Russian Varyag becomes Chinese LIaoning. Russian Gorshkov becomes Indian Vikramaditya
Old Russian carriers have been pulled out of retirement, dusted off, and completed refit into modern, STOBAR carriers for major nations.
I am speaking first of the 2nd Kuznetsov Class carrier from Russia, the Varyag, which the Chinese purchased and then themselves completely refit into the STOBAR carrier Liaoning, CV-16.
I am also speaking of the Kiev Class carrier, the Admiral Gorshkov, which the Indians hired the Russians to refit into a modern STOBAR carrier, the INS Vikramaditya, R33.
In those first statements, though the end product and the way they went about it was essentially similar, ie:
1) They refit older Russin carriers
2) They produced modern STOBAR carriers for their Navy
We see two fundamental differences in what the Chinese and the Indians accomplished as well.
First, the Chinese did the work themselves. While there was some risk in that, and while the schedule could have been negatively impacted by it, the big plus to the Chinese is that they acquired all of that expertise to themselves, in house in China. The Indians had the Russians do it for them, and we all know now that the Indians did not really gain any schedule time by having had the Russians do so.
Second, the carrier the Chinese chose was the Varying, a generation newer than the Gorshkov, and a larger carrier that was designed to be a full deck STOBAR carrier from the start. The Admiral Gorshkov was the last of the Kiev class, and while it was built with the idea of preparing for the Kuznetsov class, it was really a hybrid cruiser, jump jet carrier that was not really designed to be STOBAR.
Another fundamental difference was the strike aircraft chosen by each country for their new carriers.
The Chinese chose he J-15, which they produce entirely themselves. This is a further development of the SU-33 that the Russians use, however it has been improved by the Chinese, using more composite material and being wholly integrated to the Chinese weapons systems, sensors, etc. Again, the expertise acrrues to the Chinese.
The J-15 is a larger, heavier aircraft, and with a STOBAR design, the Chinese do pay a price in terms of the fuel and ordinance weight the aoircraft can take off with, and with how many aircraft can fit aboard the Liaoning.
The INdians purchased new Mig-29K strike fighters from the Russians. They were able to get them fairly quickly and train their personnel in their use. The aircraft can carry a very decent load, and being smaller, more aircraft can fit within a smaller area...which is good because the Vikrmaditya itself is smaller than the Liaoning.
Both carriers use arresting cables to land the aircraft on deck. These are not "jump jets" like a harrier. They are full on fixed wing strike aircraft. So while these carriers do not have a catapult to help get the aircraft into the air (instead, as stated, they use a ski-jump) they do have arresting wires which allow the aircraft to land.
This thread will continue to present the striking similarities in the Chinese and Indian programs, but also continue to point out the differences that set the two programs apart.
it will be done pictorially.
This is not a thread to dis or attack one or the other country.
Quite frankly, both have, given their own ways of going about it and their own constraints, succeeded pretty amazingly in producing two new, relevant aircraft carriers for their respective Navy.
...and both are now building theoir own indigenous carriers to follow up on this success.
Old Russian carriers have been pulled out of retirement, dusted off, and completed refit into modern, STOBAR carriers for major nations.
I am speaking first of the 2nd Kuznetsov Class carrier from Russia, the Varyag, which the Chinese purchased and then themselves completely refit into the STOBAR carrier Liaoning, CV-16.
I am also speaking of the Kiev Class carrier, the Admiral Gorshkov, which the Indians hired the Russians to refit into a modern STOBAR carrier, the INS Vikramaditya, R33.
In those first statements, though the end product and the way they went about it was essentially similar, ie:
1) They refit older Russin carriers
2) They produced modern STOBAR carriers for their Navy
We see two fundamental differences in what the Chinese and the Indians accomplished as well.
First, the Chinese did the work themselves. While there was some risk in that, and while the schedule could have been negatively impacted by it, the big plus to the Chinese is that they acquired all of that expertise to themselves, in house in China. The Indians had the Russians do it for them, and we all know now that the Indians did not really gain any schedule time by having had the Russians do so.
Second, the carrier the Chinese chose was the Varying, a generation newer than the Gorshkov, and a larger carrier that was designed to be a full deck STOBAR carrier from the start. The Admiral Gorshkov was the last of the Kiev class, and while it was built with the idea of preparing for the Kuznetsov class, it was really a hybrid cruiser, jump jet carrier that was not really designed to be STOBAR.
Another fundamental difference was the strike aircraft chosen by each country for their new carriers.
The Chinese chose he J-15, which they produce entirely themselves. This is a further development of the SU-33 that the Russians use, however it has been improved by the Chinese, using more composite material and being wholly integrated to the Chinese weapons systems, sensors, etc. Again, the expertise acrrues to the Chinese.
The J-15 is a larger, heavier aircraft, and with a STOBAR design, the Chinese do pay a price in terms of the fuel and ordinance weight the aoircraft can take off with, and with how many aircraft can fit aboard the Liaoning.
The INdians purchased new Mig-29K strike fighters from the Russians. They were able to get them fairly quickly and train their personnel in their use. The aircraft can carry a very decent load, and being smaller, more aircraft can fit within a smaller area...which is good because the Vikrmaditya itself is smaller than the Liaoning.
Both carriers use arresting cables to land the aircraft on deck. These are not "jump jets" like a harrier. They are full on fixed wing strike aircraft. So while these carriers do not have a catapult to help get the aircraft into the air (instead, as stated, they use a ski-jump) they do have arresting wires which allow the aircraft to land.
This thread will continue to present the striking similarities in the Chinese and Indian programs, but also continue to point out the differences that set the two programs apart.
it will be done pictorially.
This is not a thread to dis or attack one or the other country.
Quite frankly, both have, given their own ways of going about it and their own constraints, succeeded pretty amazingly in producing two new, relevant aircraft carriers for their respective Navy.
...and both are now building theoir own indigenous carriers to follow up on this success.