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Kuznetsov hangar dimensions: 502' (153m) x 85' (26m) x 23' 7" (7.2m)
Essex class hangar dimensions: 654' (199.4m) x 70' (21.3m) x 17' 6" (5.3m)
Another problem they're going to have is doctrine: how to use these assets efficiently in accordance with national aims. Supporting an invasion of Taiwan? Why, when you have land-based a/c nearby? Using them to project blue-water power? Well, there's another fleet of carriers that have been doing that for a while, have plenty of practice, and the Chinese carriers won't be operating under an umbrella of air-force/A2-AD missiles to counterbalance that opposing fleet.
Consider also the institutional experience of the various navies, not to mention the specific capabilities of the equipment under consideration.
You might want to investigate China's current international trading partners and its Belt and Road strategy to glean how and where it might use these ships.
The problem is the USA and Russia think that maintaining a strategic position in world power is earned by building a shit ton of weapons, or the hard approach to world domination, but China is clever, it's becoming a world power by buying its way into global markets to cement its interests and building an armed forces to support these.
China has sneakily been buying up deep water ports around the world, in countries as diverse as Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Greece and even France and Britain. It has strategic interests in North Africa and South Asia and therefore it has gained control of strategic ports in some of the world's busiest waterways to support its trade routes. This is aside from its activities in the Nine Dash Line in the South China Sea. It has been making business deals with countries as far flung as Tanzania, Argentina, Australia, and Scotland.
As for experience, that's what Liaoning and Shandong are for. As I said, the Fujian is only the beginning.
Liaoning has progressed beyond being a mere training ship. The Chinese have recently been able to deploy both Liaoning & Shandong.Just a wee note about Chinese carrier development and converting the Varyag - the Chinese did a good job on this. The Chinese have been investigating developing carriers for years and bought the hulls of four retired carriers for reference and study, these were the Varyag, which became the Liaoning as we know, the Soviet navy flagships Kiev and Minsk and the Australian Majestic Class carrier HMAS Melbourne. So it had a bit of research material before conversion of the Varyag began. The resulting Liaoning was only ever meant to be a training ship, a role it serves today, with the Shandong, it's indigenous successor currently the only Chinese carrier in service, but again an interim before the Fujian enters service, a full CATOBAR carrier equipped with EMALS, or so it's advertised. The system has been trialled on land but the extent of which is not yet revealed. The Fujian was launched a few weeks ago and is a big ship, it's the largest carrier built outside of the USA and represents an entirely new step in Chinese carrier evolution, the Chinese are not messing around with this.
View attachment 677396Kiev 101
The Kiev is now an amusement park complex, see my photos here:
The problem with the Shandong and Liaoning is its air group comprising J-15 Flying Shark aircraft, which is a licence built Su-27 and on paper look impressive, but are, according to online sources, really unreliable and maintenance prone, and for a carrier aircraft are heavy and because of the lack of catapult to get them off the deck, limited in useful warload. The Fujian will be equipped with the J-15T, which is a derivative of the Su-30MKL and the J-15D, which is an electronic warfare variant of the Su-30 basis airframe. Operating from Fujian means these are CATOBAR capable. A new indigenous carrier fighter, the J-35 Gyrfalcon is currently undergoing flight testing, although like most modern Chinese designs there's a lot of supposition out there but very little real hard evidence as to its capabilities. The Chinese have also flown the KJ-600, an E-2 Hawkeye lookalike, which is expected to eventually see service aboard the Fujian. It's full steam ahead and worth keeping an eye on China to see what they do next in terms of carrier aviation, because present developments are just the beginning...
Liaoning has progressed beyond being a mere training ship. The Chinese have recently been able to deploy both Liaoning & Shandong.
Not an immediate threat to the USN in the region.
Right, but you've got to earn that experience, while at least two other navies already have it.
Again with the assumption that China is wanting to go toe to toe with the USA. It doesn't. American strategists can't help themselves in comparing militaries with their own to satisfy their own superiority complex, but they wholly misunderstand why the Chinese are doing what they are doing. Gaining experience is exactly what China is doing right now. Never misunderestimate your enemies...
Maybe you should explain to those strategists exactly what you think the Chinese are doing, since you seem to think they've got it so wrong.
Why should I do it? If they can't figure it out for themselves, then it is the USA that'll fall behind geo-politically while waving its guns in the air. The US spends more on defence than any other country in the world, how do you expect the rest of the world to react as a consequence of that?
I suspect this thread is catching the eye of the mods with all this geo-political stuff, but we do need to keep a close eye on China, for obvious reasons. What it's done with the knowledge accumulated from investigating aircraft carriers is nothing short of remarkable and shows what happens when we are distracted by other things.
Well, I figure if you've got some insights they aren't aware of, and you're worried about China's influence, it might be helpful.
Only if they pay me for them!
China is gonna do what China is gonna do regardless of who gets in their way. China doesn't subscribe to military alliances as much as we do in the West, although naturally the Chinese have their supporters. Those who don't support China will, not surprisingly turn to the USA and her allies, but the lesson is our attitude toward alliances versus what the Chinese are actually doing. If Chinese interests buy a big port on the Straits of Malacca (which they have done) and park a fleet of frigates and destroyers there, threatening Singaporean interests, there's not a lot anyone can do about it. This is the dichotomy of Chinese global expansion.
I wouldn't want a shooting war with China, but I wouldn't want them governing any more of the world than they already do, either.
I'd like to think that's up to them, rather than us; modern China has a notorious disregard for the sovereignty of others. Our problem, if any would be to underestimate their armed forces, especially in light of how the Russians are behaving in Ukraine. Just because they use a lot of Russian designs doesn't mean the Chinese military would be as inept at handling them.
It's hard to say. Their army hasn't fought on the ground in over forty years, and didn't do so well that time. Their navy hasn't fought a major naval battle in well over a century.
Yup, this certainly raises questions and it occurred to me as I wrote my previous post, but I suspect the Chinese are a canny lot, much more so than the Russians, who do have much combat experience over the last ten years or so, yet are frequently demonstrating weaknesses in their tactics. If there is anything the Chinese are good at it's watching and learning.
I would agree that their hardware, especially electronics are far superior to Russia's, as are their weapons. They are making the best of every piece of hardware they get their paws on.