Though the Chinese Defense Ministry has stayed mum on the maiden voyage of the nation’s first domestically built aircraft carrier, photos and video clips have flooded the Internet since Monday, when the vessel was seen being towed out of its berth at the Dalian Shipyard.
The ship is now believed to be en route to designated zones for sea trials in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea off northeastern China.
China has apparently expedited the construction of the new warship now that it has come to grips with carrier design and technology inherited from the Soviet Navy, with the purchase and restoration of a rusty, stripped hulk as the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s first carrier, which was christened Liaoning.
The current excitement and nationalist pride on the part of many Chinese netizens notwithstanding, the fact that the sea trial of the PLA’s second carrier failed to pique too much interest in overseas media is perhaps an indication of how it actually measures up against its counterparts in foreign fleets.
Known specifications of the home-built carrier include a displacement of around 65,000 tons and conventional diesel and steam propulsion – similar to the Liaoning, of the Soviet-era Kuznetsov-class – plus a steam-powered catapult aircraft-launching system.
“It’s a brand-new carrier, but also the very epitome of the outdated technologies reminiscent of the 1980s era,” said Macau-based military analyst Antony Wong.
The US now maintains an unrivaled fleet of 11 carriers, all nuclear-powered and each capable of carrying and servicing 70 to 90 aircraft.
China is also facing a talent crunch as construction of its second home-made carrier is rumored to start soon in Shanghai.
On Monday, Chinese news portal Netease carried a commentary that had an objective reflection of the new carrier’s genuine strength.
It argued that both of the aircraft carriers that China has in hand are of the mid-weight range, roughly in the same league as the French Navy’s nuclear-powered, 42,500-ton Charles de Gaulle and the Royal Navy’s gas-and-diesel-propelled, 65,000-ton HMS Queen Elizabeth.
Still, China’s J-15 fighters are a big drag on the Chinese carrier group’s strike capabilities, given the fact that the Queen Elizabeth‘s air wing typically consists of F-35B Lightning fighters.
The indigenous Chinese carrier also looks like a minnow compared with the USS Gerald R Ford, commissioned last July as the epitome of US naval might. The Ford boasts a whopping displacement of 100,000 tons, in the supercarrier category, with two A1B reactors on board with a total output of 280,000 horsepower, 40% more than the steam boilers that propel the new Chinese carrier.
State-of-the-art electromagnetic launch pads are also up and running on the US carrier but the Chinese version of the advanced linear induction motors that catapult aircraft won’t be put into use unless the second home-made carrier is built, which still needs years to take shape.
Hopefully the two carriers will never meet in a 1 to 1 battle. Recent news on the Ford carrier is that it is still undergoing retrofits and was declared operational months ago despite its EMAL system being unreliable.
What author do not say is speed with which China built this one is staggering. Basically China is going ultra fast in closing technological gap.
US should not be right now worried. Second carrier is already under construction and it will be larger model but still not real match. Real thing will be third type with which China will close all gaps.
But that is decades away.
For now those carriers are helping China to perfect its shuipbuidling capacities and to project its power thousand miles away in similar way US was doing. So Pacific is not any more US lake, it is a fact.
And China is not worried at all because of US carriers, right now already has enough strong army and means to suppress them in waters that are relatively close to its land. Us can not do anything about it, military power is going on Chinese side, nothing US can do about it.
The Gerald Ford and the new chinese carrier can each be put out of commission by a single missile landing in the flight deck. In this case the Ford is the bigger target.
Chinese military only looks mighty to the regional midget nations that it bullies..Chinese military does seemed to advanced their knowledge and combat ability rather rapidly but I bet my head that it is through its army of not soldiers but government employed hackers. A very well known fact of PRC is not about its creativity but it’s pirating others IP or cloning of others Intellectual properties, furthermore, Chinese habitual padding up of facts and capabilities also make it doubtful that a country will zero modern combat experience can top a country that has been fighting active wars in Afghanistan, Irag, Syria and many other proxy wars for decades.
This is reminiscent of the USS Ranger. The Ranger was the first carrier built as a carrier by the US. She spent her life in WW2 in the Atlantic as she was too vulnerable to Japanese carriers.
You are right. The age of the carrier is fading.
Richard Caroll A US Carrier Battle Group consists of 30~50 ships with the Carrier in the center, and thus provides multiple layers of protection against air, sea, underwater and land based assault. It is much easier to preemptively strikes on threats by taking the fights to them with carrier based combat aircrafts, drones and Tomahawks. I wonder how long it takes to disable the Chinese Armada…Some US sources say 20 Minutes with coordinated and simultaneously multiple targeting…
Fyi Tomahawk is not capable of attacking moving target. US carrier based planes at current time do not have the range to hit Chinese ships if the latters are within 1st Island chain because of A2AD. USN plans to award RFP late this yr to winner of carrier based tanker contract competition. Existing tankers are vulnerable to J20 attack.
Google first before spitting rhetoric.
jejejejeje, go back to studies and learn furthermore the real power of America wich nothing on earth can match about it. Many false ideas are flooding the net about the hearsay power of China, Remember, US was the one who stop Japan in WW2, and that is the end of the war. China was just a baby that never defend herself despite it is a very large country. Almost 60 years after the war, now you are saying today that US has nothing to do againys China? Are you dreaming or just totally insane?v If China improve, much and more that America improve, only the difference is Amwerica is simple, not talkative about his power, in contrast, China shows her modern junks which he knows thqat can mamtch US which is very far in reality. If there is country can match US, maybe only Russia but still behind the USA. America n military is next to none!
Kier Valdez China already has larest PP economy in the world. It is not yet strong in military as US on global level that is truth but overall balance of power is going on its side, faster than many US military experts would be comfortable, again nothing US can do about it… At the moment China is quite aware that needs to do more so it will speed up, US had zero chance.
Ivo Kuroishijin Keep on dreaming!
Leandrei Pablo he he those sounds great facts for serious discussion lol
A Toy version & ugly copy of US carrier group, this is just for bullying operations of smaller countries????
China is comming, it has to do it a step at a time, learn it a bite at a time, with the speed they are incorporating things the learned and the speed theyare making prototypes, sooner they will be there.
https://www.raytheon.com/news/feature/tomahawk_moving_target_sea
Yup, bigger they are, harder their fall. Having a big army might make you all powerful but dedicated soldiers of a third world country chased them away from Vietnam. There must be a cause n will to fight.
CHINA should be stopped from all its ambitious territorial expansion…..otherwise, a global conflict would ensue not seen before in human history
Supersonic undetectable nuclear powered smart missles are the future.
Dave Ng um first off carrier based long range bombers exist.. Not to mention why does the us even need to use carrier based attacks if it came to that. Could use heavy bombers out of japan. And china is easily in range of heavy bombers from both Hawaii and china.
kopya pa more!
hahaha You’re funny!
Kier Valdez you are full of shit.
RUSSIA IS NOT BEHAND US .
RUSSIA IS NUMBER 1 PAWER IN THE WORLD. PLEASE DON’T BE
RETARDED.
These carriers are just sitting ducks, remember what the now old exocet has done in a war scenario.
China is not the bully here, US is the greatest bully here
China doesn’t have to build supercarriers like that of the US. All they have to do is build so many of these carriers and swarm its enemies. They may not last as compared with that of the US but numbers can do wanders. You can sink two of these for 1 carrier but it is still cheaper!
Do war, its time for war 111
Richard Tan, you should ask Philippinos, Vietnamese, Japanese, Malaysians and Indians for their opinion on who is the regional bully.
The USA Ford is a bigger target too.
Giant carrier with be a white elephant for Chinese killer missiles
Whats new…..made in china….
Are you sure????
Richard Tan because they are giving hints to be bullied.if they behave well…i think americans will not.
Stolen and copied technology is no match for origional technology which is constantly improved.
I have a feeling, owners of original technologies allow their competitors to steal fake copies to keep them at the bottom of the technology race
Made in china is all fake! Be careful with the dolphin your aircraft carrier can be destroyed by fish only!! Its made on plastic. Remember that the noodles,rice,and eggs? Chinese people make it plastic. That is the result of people of china was eating featous!!????????????
Ford: "The problem is that many of these systems are immature and have not been able to perform up to expected levels. The San Diego Union-Tribune described the construction of the Ford as “a monument to the Navy’s and defense industry’s ability to justify spending billions on unproven technologies that often deliver worse performance at a higher cost.” Despite the lip service presented by Navy and industry officials, the construction of the Ford has been something of a disaster." https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/americas-new-13-billion-aircraft-carrier-is-still-far-1797119016
Ok… but that’s only their 11th and it may be their first to receive all kinds of advanced technology we have never seen before. What’s the point of comparing it to the first and only (indigenous) of PLAN?
"Pacific is not anymore US lake"? Oh you have to sink all the US 11 carrier fleet first with your first, 2nd and third fleet. They will not share their lake, i’m afraid.
What the heck about bigger or smaller target? Precision targeting using smart munitions is the new game now. On the other hand, the whole country as big as it is may not be hit because of smart missile defense system such as AEGIS which is a thousand times better than patriot.
Dale… I guess everything new started as unproven, and i guess again that its normal and its ok. They will try to use it then adjust correspondingly.
Every newly born thing has its birthpains and a learning curves to track.
And I guess not everything they say are true… some are ploy of deception to preserve the element of surprise!
Do you remember when they boast of F16?… they have already capable stealth fighters kept secret.
When they are circulating the production and sale of F35, what do you think they have to counter F35 on sale?
Ask DARPA
And why do you think the reason why they spent billions in Research and Development? A group of scientists studies a single animal specie such as a bat? Any insects for that matter?
Now you have thermal imaging, radar, ecosounder etc… out of those research.
Sad
None of you is talking about peace 🙁
China’s lovers are keep boosting about how China has been improved its weapons, armies and things. US’d lovers are keep doing the same thing favoring US. We hate war, WW1&II are enough, here in Cambodia we had Pol Pot regime. How do you feel when seeing superpower countries are spending more and more on modernizing their weapons? In th End, they want war 🙂
Ping Olarte
THanks my friend Ping.
Advanced technology owners, do not wait for for their competitors to catch up with them.
Otherwise they loose their competitive edge. Technologies unproven in actual war is nothing really. I say for example, that state of the art air craft cannot do the fighting alone. It is directed to its target by a human pilot. A volunteer pilot with a free spirit can outsmart a pilot who is a " forced labourer^
Stolen and copied technologies simply self destruct and dismantle in the heat of battle like a pair of fake puma boots worn during a heated rugby match.
The owner of origional technologies will always have the last laugh.
Fj Digioia if land based bomber is used, then conflict elevates to retaliation to Guam, Okinawa or Hawaii which requires immediate & intercontinental ballistic missile.If B2 or B52 are being used, implication is nuclear attack initiated & appropriate counter warranted.
Kier Valdez most specialy their naval forces, the mightiest naval force in the world.
Ivo Kuroishijin. You say: "Real thing will be third type with which China will close all gaps." I am sorry but I think, to close all gaps means to have at least 11 carriers. For the time being, this is just a dream for China.
Ping Olarte Whatever. In the end, it boils down to heart, as far as I’m concerned. You fight for your home. That’s what simple Viertnamese rice farmers taught the US military industrial behemoth. It’s what Iraqis taught US "shock and awe". Mission accomplished, indeed!