PLAN Aircraft Carrier programme...(Closed)

Re: PLAN Carrier Construction

Air Force Brat said:

...it is likely an automated system to help you hold runway centerline in a low visability departure, I imagine there is a display in the cockpit that helps you maintain your track as you depart, since the departure does not have any hard objects other than the bow to help you maintain centerline. It may even be fully automated???

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They could be used for that in heavy fog I would think...aligning off your wing tip as you move along, because they are placed parallel to the opposite side take off run it appears.

But we have never seen them used on take off...and you would think that they would practice with them in good weather too.

But, sounds like a good hypothesis for their use until we know for sure.

Re: PLAN Carrier Construction

Jeff Head said:

They could be used for that in heavy fog I would think...aligning off your wing tip as you move along, because they are placed parallel to the opposite side take off run it appears.

But we have never seen them used on take off...and you would think that they would practice with them in good weather too.

But, sounds like a good hypothesis for their use until we know for sure.

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These things look like they are simply placed on deck rather than attached to any fixtures on deck. They also look like they are have substantial surface area for their size and weight, and are liable to be blown around by jet engine exhausts.

This cause me to believe they would not be there when jet engines are running on the deck of liaoning. Otherwise they would be hazards to life, limb, equipment and other aircraft. So I suspect they have nothing to do with flight operations.

Re: PLAN Carrier Construction

chuck731 said:

These things look like they are simply placed on deck rather than attached to any fixtures on deck. They also look like they are have substantial surface area for their size and weight, and are liable to be blown around by jet engine exhausts.

This cause me to believe they would not be there when jet engines are running on the deck of liaoning. Otherwise they would be hazards to life, limb, equipment and other aircraft. So I suspect they have nothing to do with flight operations.

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Well, Chuck, as I have indicated, I do not really personally believe they are for flight operations either. We have never seen them (as I indicated) used in any take off operations on the vessel.

But, the point is, we do not know what they are for. AFB came up with a plausible explanation because they do parallel the takeoff line for the portside forward takeoff position...so that it is certainly something to consider and think about.

As to them being very light and flimsy articles simply placed on the deck, where they may be blown over, this picture would indicate that they are more substantial than that and do have some pretty good ability to withstand wind, spray from waves, and other conditions that would mean they may be attached to the deck:


There's some pretty good amount of water streaming around the second one (and others) from the left in that picture, so I cannot see them just "sitting" on the deck, unattached.

As I said, all of this gives us something to think about with respect to them. Perhaps they are devices used to calibrate equipment and/or instrumentation...could very well be. Whatever they are, they are placed/atached in such a mannner so as to be able to handle the various deck conditions the ship encounters.

I wonder how you take off from a STOBAR carrier in the pitch black night. You can't see the edge of the ski ramp! They will probably need some kind of aid to do that like IR imaging.

Franklin said:

I wonder how you take off from a STOBAR carrier in the pitch black night. You can't see the edge of the ski ramp! They will probably need some kind of aid to do that like IR imaging.

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Or, I don't know, they could install lights on the edge of the flight deck maybe?





And it isn't like lack of illumination is suddenly a problem for STOBAR. You need some kind of lighting for catapult take offs and standard deck maneuvers for all ships with large flight decks as well.

Bltizo said:

Or, I don't know, they could install lights on the edge of the flight deck maybe?

And it isn't like lack of illumination is suddenly a problem for STOBAR. You need some kind of lighting for catapult take offs and standard deck maneuvers for all ships with large flight decks as well.

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You don't want to have too many lights burning on the flight deck during war times. But then again they have other ways to track ships these days.

Franklin said:

You don't want to have too many lights burning on the flight deck during war times. But then again they have other ways to track ships these days.

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Most navies have deck lights on during might ops. They're obviously not bright enough to light up the entire deck like it is daytime, and as you said, a few low visibility deck lights are not going to add to a carriers detectability that much.


Royal Navy:


Us navy:

I see quite a lot of reports floating on the net that China has started building the second carrier and has plan to build up to four. Furthermore, they want all four carriers to be operational by 2020. That's just 6 years away. Any expert to confirm this?

I posted this info on the J-15 thread too, but thought, since it speaks to the real power and capabilities of the Liaoning itself, that the info should also be on this thread.

Since the Liaoning has been qualifying weapons loadout on the J-15, we no longer have to speculate about certain weapon fits that the J-15 can or cannot carry. We now have pictures of the Chinese doing it.

Now, we do not know what fuel load they had when they did this, so it is difficult to talk about maxuimum take-off weights and the like. But, we should presume that the "weapons," though probably inert, were actual training rounds and therefore accurate portrayals of the real thing in order to satisfy the weight, aerodynamic, and weight distribution calculations necessary to truly simulate the real thing.

So, let's look at a few of these pictures and loadouts:

Here's a couple of J-15s carrying two, wing-tip short range air to air missiles (Note: The second one is a special for Air Froce Brat 'cause I kow he would like that "top gun" look...hehehe! Notice the Liaoning off of his left shoulder, below.)


(Later) Oops! On closer examination, I see a longer range air to air missile poking out of the first picture on the centerline below the fueselage, so I have to presume there are two there...so that first pic really belongs in this next section.

Now let's look at a couple of pics with the J-15 carrying four air to air missiles. Both of these are two wing-tip short range air to air missiles and two, centerline mounted, longer range air to air missiles. Mounted below the fuselage.


Finally, the largest loadout I have seen to date (if anyone has pics of larger loadouts taking off from, and landing on the Liaoning for J-15s, please let us know). These are J-15s with two wing-tip air to air missiles, and two wing pylon mounted air to surface missiles, which took off and landed on the Liaoning during some of the qualification testing we have seen.


There's probably been a lot more we have not seen...but we are getting a feel for the types of loadouts they are testing.

Believe me, when it comes to basic capability of the carrier group, any other carrier group, or any naval task force, would have to have great respect for the potential of a group of say, sixteen J-15s aircraft approaching with twelve of them carrying two LR ASMs each, and four of them fitted for air defense carrying four to six AAMs of various types. Such a group of aircraft could cause very serious harm to any task force if it were able to get through.

Bltizo said:

Most navies have deck lights on during might ops. They're obviously not bright enough to light up the entire deck like it is daytime, and as you said, a few low visibility deck lights are not going to add to a carriers detectability that much.


Royal Navy:

Us navy:

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How would they check for objects on the flightdeck at night?