Chinese Naval Air Power

[ORAC]

ZHUHAI (China), November 1 (RIA Novosti) - China intends to purchase Su-33 Naval Flanker ship-borne fighters from Russia, but negotiations on this issue are still at the preliminary stage, a government official said Wednesday at China's largest air show.

Alexander Denisov, a high-ranking military and technical official, is heading Russia's delegation at Airshow China 2006. The huge five-day exhibition which began Tuesday at Zhuhai, near Hong Kong, has attracted aircraft makers from 18 countries, seeking lucrative contracts on the booming Chinese market.

Denisov said, "Each party has the right to purchase what it needs to protect its national interests, and the Chinese side intends to buy Su-33 aircraft; but negotiations are still at the preliminary stage"........

Denisov said Russia is ready to help China design an aircraft carrier if asked. "Such a request would not contradict any international agreements or rules. Such cooperation is possible," he said....

[Load Toad]

Just remind me how many carrier groups the USA can field again.....

[rab-k]

Presumably to park on their new toy:

http://www.sinodefence.com/navy/surface/aircraftcarrier1.jpg


http://www.sinodefence.com/navy/surface/aircraftcarrier.asp

Interesting little tale of how the PLA Navy acquired this vessel - see above link.

[ORAC]

A Turning Point for China´s Aircraft Carrier Ambitions (http://www.strategycenter.net/research/pubID.87/pub_detail.asp)

.....For officials in Washington, Tokyo and Delhi, it no longer possible to avoid the necessity for planning a response to China’s emerging aircraft carrier force. For Washington, this means again revisiting the contentious issue of the size of the U.S. carrier fleet. If China were to build one carrier for each of its three major fleets, that would create pressure for the U.S. to either move a second carrier to East Asia, perhaps Guam in addition to Japan, or to consider that more than the current 11 carriers are needed in order to defend global U.S. strategic interests.

The emergence of multiple Chinese carriers would also prompt both Japan and India to consider the disposition of their respective aircraft carrier capabilities. For India, this may mean considering the construction of more then two carriers. For Japan, it means considering the construction of a capability it has not had since World War Two.

[WhiteOvies]

I was really looking forward to the amusement park too :{ :{

Those Cunning chinese, and to think nobody saw it coming!!:ugh:

Maybe we should have bought it instead of CVF?

[Strato Q]

But don't worry they don't have any subs! Doh!

Who said the MRA4 had no maritime role?

[ShyTorque]

(As we used to say 25 yrs ago about Russia),

Why not visit China - before China visits YOU!

Point is, so much of our goods are imported these days - how long could we (the UK) survive a naval blockade? Answers on a postage stamp....

[GlosMikeP]

And with little chance of an adequate air bridge possible, a la Berlin.

[ORAC]

Additional data from this week´s Flight International:

Initial order for 2 aircraft for evaluation, with an option for a further 12 aircraft as an air wing for the Varyag - which is expected to enter service by 2010.

China hopes to develop it´s own carrier capable aircraft, but if cannot do this in the required timescale the order may expand to 50 aircraft to provide air wings for 2 additional carriers.

Beijing expects to have 3 aircraft carriers in service by 2016.....

[GreenKnight121]

"Those Cunning chinese, and to think nobody saw it coming!!:ugh: "



Nice sarcasm... anyone with half a brain saw it coming... I am only a former USMC avionics SGT, and when I first read of the "non-military, commercial purposes only sale" I called a close friend (then an active-duty USN avionics CPO) and our nearly simultaneous statement was "Yeah, right... sure, we believe you!!". :rolleyes:

[ORAC]

Strategypage: November 13, 2006:

Some Chinese JH-7 naval bombers have been spotted sporting an interesting modification; folding wings. This sort of thing is only done for large aircraft you want to operate from an aircraft carrier.

The JH-7 is a 27 ton, twin engine aircraft, with a 40 foot wingspan. The JH7 entered service a decade ago, and about fifty of them are available. Mass production is delayed because the aircraft was designed to use a British engine. China thought it could reverse-engineer this engine, but was unable to do so. Now China is trying to get a proper production license from the British engine manufacturer, so that it can build more JH-7s.

Using some of these aircraft for developing folding wing technology seems a worthwhile approach, as the aircraft may have to be abandoned if the engine production license cannot be obtained.

[Wader2]

But don't worry they don't have any subs! Doh!

Who said the MRA4 had no maritime role?

I'll bite assuming you were not joking:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People's_Liberation_Army_Navy
http://www.sinodefence.com/navy/sub/kilo.asp
http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/kilo/

[brickhistory]

I'm fairly sure the big grey ship drivers aren't shouldn't let this happen......



http://www.washtimes.com/national/20061114-123345-3750r.htm

[Not_a_boffin]

Now what did we do with all those Vikings?..........b*gger!

[Pontius Navigator]

I'm fairly sure the big grey ship drivers aren't shouldn't let this happen......
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20061114-123345-3750r.htm

You need to read Patrick Robinson's novels. He covers Kilo class intrusion into a USCBG and also PLAN Kilos in his novels. Given that one is 9 years old it is real Clancy stuff.

[brickhistory]

You need to read Patrick Robinson's novels. He covers Kilo class intrusion into a USCBG and also PLAN Kilos in his novels. Given that one is 9 years old it is real Clancy stuff.

Sounds like interesting reading.

I would think that some ship driving commandmants would be:

1) Thou shall not drive thy ship onto/into anything else save water
2) Thou shall not let anyone else drive into thy ship
3) Thou shall not let any undersea craft get within striking distance without being aware of the fact
3a) Thou shall pay particular attention to the doings of undersea craft not of one's own navy
4) Thou shall not let another's a/c overfly unchallenged. (Remember a few years back when another CV (Kitty again?) was overflown by a Russian and the best the ship could scramble, far too late, was an EA-6B?)

But, I'm not of the navy and know not of these things.......


I also wonder why the Chinese sub let its presence be known. Was the 'up yours, mate' embarrassement worth giving away the knowledge that should things go to shooting, they could get in close and do away with a CV undetected?

[Pontius Navigator]

I also wonder why the Chinese sub let its presence be known. Was the 'up yours, mate' embarrassement worth giving away the knowledge that should things go to shooting, they could get in close and do away with a CV undetected?

The most likely reason was that he was inadvertently put down. If he had got in the grain of the CVBG, usually the only way a conventional can get in there, and the CVBG went into a holding pattern for 24 hours or so, then he might actually have had to come up an snort.

A submariner will never voluntarily convert a Probsub into a Certsub by revealing his presence. Even in exercises they are reluctant to pop an attack candle.

The Kilo is an exceptionally quiet diesel only, I am led to believe, slightly noisier than the Upholder that our masters sold off as not required. Any diesel on batteries, driven properly, is virtually undetectable.

There was a story many years ago or a Canadian O-boat homing in on the sonobuoys dropped by an RCAF Argus and switching them off.

[brickhistory]

The most likely reason was that he was inadvertently put down. If he had got in the grain of the CVBG, usually the only way a conventional can get in there, and the CVBG went into a holding pattern for 24 hours or so, then he might actually have had to come up an snort.

Hadn't thought about that, thanks. And for the rest of the info in the past post. Obviously, it pays to listen to one who has hunted subs....

[REF]

I can second the comment on Patrick Robinson's books, great reading. Nimitz class is the first one and great reading.

[WE Branch Fanatic]

Why not use the E2/C2 aircrame for ASW and ASuW (or is it USW or SUW now?) roles? Same airframe, less need for special to type spares aboard the carrier. If you can convert an ASW aircraft to an AEW one then why not the other way round?

[Sunfish]

O class photographed Enterprise's propellers one RIMPAC. There was hell to pay for the screen.

[West Coast]

Somewhere, someone in the USN is happy about it.

[Pontius Navigator]

Brick, PM plse.