China's Growing Carrier Fleet

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Chinese Aircraft Carrier starts second round of Sea Trials



By John Galt
November 29, 2011 – 23:15 ET

This time however, it is different as the schedule accelerates and includes flight deck testing and exercises which means the Chinese communists are getting serious about deploying this sucker soon enough.

From the People’s Daily Online November 30th edition:

Aircraft carrier sails from port for new test

By Li Xiaokun and Hu Yinan (China Daily)

BEIJING – China’s aircraft carrier left port on Tuesday for a second round of sea trials, which are likely to include test flights from the refitted vessel.

“Carrier-borne aircraft will possibly take off and land on the vessel for the first time, as these moves cannot be done in dockside tests,” said Yin Zhuo, a retired navy rear admiral and military expert.

He said an important component of the trial will be to test the steel cables used to catch the aircraft and decelerate them upon landing. The cables can bring an aircraft from going 300 km/h to a full stop in just a short distance.

Catapults may also be tested to see whether they can help propel various types of aircraft into the air.

“Of course, another task is to test communication between the carrier and aircraft, and whether the navigation system will lead the aircraft to their designated locations,” Yin added.

I find it quite interesting that the Russians revised the schedule for their only aircraft carrier task force to visit their base at Tartus in Syria (click here to read story) while the ChiComs advance the training schedule and sea trials for their only active duty fleet carrier. Does anyone else smell a whiff of late 1930′s era naval gunboat diplomacy in the air?

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Companion Threads:

• U.S. and China Declare Cold War
• War With China?
• China says to go ahead with Pacific naval drills

Satellite Takes Picture of Chinese Carrier on the Move

Published December 14, 2011



Dec. 8, 2011: A satellite image shows the Chinese aircraft carrier Varyag sailing in the Yellow Sea -- the country's first such vessel.

DENVER – DigitalGlobe Inc., a commercial satellite company, said Wednesday that it took a photograph of China’s first aircraft carrier during a sea trial in the Yellow Sea, off the Chinese coast.

The Pentagon did not confirm the image, but Stephen Wood, the satellite company’s director, said he’s confident about the Dec. 8 photograph due to the carrier’s location.

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Although China insists the carrier is intended for research and training, its use has raised concern about the country’s military strength and its increasingly assertive claims over disputed territory.

While the development of carriers is driven largely by bragging rights and national prestige, China's naval ambitions have been brought into focus with its claims to disputed territory surrounding Taiwan and in the South China Sea.

Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy claimed by China as its own, has responded to the growing Chinese threat by developing missiles capable of striking carriers at sea. An illustration at a display Wednesday of military technology in the capital Taipei showed a Hsiung Feng III missile hitting a carrier that was a dead ringer for the former Varyag.

Over the past year, China has seen a flare-up in spats with Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam and had its relations strained with South Korea -- all of which have sought support from Washington, long the pre-eminent naval power in Asia.

China defends its carrier program by saying it is the only permanent member of the United Nations Security Council that has not developed such vessels and that it has a huge coastline and vast maritime assets to defend.

Beijing has also said its carriers would be employed in international humanitarian efforts, although the ex-Varyag's ski jump-style flight deck severely limits the loads its planes can carry.

As the world's second-largest economy, China says it lags behind smaller nations such as Thailand and Brazil, as well as regional rival India, which have purchased carriers from abroad.

While Chinese carriers could challenge U.S. naval supremacy in Asia, China still has far to go in bringing such systems into play, experts said. The U.S. operates 11 aircraft carrier battle groups and its carriers are far bigger and more advanced.

The former Soviet Union started building the carrier, which it called the Varyag, but never finished it. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the carrier ended up in the hands of the Ukraine, a former Soviet republic.

China bought the ship from the Ukraine in 1998 and spent years refurbishing it. It had no engines, weaponry or navigation systems when China acquired it.

Beijing is believed to be years away from being able to launch and recover aircraft from it as part of a carrier battle group.

[American Patriot]

Beijing is believed to be years away from being able to launch and recover aircraft from it as part of a carrier battle group.

I find this an amazingly stupid, naive and ignorant statement.

If you can train pilots to land and take off from land using mock up systems like steam powered catapults and cable/hook landing conditions, they can land on a freakin' aircraft carrier.

That they might NOT have logistics in place is possible, but the amount of money they spend is significant and I think that the Chinese are being WAY under-estimated. WAY UNDER.

[American Patriot]

*I* can't land on an aircraft carrier. I can land (simulators of course) a single and a twin engine small aircraft. I always crash jets. No matter how big or small. Prop planes I understand well.

Jets. not so much.

Aircraft carriers? Forget about it.

[American Patriot]

Hell, I've crashed the space shuttle twice. In a REAL simulator. In Houston. lol

[American Patriot]

One day i will go to the U.S.A.

When TSA slows down their absurd controls.

I heard that before landing in US territory strangers must fill a paper with stupid questions like:

"Where you a nazi?"

"Are you a terrorist?"

No. You won't have to fill out such a paper.

Only us Americans have to answer such absurd questions. lol

No, there's a simple form to fill out to clear Customs and Immigration. It asks you if you are a visitor or Citizen. Things like "Did you bring anything you need to declare" (and then they specifically ask you about selling items or whatever) and they ask if you are carrying more than a certain amount of money ( I forget, but think it is like 5000 or something).

they don't ask if you are a terrorist or Nazi.

I think they SHOULD ask...

[American Patriot]

You listen to Europeans? They really don't know much unless they have visited here.

So... my advice? Visit. Or only talk to those who HAVE and can tell you first hand.

Something I've learned the hardway in the last four years while learning about sailing, traveling on sailboats and such, is NEVER LISTEN TO ANYONE who hasn't done it, and NEVER listen to the people on the internet, because they don't know what they are talking about anyway.

[Malsua]

It will be quite funny watching the first few Chinese warplanes try to land in a simulated carrier landing. Too bad I won't be there to watch from a safe distance because I can guarantee you some critical part will fail. The Chinese have ego tied up in their designs and the only way they change is if there's a catastrophic failure and boy will there be.

[American Patriot]

/chuckles

I think so too. However, I suspect they are not as bad of pilots as everyone else. Remember, I have BEEN to China, I've seen their fighters flying. I've seen their cargo planes. I've seen their "passenger" aircraft take off as well.

I won't say there's anything CLEAN in that country, or easy to wash (they don't have good clean water either).... but I think they can fly just fine.

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Chinese Aircraft Carrier to Be Commissioned 'Soon'



China's first aircraft carrier is likely to be commissioned officially early this year, according to press reports. Phoenix Satellite TV in Hong Kong on Wednesday quoted Jingbao Yuekan magazine as reporting the 67,000-ton retrofitted Soviet carrier "qualified to be officially commissioned as it solved technical problems concerning takeoff and landing of aircraft on the ship through three test voyages."

It added the exact timing remains to be decided but is likely to be this year.

It went on test voyages in August, November and late December last year.

During the second test voyage, which lasted two weeks, several Jian-15 jets successfully took off and landed on the ship, the monthly reported.

Overseas military magazines reported in November that China had difficulties trying to solve a landing problem because Russia had not sold it the arresting gear necessary for the aircraft to land safely. Asked by reporters to confirm this, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun, however, implied in a monthly press briefing on Dec. 28 that the problem had been solved.

He said China "secured all major equipment of the aircraft carrier," including arresting gear, through its own research and development. The magazine said a Ukrainian engineering team took part in developing the arresting gear.

It also reported that the Chinese military plans to build three aircraft carrier bases, with two -- in the South China Sea and the East China Sea -- already under construction.

englishnews@chosun.com / Jan. 05, 2012 09:34 KST

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China Readying Varyag for Territorial Patrols



The Chinese military has revealed that it intends to put its first aircraft carrier, the Varyag, into commission this year after the 67,000-ton vessel completes a number of scheduled test runs.

Insiders see Aug. 1, the anniversary of the establishment of the China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), as the likely date for the ship's official inauguration.

Xu Hongmeng, the PLA's deputy Navy Commander, told reporters at the National People's Congress in Beijing on Thursday that, "The trials have gone very smoothly, and we plan to put it into commission this year." This is the first time that the PLA has officially mentioned the timing for the inaugural test.

"Trial runs for the Shenyang J-15, a carrier-based fighter aircraft that will operate from the Varyag are also in the pipeline," Xu added. Take-off and landing tests for the aircraft are expected to be carried out this month, along with further test runs of the Varyag.

Once it goes into commission, the vessel will be based in Hainan Island in southern China to cover the East China Sea and South China Sea, which are the sites of territorial disputes with Japan and other Southeast Asian countries. Tension in these seas is expected to heighten when the Varyag starts its official duties there.

The aircraft will patrol the waters off Korea's Ieo Island, which China claims is an extension of the continental shelf that falls under its jurisdiction.

englishnews@chosun.com / Mar. 09, 2012 11:41 KST

[MinutemanCO]

The aircraft will patrol the waters off Korea's Ieo Island, which China claims is an extension of the continental shelf that falls under its jurisdiction.

I tried the same thing with my neighbor's back yard. He wasn't too happy about it.

[American Patriot]

/snickers

They hate it when you shoot the cats two yards over too....

Something about "overflight rights" and crap like that

[vector7]

Test Take-off and Landing on China’s First Aircraft Carrier

Posted: May 1, 2012 | Author: chankaiyee2 | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: aircraft carrier, China, J-15, South China Sea disputes, test landing, test take-off, the Philippines |Leave a comment »

According to Hong Kong’s Ming Pao, China’s first aircraft carrier returned to Dalian Port on April 30 after 11 days of test in the sea. People in Xingcheng City on the Hulu Island, Liaoning said that recently there had been increase in flights of military airplanes and the noise from them was often heard at night. Perhaps, the test this time was the long-exoected trial take-off and landing of J-15 fighter on the carrier. J-15 is a carrier-based fighter aircraft developed by China.

On April 26, Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yan said that the preliminary phase of the sea tests of the carrier has achieved the expected results and a series of scientific research tests will follow as planned.

The increase in flights obviously proved take-off has been successfully tested, but it is still unknown whether landing test has also been carried out successfully. For that Russian-type short take-off but arrested-recovery (STOBAR) carrier, the most sophisticated part is its arrested-recovery landing gear. There have been reports that Russia refused to sell China the landing gear and that China said it had developed its own gear.

Even so, lots of tests have to be carried out to improve the gear and train the pilots.

It has been reported that China has carried out intensive tests and training on land, but landing on an aircraft carrier is much more difficult as the ship is always moving. The pilot has to make adjustment to the speed of the carrier and the movement of the carrier caused by waves and wind.

According to military experts, it takes years to complete such tests and training. However, according to Geng Yan, the preliminary phase has been completed and what follows shall be scientific research. He gave no details of the tests. When he said that the preliminary phase of the sea tests of the carrier have achieved expected results, did he mean that the China’s arrested-recovery landing gear had been proved satisfactory in the test or that landing tests had been successful as such tests are certainly not scientific research. Scientific research must aim at gaining data for the aircraft carriers that China will build on its own instead of testing the reliability of the landing gear and training pilots.

America certainly nonitored the whole process through its satellites. If tests of both taking-off and landing have been very successful, the vessel may soon be commissioned.

Analysts wonder whether the timing of the test a couple of days before US Secretary of State Clinton’s Beijing visit was a mere coincidence. Due to the tension between China and the Philippines at South China Sea and Philippine’s desire for America to be involved, China certainly wants to display its military strength before Clinton’s visit. China conducted the first test flight of its J-20 stealth bomber two days before U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates’Beijingvisit. That might be a coincidence, but a repetition of such coincidence is impossible.

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China developing EMALS-type catapults for aircraft carriers

An EMALS catapult test range in the United States

It could still be a long while before Chinese engineers master a technology that the US has been working on since the mid-1980s

Chinese engineers are reportedly trying to develop an electromagnetic catapult system for China's future aircraft carriers, the People's Liberation Army Daily claimed in a 28 April report.

General Ma Weiming (馬偉明), a professor at the PLA Naval University of Engineering, is said to have led the efforts to develop the system, which seeks to emulate the development of the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) in the United States.

Compared to existing steam catapult technology, an electromagnetic catapult is seen to offer improved efficiency, increased launch energy, lower through-life costs and improved end-speed control. Additionally, the scalability of the system is better suited for launching unmanned aerial vehicles.

My article, published today in Jane's Defence Weekly, continues here (subscription required). What follows is background information not included in my JDW article:

General Ma Weiming

Aside from older carriers, like China’s refurbished ex-Varyag, which use ski jumps to launch aircraft, modern nuclear aircraft carriers use steam catapult technology to give naval aircraft the extra boost necessary to launch (push) from their decks. However, steam technology — which usually uses a piping system to collect steam from the ship’s nuclear reactor (heat is transmitted to a secondary loop via a heat exchanger)* — is very stressful on airframes and is maintenance intensive.

EMALS catapults use a process similar to an electromagnetic rail gun to accelerate (pull) the shuttle that propels an aircraft on the deck, and allows for more gradual acceleration which reduces stress on the airframe. Given the amount of energy required to propel an aircraft from a deck within 3 seconds — enough to power 12,000 homes, according to Defense Industry Daily — carriers using electromagnetic propulsion require generators that can weigh as much as 80,000lbs.

Provided the technology is developed in time, the US Navy’s CVN-21 Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers, which are in the building stage, will use EMALS on their decks. The UK has also mulled the technology for its Queen Elizabeth-class carriers, in part to accommodate F-35C aircraft. The US-based General Atomics is spearheading the efforts. Among the advantages of EMALS catapults are their higher energy, which allow for launching of heavier naval aircraft on a deck. It is also said that EMALS make it easier to control the sequence of UAV launches.

Test launches using EMALS have already been successful with a variety of aircraft, with further compatibility testing scheduled for this year and reliability tests next year. System integration and certification expected in 2015, the same year the first CVN-21 hull, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is scheduled for commissioning.

China reportedly has plans to build two conventional and two nuclear aircraft carriers by 2020. Unconfirmed reports also indicate that the conventionally powered ex-Varyag, which is expected to enter service in August, could eventually be retrofitted as a nuclear-powered carrier and outfitted with EMALS catapults.

*With thanks to James Holmes of the US Naval War College for explaining the principle behind this.

[Ryan Ruck]

Copied from our blueprints I'm sure.

[American Patriot]

without any doubt they got copies from the clintonistas....

Fuckers.

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Amid rising tension, Chinese navy receives first aircraft carrier

TOKYO — The Associated Press

Published Sunday, Sep. 23 2012, 8:22 AM EDT
Last updated Sunday, Sep. 23 2012, 10:40 AM EDT

654 comments



China’s first aircraft carrier was handed over Sunday to the navy of the People’s Liberation Army, state press said, amid rising tensions over disputed waters in the East and South China Seas.

The handover ceremony of the 300-metre ship, a former Soviet carrier called the Varyag, took place in northeast China’s port of Dalian after a lengthy refitting by a Chinese shipbuilder, the Global Times reported.

During the handover ceremony the aircraft carrier raised the Chinese national flag on its mast, the PLA flag on its bow and the navy’s colours on its stern, the short online report said.

A ceremony to place the ship into active service would be held sometime in the future, the paper said without elaboration.

The announcement comes at a time of heightened tensions over maritime disputes in the Asia-Pacific region, where China’s growing assertiveness has put it on a collision course with Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines.

China on Sunday also postponed a ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties with Japan, due to a noisy territorial dispute with Tokyo over the Diaoyu Islands, known in Japanese as Senkaku.

Tensions have also risen this year with Vietnam and the Philippines over disputed islands in the South China Sea.

Beijing confirmed last year it was revamping the old Soviet ship, and has repeatedly insisted the carrier poses no threat to its neighbours and will be used mainly for training and research purposes.

But numerous sea trials of the aircraft carrier - currently only known as “Number 16” - since August, 2011 were met with concern from regional powers including Japan and the United States, which called on Beijing to explain why it needed an aircraft carrier.

Relations have sunk to their worst level in years as China and Japan spar over the islands in the East China Sea claimed by both countries and by Taiwan.

In the latest large anti-Japan protest in China, up to 3,000 people demonstrated Sunday in the southern city of Guangzhou, Xinhua reported.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a statement late Saturday that Japanese personnel had landed on the islands to stop Taiwanese activists from doing so, and China had protested strongly to Japan over the “severe infringement upon China’s territorial sovereignty.”

A group of Taiwanese fishermen have said they will sail 60 boats to the islands on Monday to protect their fishing grounds.

Hundreds of people marched in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, on Sunday to protest against Japan for occupying the islands.

Japan’s government purchased several of the islands from their private Japanese owners this month, setting off angry demonstrations across China.

Taiwan’s government has maintained a cautious approach to the dispute to avoid straining ties with Japan.

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China navy takes delivery of first aircraft carrier

AFP Updated September 23, 2012, 9:29 pm



AFP © China's first aircraft carrier is berthed at Dalian port on September 5. China's first aircraft carrier has been handed over to the navy of the People's Liberation Army, state press said, amid rising tensions over disputed waters in the East and South China Seas.

BEIJING (AFP) - China's first aircraft carrier was handed over Sunday to the navy of the People's Liberation Army, state press said, amid rising tensions over disputed waters in the East and South China Seas.

The handover ceremony of the 300-metre (990-foot) ship, a former Soviet carrier called the Varyag, took place in northeast China's port of Dalian after a lengthy refitting by a Chinese shipbuilder, the Global Times reported.

During the handover ceremony the aircraft carrier raised the Chinese national flag on its mast, the PLA flag on its bow and the navy's colours on its stern, the short online report said.

A ceremony to place the ship into active service would be held sometime in the future, the paper said without elaboration.

China's defence ministry was unavailable to comment on the ceremony.

The announcement comes at a time of heightened tensions over maritime disputes in the Asia-Pacific region, where China's growing assertiveness has put it on a collision course with Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines.

China also Sunday postponed a ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties with Japan, due to a noisy territorial dispute with Tokyo over the Diaoyu Islands, known in Japanese as Senkaku.

Tensions have also risen this year with Vietnam and the Philippines over disputed islands in the South China Sea.

Beijing confirmed last year it was revamping the old Soviet ship, and has repeatedly insisted the carrier poses no threat to its neighbours and will be used mainly for training and research purposes.

But numerous sea trials of the aircraft carrier -- currently only known as "Number 16" -- since August 2011 were met with concern from regional powers including Japan and the United States, which called on Beijing to explain why it needed an aircraft carrier.

Construction of the Varyag originally ended with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

China reportedly bought the carrier's immense armoured hull -- with no engine, electrics or propeller -- from Ukraine in 1998 and began to refit the vessel in Dalian in 2002.

The PLA -- the world's largest active military -- is extremely secretive about its defence programmes, which benefit from a huge and expanding military budget boosted by the nation's runaway economic growth.

China's military budget officially reached $106 billion in 2012, an 11.2 percent increase.

According to a report issued by the Pentagon in May, Beijing is pouring money into advanced air defenses, submarines, anti-satellite weapons and anti-ship missiles that could all be used to deny an adversary access to strategic areas, such as the South China Sea.

China's real defense spending amounts to between $120 to $180 billion, the report said.

[vector7]

Chinese Navy Gets First Aircraft Carrier



Chinese Navy Gets First Aircraft Carrier
© AFP/

18:23 24/09/2012
BEIJING, September 24 (RIA Novosti)

Tags: Varyag aircraft carrier, China

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China's first aircraft carrier, an overhauled former Soviet vessel, has been formally handed over to China's navy, local media reported on Monday.

The official ceremony was held on Sunday at the Dalian shipyard in Northeast China, where the aircraft carrier has been docked for refitting since 2002.

During the ceremony, China's national flag, the People's Liberation Army flag, and the Chinese navy's colors were raised over the ship, currently known as Number 16.

The Admiral Kuznetsov class Varyag aircraft carrier was 70% complete when China bought it from Ukraine for $20 million in 1998. Before being sold, the ship was disarmed and its engines were removed.

China launched a complete overhaul of the ship in 2002, also developing carrier-based aircraft. Beijing has repeatedly insisted the carrier poses no threat to its neighbors and that it will primarily be used for training and research.

The 1,000-ft vessel is designed to carry 26 aircraft and 24 helicopters.

There has been speculation in the Chinese media that the aircraft carrier could be named Diaoyudao after the Chinese name for the disputed islands controlled by Japan in the East China Sea.

The long-running territorial dispute between Beijing and Tokyo escalated in August, after Japan formally announced its decision to buy three of the five disputed islands, called Senkaku in Japan, from the Kurihara family for 2.05 billion yen ($26.1 million).

The islands, which are also claimed by Taiwan, lie on a vital shipping route and are situated above large hydrocarbon deposits.