The PRC has taken the ex-Varyag to sea for trials:
The carrier “left its shipyard in Dalian Port in northeast Liaoning province Wednesday morning to start its first sea trial,” said the official Xinhua news agency, describing the trip as only a tentative trial run for the unfinished ship.
“Military sources said that the first sea trial was in line with the schedule of the carrier refitting project and would not take a long time,” the agency said.
The aircraft carrier, which is about 300 meters (984 feet) long, plowed through fog and sounded its horn three times as it left the dock, Xinhua said on its military news microblog.
In an interview published this week, Chinese navy Rear Admiral Yin Zhuo said his country intended to build an air carrier group, but the task would be long and difficult.
“The aircraft carriers will form a very strong battle group,” Yin told the China Economic Weekly. “But the construction and functional demands of an aircraft carrier are extremely complex,” he told the magazine.
Training crew and, eventually, pilots for the carriers was a big challenge, said Yin.
You bet.
In possibly related news, Taiwan had a little revelation of its own:
Taiwan is hailing its most advanced missile as “an aircraft carrier killer” on the same day that China began sea trials of it first aircraft carrier.
During the preview for a defense exhibition Wednesday, Taiwan brandished the indigenous Hsiung Feng III missile against the backdrop of a billboard depicting a missile-riddled aircraft carrier.
The billboard bore the words: “Aircraft carrier killer.”
That probably read better in Taipei than Beijing, although a June test of the system revealed that more work is left to be done.
Any shots of the billboard? It’d be interesting to see which Google Image pic they photoshopped and see whos carrier it resembles..
Partial shot here. Nice artwork gets the point across!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/taiwan/8693255/As-China-launches-aircraft-carrier-Taiwan-presents-aircraft-carrier-killer.html
Thanks! Exactly what I was looking for!
“Torpedos…….Los!”
Done.
*whose
There is nothing to see folks.
Just one more layer of an onion being pulled back at Beijing’s convenience. Four years ago when work was underway there was nothing to see folks. Back when floating casinos and metallc scrappable aircraft parks were being towed world over to the Bohai Sea, there was nothing to see folks. Back when the currencies were being harshly manipulated there was nothing to see folks.
Just one more chapter in a book that shouldn’t be surprising people.
But its OK, ACORN has our back.
Never count the Taiwanese out when it comes to quickly figuring out how to duplicate anything known to work, cheaply, reliably, and in huge quantity. Regardless of the technology involved.
Mainland China can manage two of those three, but ‘reliably’ has always eluded them in the past.
The country with only one aircraft carrier has a problem in the face of defensive missiles; the missiles are a lot cheaper to make in bulk, and only a couple have to get through to wreck your whole day.
Back in the late 90′s I attended an airshow at Kingsley Field, Klamath Falls, Oregon there
was a Chinese Yak Piston trainer, a Russian Yak Piston trainer,a Polish MiG 15 and a
Czech MiG 17 Now the Czech and Polish aircraft were very good quality aircraft.Russian
Yak was ok and good where it counted. However, Chinese Yak was not quite up to ah, western standards. The rivet lines didn’t run down the wing ribs,the fillet work of fiberglass was
well, lumpy, and the propeller was held on the hub by glorified hose clamps..
One of my old co-workers who was a mechanic in the Air Guard unit at Kingsley, said:
“The philosophy behind this is:One, close enough for government work. Two, we aren’t going to run out of people anytime soon.”
Makes me wonder about how well they will do Carrier..
That was then – this is now.
In the 90′s the PRC space launch program was losing missiles at a disturbing (for them – dollar-wise) rate. With significant improvements gained in no small part from Western aid (knowingly and unknowingly provided), that program substantially improved and is one of the more robust programs, next to the Russians. Likewise their SRBM, MRBM and IRBM programs saw (surprise!) marked improvement in reliability and accuracy. Those who deride Chinese products in key areas, where they have been heavily investing, are repeating the same mistake made by those in the auto industry as they scoffed at the prospect of Japanese penetration and take over of the US auto industry. What I see on a daily basis in the course of managing just one of the several portfolios I have in my day job would, and should give you pause. As to the carrier – the former Varyag is interesting and it or a successor could up the game at the far end of the first island chain (e.g., SCS). It isn’t a game changer – just another degree of complexity in a family of A2/AD systems.
As for theTaiwanese “carrier killer” – sorry, not impressed for a variety of reasons, beginning with the several hundred CSS-6 and CSS-7 SRBMs just across the straits.
w/r, SJS
Fortunately, we have at our disposal teh New Navy, a global force for good which will intervene and promote international diversity in the SCS, all under the aegis of our new diversity initiatives.
Sorry, still perturbed over CAPT. Honors.
That’s a real nice ship you got there….be a shame if something were to happen to it while at sea….Man’s got to be careful out there….it is a very large & deep ocean. Shite happens, ya know?
Would be a real shame if the Greenville were to do an inopportune emergency blow again.
Ooh, ramjets! Looks like one of those things South Africa was working on, just before the end.
Only prob is that the new chick ossifer on the SSN has cold feet.
Mines. It’s like that underground sub base the Chinese built…made to order for Captors.
What bugs me is that the PRC is becoming more and more reminiscent of Wilhelmine Germany. Up-and-coming Great Powers, but a little late to the party – and with a chip on the shoulder. Prone to bull-in-a-china-shop diplomacy.
Both hemmed in at sea – take a good look at the Chinese SLOCs, and note how vulnerable they are to interdiction. And both tending to make unwise switches in alliances. Bismark had Germany aligned with Russia and Britain – Wilhelm II sacked Bismark and aligned himself wiht the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Bad move. China was aligned with the United States – and is now turning to Russia. Another bad move.