting cables from Sweden: Russian media

Originally Posted by Franklin

Too much Vodka ?



China bought Varyag arresting cables from Sweden: Russian media

I didn't know the Swedes had a need for arresting cables themselves? Or the Swedes do business in military hardware import/export?

Originally Posted by Franklin

Too much Vodka ?

Except for the radar, arresting cables, steam catapult and several other communication systems, all equipment used on the Varyag is made in China, the Russian newspaper said. Sources also say that China has obtained an electromagnetic aircraft launch system through reverse-engineering western technology.

China bought Varyag arresting cables from Sweden: Russian media

Right never trust sources that can't get their fact straight pardon me Steam catapult

Originally Posted by joshuatree

I didn't know the Swedes had a need for arresting cables themselves? Or the Swedes do business in military hardware import/export?

I also didn't know arresting wires are that hard to make... while I understand China is not in the forefront of catapult technologies I seriously doubt they are that incompetent to not have the capability to make their own wires.

Originally Posted by kwaigonegin

I also didn't know arresting wires are that hard to make... while I understand China is not in the forefront of catapult technologies I seriously doubt they are that incompetent to not have the capability to make their own wires.

It's more a case of knowhow than competence. Chinese manufacturers probably need a working model to make their own.