This is a discussion on PLAN Carrier Operations..News, Videos & Photos within the Navy forums, part of the China Defense & Military category; Originally Posted by Sczepan CHINA VARYAG reportedly has hoisted “blue flag” … which in international signal code means “ship will ...
Senior Member
Wahoo! That's great news. We will know within the day.Originally Posted by Sczepan
Get ready for some thick posts and hopefully a lot of pics if people can get down there and get pics of her as she makes her own way out of harbor.
This will be a huge day in the WESTPAC as the PRC launches its first aircraft carrier. Irrespective of however big the celebration is when their own indegenous carrier is launched, or when they trap their first aricraft onboard, this will be etched in history as the first time the PLAN of the PRC launched its own fixed wing aircraft carrier and the other nations, as I say, are already standing and taking careful note.
Senior Member
Honestly if we're not getting pictures of it now from the typical sources then any of us will not be able to get pictures either (due to security or what not).
We'll see in a year or so how this pans out.
---
Btw here's a larger pic of them testing out their OLS (from huitong's updated entry). It's not the same one we saw a week or so ago, but it's certainly bigger.
Looks like that is the "wave off"/"danger" signal?
CARRIER HAS ARRIVED! ^^
Senior Member
Here's the one I have been using...I will add the one you showed with the actual lights being tested....here's a larger pic of them testing out their OLS (from huitong's updated entry). It's not the same one we saw a week or so ago, but it's certainly bigger.
Looks like that is the "wave off"/"danger" signal?
In addition, has anyone read this article, announcing the new captain of the carrier as Li Xiaoyan?
Things are all coming together for the momentous occassion. It will be interesting to see, over the next few weeks, or at least in the few weeks following the vessels initial trials, what all is announced by the PLAN.Li Xiaoyan appointed to command China's Carrier
The headquarters of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy) already appointed career military officer Li Xiaoyan to take command of China's first aircraft carrier, the Varyag, according to a report of the Dongfang Daily newspaper, quoting an authoritative source close to China's military community. The aircraft carrier will be directly under the command of the PLA Navy HQ.
The carrier will make its maiden sea trial at a later date in August. It is expected that it will later see service in many areas, including the East, North and South China Sea, said the report.
The source said that the PLA Navy already selected Li for the coveted position earlier this year and the appointment is no longer a secret in Chinese military circles.
Li, currently holding a military rank of senior colonel, was assigned to Dalian, where the Varyag presently takes berth, in December 2010.
The aircraft carrier will be under the direct command of the PLA Navy HQ, which is in turn required to report all of the Varyag's movements to China's Central Military Commission.
Last edited by Jeff Head; 08-09-2011 at 05:03 PM.
Moderator
What do we know about this Senior Col. Li Xiaoyan? Why did he receive the honor? Does he have a history in the PLANAF? A quick Google search was fruitless.
Battles are won by slaughter and maneuver. The greater the general, the more he contributes in maneuver, the less he demands in slaughter.
-Winston Churchill
Super Moderator
So it is gonna be August 10th or 11th then. Still has the Eight and One in it...
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for translated Chinese military articles, news, and forum posts.
Senior Member
The story at this URL has quite a bit about him:
Li Xiaoyan appointed to command China's Varyag carrier
Highlights include:
- Li, currently holding a military rank of senior colonel, was assigned to Dalian, where the Varyag presently takes berth, in December 2010.
- Li, 50, was among the ten most outstanding pilots picked for training in the first and only "pilot warship captain class" at Guangzhou Warship Academy in 1987.
- With one bowing out, nine of them completed three and half to four years of training in naval aviation command before being assigned to different command units to serve as deputy captains before becoming captains of their aviation wings.
- Li was selected over others as the first commander of China's first aircraft carrier mainly because of his well-rounded tri-service military experiences in the army, air force and navy.
- Born in 1961 in Changchun City of Jilin Province in northeastern China, Li first joined China's Air Force where he received aviation training at the Second Aviation Preparatory School in 1979.
- He later attended Russia's Kuznetsov Naval Academy for advanced command studies in March 1996 after which he was appointed to other senior posts, including captain of a fleet of destroyers and chief of staff for a destroyer task force which was part of the Nanhai (South China) Fleet in 2007.
- In 2002, Li made an in-depth study of the Minsk World, which is a military theme park based in a former Soviet aircraft carrier, the Minsk, in China's southern Shenzhen City. He made careful inspection of various vital commanding centers aboard the giant ship.
- In addition to taking part in many military exercises, he led a Chinese naval fleet in goodwill visits to seven nations in Asia, Africa, and Europe during 2007.
I am presuming it is factual.
Last edited by Jeff Head; 08-09-2011 at 05:07 PM.
Senior Member
I wonder how the Navy is taking an Air Force Col. taking charge of the navy's first carrier.
I bet Popeye would agree with me that the USN would not be impressed in a similar situation if an USAF officer was given command one of their their carriers.
We know that there was a big difference of opinion within the PLAN between the pro-carrier and pro-sub factions. Maybe I am simply reading too much into this, but this appointment could mean that the seagulls won out because of Air Force support and this is their way of showing appreciation?
Does anyone know what the ranking system is like in the PLANAF? Do they follow Air Force or Naval ranks?
You would think that they would have had plenty of Naval fighter pilots to choose from for people to train as 'pilot warship captains' instead of using air force officers with no previous experience or even knowledge of naval matters.
But maybe they selected pilots purely on merit and was not concerned about which service they came form. I hope that this is the case, as it is a mature attitude and would make sure the very best is selected and not just the very best from a limited pool.
New Member
FLASH: CHINA'S REFITTED AIRCRAFT CARRIER PLATFORM SETS SAIL FOR SEA TRIAL
Gentlemen, the moment has come
The official news agency of China-- Xin Hua News Agency, just confirms the sea trail today.
Great many thanks to all the friends, and moderators for this great thread. Best wishes to the Varyag sea trail!
长风破浪会有时，直挂云帆济沧海
DALIAN, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- China's refitted aircraft carrier left its shipyard at Dalian Port in northeast Liaoning Province on Wednesday morning to start its first sea trial.
Military sources said that the first sea trial was in line with schedual of the carrier's refitting project and would not take a long time. After returning from the sea trial, the aircraft carrier will continue refit and test work.
The carrier was originally built by the former Soviet Union which named it Varyag yet failed to complete the ship's construction before collapsing in 1991. The still-unnamed aircraft carrier was an empty shell. Ukraine disarmed it and removed its engines before selling it to China.
Last edited by centrinoe; 08-09-2011 at 06:04 PM.
Senior Member
Read the guys resume at the above link. He has served in the PLAN for a long time. To whit:
- Li, 50, was among the ten most outstanding pilots picked for training in the first and only "pilot warship captain class" at Guangzhou Warship Academy in 1987. (That's almost 15 years ago)
- With one bowing out, nine of them completed three and half to four years of training in naval aviation command before being assigned to different command units to serve as deputy captains before becoming captains of their aviation wings.
- Li was selected over others as the first commander of China's first aircraft carrier mainly because of his well-rounded tri-service military experiences in the army, air force and navy.
- Born in 1961 in Changchun City of Jilin Province in northeastern China, Li first joined China's Air Force where he received aviation training at the Second Aviation Preparatory School in 1979.
- He later attended Russia's Kuznetsov Naval Academy for advanced command studies in March 1996 after which he was appointed to other senior posts, including captain of a fleet of destroyers and chief of staff for a destroyer task force which was part of the Nanhai (South China) Fleet in 2007.
- In 2002, Li made an in-depth study of the Minsk World, which is a military theme park based in a former Soviet aircraft carrier, the Minsk, in China's southern Shenzhen City. He made careful inspection of various vital commanding centers aboard the giant ship.
- In addition to taking part in many military exercises, he led a Chinese naval fleet in goodwill visits to seven nations in Asia, Africa, and Europe during 2007.
Senior Member
Ah...that's too much like some kind of "Drudge" alert. We need more.
If it is true, I am sure we shall have it...soon. Within hours.
Senior Member
Yes, I did read it, but it seems to me an odd choice to give an air force officer these kinds of opportunities and grooming when there are plenty of naval aviation pilots they could have chosen to attend such training and then be assigned to the postings he was.
I mean, did the Col. have any naval experience prior to being selected for training as the first batch of 'pilot warship captains'? If not, then the obvious question is, why him, an air force Col?
Senior Member
Damn! I was just about to go to bed! Sleep or follow this development as it happens? Such a hard choice!
Senior Member
I imagine the big guns would've thought that an air force officer with naval (including naval aviation)experience would provide better results than vice versa.
CARRIER HAS ARRIVED! ^^
Senior Member
Sea trial should be today:
Senior Member
Whoa! Getting better and better. According to this, she has already left port!
Hope we get some pics of this historic event. She'll go out, get tested and there will be copious notes about the testing and results. She will come back in and they will address all of those issues, then she will go out again for a second round.
This will continue until she is completely squared away as a sea worthy PLAN vessel, after which time they will start in on the air operations side of the table.
Some veruy momentous times for the PLAN coming up...and the other nations in the area will watch, and step up their own programs...meaning particularly India, Australia, Japan, and Korea.
Thanks Engineer for that Map! She will not be going far...nor does she need to for this first trial.
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