CV-16 Liaoning (001 carrier) Thread II ...News, Views and operations

Status
Not open for further replies.

weig2000

Captain
I signed up as an SDF member in January 2012, the year when Liaoning was about to be commissioned towards the end of the year. I actually had been lurking around SDF for some time before that.

One of my earliest posts that got me a lot of likes back then was about the trip that I went to China and found out the country was swept by "carrier craze." I also mentioned that I bought a multi-volume book series on carriers in China - the history, the combats, the construction, the technology, the operations and maintenance, in a word, everything about carriers - that target ordinary readers. I was amazed by its scope and meticulous details, which showed years of research Chinese naval community had devoted to.

China's carrier program has been shaping up to be the most carefully and methodically planned and executed large and complex defense program in the nation's history and indeed, among one of the world's most successful ones. To be sure, the carrier program is still in the midst of a relatively long journey before reaching its end goal: CVNs with EMALS, but there is little doubt that it will get there before the end of next decade.

No other Chinese large defense programs can match its smooth planning, execution and success. The destroyer program took years of delays and zigzags until it reaches its present status of a world-class destroyer in 055; the nuclear submarine program had suffered from long pause, delay and technology barriers and has always been shrouded in mystery. J-20, a surprisingly successful story, is more a tactical weapon platform and much smaller in scope of program.
 
Last edited:

Intrepid

Major
To be sure, the carrier program is still in the midst of a relatively long journey before reaching its end goal: CVNs with EMALS, but there is little doubt that it will get there before the end of next decade.
It's exciting to see who will drive the development beyond the current status: China, USA or another country. CVN and EMALS is just a milestone, not the endpoint.
 

by78

General
Cross posting from the Shandong thread... Looks like Liaoning's deck has been re-recoated and the pennant painted.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!


(2048 x 1536)
44099966455_3d63547e58_k.jpg
 

FireyCross

New Member
Registered Member
Well, if she'll never visit Nikolayev again, I'd at least like to see the old Varyag visit her long-suffering sister before either of them are retired. Seemed like Kuznetsov was the lucky one back in the 90s, but look at the two carriers now...

Kinda sad to see in a way, their situations couldn't be more mirror imaged if they tried. I'd be interested to see if the Russians take much of an interest in Liaoning or Shandong with a view to either doing a proper overhaul of the Kuznetsov using the Liaoning as a guide to what minor updates could be made, or maybe building a replacement along the lines of the Shandong, either themselves or with Chinese assistance. I think their best bet would be getting two 001As (one for Pacific and one for Northern or Black Sea fleet), and keeping a refurbished "Liaoning-ed" Kuznetsov as a relief to cover either fleet when their ship is in for maintenance.
 

gelgoog

Brigadier
Registered Member
I think the Russians wouldn't surrender such a strategic capability. That being said I think a cooperation in carrier design, where the carriers or modules are built at separate facilities in Russia and China would not be an impossibility. That was supposed to be the case with the Mistral purchase for example.
 

FireyCross

New Member
Registered Member
I think the Russians wouldn't surrender such a strategic capability. That being said I think a cooperation in carrier design, where the carriers or modules are built at separate facilities in Russia and China would not be an impossibility. That was supposed to be the case with the Mistral purchase for example.

This is exactly what I was thinking - and I don't think the Russians don't have that much of a (realistic) choice. They don't have a fully kitted up military shipyard with the facilities for a carrier sized hull protect, and to rectify that would deplete an already limited fund for naval works and add years to an inevitably slow project. Their best bet at maintaining a carrier force is to co-operate, and I strongly suspect the Mistral deal was a stab at doing this by testing the waters and getting some experience with modern large surface ships within Russia. They could do this with India instead, but China has experience with the Kuznetsov which the Indians don't, and the new clean-sheet Indian carrier plans are larger and more ambitious than what the Russians really need or can afford.

They really just need a few Kuznetsov like ships that is reliable and optimized, to give them a limited strike capability for Syria like scenarios and to give naval air cover in their own remote areas. They could even get away with something smaller and simpler (something like the Clemenceau) but at this stage I dont think Russia has the resources (either human, financial or technological) to start from scratch all by itself, so the 001A really is their best chance.

If they had an agreement for China to build the 001A hull and engines (the Russians have had real problems with propulsion since the Soviets based their marine turbine industry in Ukraine), then take them to Russia for fitting out with sensors, weapons and other fitting out, they could have an affordable project delivered very quickly. Once they get those two ships in service, the Kuznetsov could be pulled out of service for a couple of years to give her a complete Liaoning style strip down and modernisation. It's all well and good to be proudly independent, but pride alone doesn't put hulls in the water. The Chinese knew this, and were ready and willing to literally willing to scavenge scrapyard hulls in order to learn and progress - and look where the PLAN is now.
 

Deino

Lieutenant General
Staff member
Super Moderator
Registered Member
Guys ... either back to the topic - ehich is the Liaoning - or if you want to continue that discussion of a possible Sino-Russian cooperation on carriers, then please start a new thread.

Otherwise I clean that thread.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top