Potential China military base in Solomons
- Thread starter Admiral Beez
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- #182
Admiral Beez
Captain
I assumed they'd tapped into the Chinese diaspora or other embedded spies to steal the USA tech.
But now I read that Chinese EMALS uses a different tech? Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System - Wikipedia
China developed an electromagnetic catapult system in the 2000s for aircraft carriers, but with a different technical approach. Chinese adopted a medium-voltage, direct current (DC) power transmission system,[47] instead of the alternating current catapult system that United States developed.[48][49]
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- #183
Admiral Beez
Captain
Wikipedia says that China's new carrier is powered by steam turbines. If this is true, wouldn't the smarter move be to utilize traditional, well-established steam catapults? But why would they use steam turbines? Gas turbines have been the norm for sixty years.
Thumpalumpacus
Captain
Wouldn't gas turbines this large be enormous fuel hogs?
Thumpalumpacus
Captain
SYDNEY — Voting started Friday in the tiny Pacific island nation of Tuvalu, in a national election that could reverberate from China to Australia.
With just over 11,500 people, Tuvalu is one of the smallest nations in the world, but the election for the 16-seat parliament was being closely watched. After the vote count, parliamentary negotiations will form a new government and elect the prime minister. Polls opened at 8 a.m. and were to close at 4 p.m.
Prime Minister Kausea Natano is running again, but even reelection to parliament won't guarantee him the top post.
Finance Minister Seve Paeniu is challenging him, and opposition leader Enele Sopoaga is hoping to again be prime minister, after losing out to Natano after the 2019 election.
The elections come as China, the United States and others wrangle for influence in the strategically crucial region.
Tuvalu, a British colony until 1978, is one of only 12 countries that have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, the self-governing democratic island that China claims as its own territory.
But China has been pushing those Taiwan allies to switch their alliance. Natano has so far rebuffed Beijing, but that could change after this election. Nauru, another small Pacific nation, recently switched its support from Taiwan to China.
Paeniu has said he wants to review Tuvalu's relationships with both Taiwan and China.
www.npr.org
History rhymes ...
With just over 11,500 people, Tuvalu is one of the smallest nations in the world, but the election for the 16-seat parliament was being closely watched. After the vote count, parliamentary negotiations will form a new government and elect the prime minister. Polls opened at 8 a.m. and were to close at 4 p.m.
Prime Minister Kausea Natano is running again, but even reelection to parliament won't guarantee him the top post.
Finance Minister Seve Paeniu is challenging him, and opposition leader Enele Sopoaga is hoping to again be prime minister, after losing out to Natano after the 2019 election.
The elections come as China, the United States and others wrangle for influence in the strategically crucial region.
Tuvalu, a British colony until 1978, is one of only 12 countries that have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, the self-governing democratic island that China claims as its own territory.
But China has been pushing those Taiwan allies to switch their alliance. Natano has so far rebuffed Beijing, but that could change after this election. Nauru, another small Pacific nation, recently switched its support from Taiwan to China.
Paeniu has said he wants to review Tuvalu's relationships with both Taiwan and China.
Voting begins in tiny Tuvalu in election that reverberates from China to Australia
The elections come as China, the U.S. and others wrangle for influence in the South Pacific region. Tuvalu is one of 12 countries that have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
www.npr.org
History rhymes ...
- Thread starter
- #186
Admiral Beez
Captain
AIUI, any ship that is not diesel or nuclear powered (steam turbine) is gas turbine. Is the Chinese ship nuclear powered?
Thumpalumpacus
Captain
My point was that there's a big difference between a 8000-ton destroyer and a fleet carrier. How's the difference in fuel efficiency?
GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
The two active Chinese carriers are steam turbines and the one soon to be commissiones is also a steam turbine design.
As I recall, the two current ones have an endurance of about a month and a half at sea before requiring refueling.
As I recall, the two current ones have an endurance of about a month and a half at sea before requiring refueling.
Thumpalumpacus
Captain
SYDNEY, Jan 27 (Reuters) - The pro-Taiwan leader of the Pacific Islands nation of Tuvalu, Kausea Natano, lost his seat in an election closely watched by Taiwan, China and the U.S., results showed on Saturday.
Tuvalu, with a population of about 11,200 spread across nine islands, is one of three remaining Pacific allies of Taiwan, after Nauru cut ties this month and switched to Beijing, which had promised more development help.
Natano had pledged to continue support for Taiwan, a diplomatic ally since 1979. Another leadership contender, Seve Paeniu, has said diplomatic ties should be reviewed, with the new government deciding whether Taiwan or China can best respond to Tuvalu's needs.
The diplomatic tussle between Taiwan and China comes amid a wider contest for influence in the Pacific between China and the U.S., with Washington recently pledging the first submarine cable to connect Tuvalu to global telecommunications.
Results for the electorate of Funafuti released on Saturday by an election official on Tuvalu TV showed Natano did not retain his seat. He could not immediately be reached for comment.
Early election results point to Tuvalu's pro-Taiwan PM losing his seat
Partial results from Tuvalu's national election suggests the pro-Taiwan leader of the Pacific islands nation, Kausea Natano, has lost his parliamentary seat.
www.abc.net.au
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- #193
Admiral Beez
Captain
Interesting article suggesting we may be overestimating China.
www.militarytimes.com
Is the United States overestimating China’s power?
Opinion: It is time to right-size the American understanding of China’s comprehensive power, writes Dan Murphy of the Harvard Kennedy School.
www.militarytimes.com
The Japanese navy is highly rated as well.
145 vessels all up with around a third being what would be termed blue water.
Modern as they come as well.
Japanese planning for the next class starts when the current class is being built. Instead
of waiting a decade or more and trying to update what they have Japan is ready to start building
a whole new type.
Coupled with US assets and the advent of the F35 (Japan is buying 199), there isn't another navy
who would be wanting to start a fight in the area (at least if it is run by sane leadership).
- Thread starter
- #196
Admiral Beez
Captain
I wish we here in Canada could do this. Instead we build a class of warships, like the dozen Halifax class frigates, and then we refuse any further orders, the yards close down and/or consolidate, laying off thousands of skilled workers who readily leave for skilled jobs elsewhere, with the rump of the remaining industry scraping a living on maintenance work or making OPVs. And then, twenty-seven years after the last Halifax class frigate enters service, when we want to build the next class of large warships, like the fifteen (reportedly) Type-26 frigates we have to start almost from scratch, finding new skilled labour, re-opening or expanding yards, etc. Instead, Canada should always have 1-3 large warships in production.
Avoiding this sort of situation is what Australia is doing with a continuous shipbuilding program and related - see:
Very relevant document for the future security of the whole region. Australia also has clearance for the refurbishment of turbine engines
such as the Abrams tank unit. Otherwise it would be a matter of months to send and get one back. It also takes the pressure off US
repair facilities.
In 2023 the USN started planning with Japan to use Japanese facilities to repair USN ships rather than sending them backwards and forwards
to the US yards.
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- #199
Admiral Beez
Captain
Thanks for sharing that. Australia seems to know what they're doing, at least compared to Canada.
Here's a quick summary I've made of the state of Canadian warship construction. The second column of the bottom chart should be titled DD/FG/OPV built, as at at least the Kingston class and Harry DeWolf classes gave the industry some RCN construction work. Nonetheless, all but two of our eight warship-capable shipyards have permanently closed down, the last in 2003 after completing nine of the Halifax class, and then being starved of any further naval construction. And just look at the massive, multiyear pauses where no warships are constructed whatsoever, where the skilled employees will have left for new jobs and industries elsewhere.
Speaking of China, we have no shipyards on the Pacific Coast capable of constructing warships, nor outside of CFB Esquimalt, of refitting warships. It's no wonder that Pacific Canada feels they're getting shafted by a federal government that desperately wants to please Quebecers and Atlantic Canada with pork, but none for them.
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Japanese government will pay all costs.
This is a rare good opportunity for the japanese nationalists to expand the military capability no matter how much costs they owe now.
They will control the alliance itself sooner or later. The US had better pay for herself as my honest advice.
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