Future Chinese aircraft carrier
Encyclopedia
Since the 1970s, the People's Liberation Army Navy
(PLAN) has expressed interest in operating an aircraft carrier
as part of its blue water
aspirations, and press reports have frequently quoted senior Chinese military officials as expressing an intention to build aircraft carriers. On 7 June 2011, People's Liberation Army
Chief of the General Staff Chen Bingde
confirmed that China was constructing its own aircraft carrier.
Since 1985, China has acquired four retired aircraft carriers for study: the Australian HMAS Melbourne and the ex-Soviet carriers Minsk
, Kiev
and Varyag
. Reports state that two 50,000-60,000 ton Type 089 aircraft carriers based on the Varyag
, are due to be finished by 2015. Sukhoi Su-33
s (navalized Flankers) are the aircraft most likely to be flown from these carriers, but China is also developing its own version of the Su-33, the J-15
.
and Kiev
. These carriers have become floating amusement parks for tourists.
There had been other plans to purchase foreign second-hand carriers in the past. For example a possible deal between China and France for the sale of the Clemenceau fell through in 1997.
The 67,500 ton ex-Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag
(Admiral Kuznetsov class), which was only 70% completed and floating in Ukraine
, was purchased through a private Macau
tourist venture in 1998. Following her troublesome tow to Dalian shipyard, the carrier has undergone a long refit. Varyag had been stripped of any military equipment as well as her propulsion systems prior to being put up for sale. News reports state that she is being fitted out to enter operational status.
On 10 August 2011, it was announced that the refurbishment of Varyag was complete, and that it was undergoing sea trials.
of Spain; the 23,000 ton SAC-200 and the 25,000 ton SAC-220 designs. Negotiations started between 1995 - 1996 but it did not result in any purchase. However, the Spanish firm was paid several million US dollars in consulting fees, indicating the probable transfer of some design concepts.
After the Spanish firm had submitted its findings, Russian warship designer Nevskoye Design Bureau completed an aircraft carrier design for China in the late 1990s to meet the Chinese requirement but neither Russia nor China disclosed the price. Neither did the two countries reveal any information on whether China was satisfied with the design or not. In any case, no aircraft carriers based on the design were built, as limited Chinese industrial capabilities in the late-1990s made it impractical for China to start any construction of aircraft carriers.
A complete set of blueprints of a foreign aircraft carrier design was obtained by China when it purchased the decommissioned Soviet aircraft carrier Kiev
. Russia insisted on China buying the blueprints as well for higher price, but neither country has revealed the exact dollar value. However, based on the official information released by the Chinese government on aircraft carriers, all of which dictates conventional design, the V/STOL design does not appear to fit the Chinese requirement.
The complete set of blueprints of a foreign aircraft carrier design obtained by China when it purchased the incomplete Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag
is the most recent purchase. Ukraine urged China to increase the original $18 million bid to include additional purchase of the complete set of blueprints of the design, and after negotiations, China agreed to pay another $2 million to purchase the complete set of blueprints. According to the memoir of Chinese embassy staff members who participated in the process, the blueprints reached China before the ship. This conventional design offers more capability than smaller, V/STOL designs.
In February 2011, Ukraine
sentenced a Russian national to six years in prison for stealing secrets to assist China in its carrier program. According to the Ukraine, Aleksandr Yermakov was being paid by Chinese authorities to steal military secrets related to carrier operations from the Land-based Naval Aviation Testing and Training Complex, located in the Crimea
near the city of Saki
.
approved the plan on the aircraft carrier and the next generation nuclear submarine for PLAN submitted by the then commander-in-chief of PLAN, Liu Huaqing
. The original plan was to be progressed in stages, with basic research to be completed by the end of the 7th 5-year plan, and development of the platform and aircraft to be completed by the end of the 8th 5-year plan. By 2000, construction was to begin when ordered.
To prepare the commanders needed for the future aircraft carriers, the Central Military Commission approved the program of training jet fighter pilots to be future captains in May 1987, and the Guangzhou Naval Academy (广州舰艇学院) was selected as the site.
However, Liu Huaqing
’s plan proved to be too ambitious as the domestic Chinese industry at the time could not meet the goal demanded by the plan. As a result, the plan was drastically scaled back to basic research level and the date for an aircraft carrier entering PLAN service was postponed and eventually put on hold. In the meantime, pilot candidates for warship captain training was also altered, with candidates switched to ship-borne helicopter pilots, because it was considered that naval helicopter pilots with much more ship-borne aviation experience would be better prepared than the land-based jet fighter pilots who lack ship-borne aviation experience.
announced to the public at a news conference that China had mastered all of the technologies for an aircraft carrier, and would build aircraft carriers in the future when time was deemed right. The strongest proof of a Chinese aircraft carrier also appeared in 2008, from an official Chinese governmental source when the training program of jet fighter pilots for warship captains were resumed: PLA Daily (解放军报 published the news of Dalian Naval Academy
(大连舰艇学院) accepting a total of 50 jet fighter pilots for warship captain training in 2008, and in comparison to the first class that was held more than one and half a decade ago at Guangzhou Naval Academy (广州舰艇学院), the training has been lengthened to four years. Resumption of this plan is viewed by foreign observers and military analysts as another step in preparation for an aircraft carrier entering service.
There are also some reports of a possibility of China building two nuclear powered aircraft carriers, though how reliable these are can be questioned. According to the Nippon News Network
(NNN), research and development on the planned carriers is being carried out at a military research facility in Wuhan
. NNN states that the actual carriers will be constructed at Jiangnan Shipyard
in Shanghai
. Kanwa Intelligence Review reports that the second carrier to be constructed will likely be assigned to Qingdao
.
It was also reported in 2009 that the Brazilian Navy will train PLA naval officers in carrier operations in exchange for assistance on nuclear submarine technology and additional funding.
According to a February 2011 report in the The Daily Telegraph
, the Chinese military has constructed a concrete aircraft carrier flight deck to use for training carrier pilots and carrier operations personnel. The deck was constructed on top of a government building near Wuhan.
On 7 June 2011, People's Liberation Army
Chief of the General Staff Chen Bingde
confirmed that China was constructing its own aircraft carrier. He stated he would provide no further details until it was complete.
On July 30, 2011, a senior researcher of the Academy of Military Sciences
said China needed at least three aircraft carriers. "If we consider our neighbours, India will have three aircraft carriers by 2014 and Japan will have three carriers by 2014, so I think the number (for China) should not be less than three so we can defend our rights and our maritime interests effectively." General Luo Yuan. In July 2011, a Chinese official announced that two aircraft carriers were being built at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai.
On 10 August 2011, it was announced that the refurbishment of the Chinese aircraft carrier ex-Varyag
was complete, and that it was undergoing sea trials.
People's Liberation Army Navy
The People's Liberation Army Navy is the naval branch of the People's Liberation Army , the military of the People's Republic of China. Until the early 1990s, the navy performed a subordinate role to the PLA Land Forces. Since then, it has undergone rapid modernisation...
(PLAN) has expressed interest in operating an aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
as part of its blue water
Blue-water navy
The term blue-water navy is a colloquialism used to describe a maritime force capable of operating across the deep waters of open oceans. While what actually constitutes such a force remains undefined, there is a requirement for the ability to exercise sea control at wide ranges...
aspirations, and press reports have frequently quoted senior Chinese military officials as expressing an intention to build aircraft carriers. On 7 June 2011, People's Liberation Army
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
Chief of the General Staff Chen Bingde
Chen Bingde
Chen Bingde is a general in the People's Liberation Army. He was the Director-General of the General Armaments Department until September 2007. In this position he acted as the head of the space program of China. Currently he is the commanding general of People's Liberation Army General Staff...
confirmed that China was constructing its own aircraft carrier.
Since 1985, China has acquired four retired aircraft carriers for study: the Australian HMAS Melbourne and the ex-Soviet carriers Minsk
Soviet aircraft carrier Minsk
Minsk is an aircraft carrier that served the Soviet Navy, and later the Russian Navy, from 1978 to 1994. She was the second Kiev-class vessel to be built.- History :...
, Kiev
Soviet aircraft carrier Kiev
Kiev was a heavy aircraft carrying cruiser that served the Soviet and Russian navies from 1975 to 1993. It was built from 1970 till 1975 at Chernomorski factory in Nikolayev and was the first ship of its class -Service life:The Kiev was laid down on 21 July 1970 and launched on 26 December 1972...
and Varyag
Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag
Varyag was to be an Admiral Kuznetsov class multirole aircraft carrier of the Soviet Union. She was known as Riga when her keel was laid down at Shipyard 444 in Nikolayev December 6, 1985. Design of the carrier was undertaken by the Nevskoye Planning and Design Bureau...
. Reports state that two 50,000-60,000 ton Type 089 aircraft carriers based on the Varyag
Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag
Varyag was to be an Admiral Kuznetsov class multirole aircraft carrier of the Soviet Union. She was known as Riga when her keel was laid down at Shipyard 444 in Nikolayev December 6, 1985. Design of the carrier was undertaken by the Nevskoye Planning and Design Bureau...
, are due to be finished by 2015. Sukhoi Su-33
Sukhoi Su-33
The Sukhoi Su-33 is an all-weather carrier-based air defence fighter designed by Sukhoi and manufactured by KnAAPO. It is a derivative of the Su-27 "Flanker" and was initially known as the Su-27K. The aircraft was first used in operations in 1995, aboard the carrier Admiral Kuznetsov...
s (navalized Flankers) are the aircraft most likely to be flown from these carriers, but China is also developing its own version of the Su-33, the J-15
Shenyang J-15
- References :Citations*- External links :*, J-15 fighter photos and introductions, AirForceWorld.com...
.
Acquisition of retired aircraft carriers
Chinese shipyards have gained some exposure to carrier design with the acquisition of retired hulls such as the Australian HMAS Melbourne acquired in 1985. Through various ventures, China has also purchased the ex-Soviet carriers MinskSoviet aircraft carrier Minsk
Minsk is an aircraft carrier that served the Soviet Navy, and later the Russian Navy, from 1978 to 1994. She was the second Kiev-class vessel to be built.- History :...
and Kiev
Soviet aircraft carrier Kiev
Kiev was a heavy aircraft carrying cruiser that served the Soviet and Russian navies from 1975 to 1993. It was built from 1970 till 1975 at Chernomorski factory in Nikolayev and was the first ship of its class -Service life:The Kiev was laid down on 21 July 1970 and launched on 26 December 1972...
. These carriers have become floating amusement parks for tourists.
There had been other plans to purchase foreign second-hand carriers in the past. For example a possible deal between China and France for the sale of the Clemenceau fell through in 1997.
ex-Varyag
Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag
Varyag was to be an Admiral Kuznetsov class multirole aircraft carrier of the Soviet Union. She was known as Riga when her keel was laid down at Shipyard 444 in Nikolayev December 6, 1985. Design of the carrier was undertaken by the Nevskoye Planning and Design Bureau...
(Admiral Kuznetsov class), which was only 70% completed and floating in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, was purchased through a private Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
tourist venture in 1998. Following her troublesome tow to Dalian shipyard, the carrier has undergone a long refit. Varyag had been stripped of any military equipment as well as her propulsion systems prior to being put up for sale. News reports state that she is being fitted out to enter operational status.
On 10 August 2011, it was announced that the refurbishment of Varyag was complete, and that it was undergoing sea trials.
ex-Kiev
Several days after ex-Varyag went on its first-sea-trial in August 2011, ex-Kiev welcomed guests in its new role as a luxury hotel with a £9.6 million ($15.6 million) refit. The owners believe that China's naval ambitions as well as a general curiosity about aircraft carriers will result in public interest.Acquisition of designs
In addition to the acquisition of retired aircraft carriers of foreign navies, the PLAN has been actively purchasing foreign aircraft carriers designs as well. One such example was its effort to purchase the blueprints for proposed conventional take off/landing ships from Empresa Nacional BazanNavantia
Navantia, formerly Bazán or IZAR, is a Spanish shipbuilding firm, which offers its services to both military and civil sector. It is the fifth largest shipbuilder in Europe, and the ninth largest in the world with shipyards all over Spain....
of Spain; the 23,000 ton SAC-200 and the 25,000 ton SAC-220 designs. Negotiations started between 1995 - 1996 but it did not result in any purchase. However, the Spanish firm was paid several million US dollars in consulting fees, indicating the probable transfer of some design concepts.
After the Spanish firm had submitted its findings, Russian warship designer Nevskoye Design Bureau completed an aircraft carrier design for China in the late 1990s to meet the Chinese requirement but neither Russia nor China disclosed the price. Neither did the two countries reveal any information on whether China was satisfied with the design or not. In any case, no aircraft carriers based on the design were built, as limited Chinese industrial capabilities in the late-1990s made it impractical for China to start any construction of aircraft carriers.
A complete set of blueprints of a foreign aircraft carrier design was obtained by China when it purchased the decommissioned Soviet aircraft carrier Kiev
Soviet aircraft carrier Kiev
Kiev was a heavy aircraft carrying cruiser that served the Soviet and Russian navies from 1975 to 1993. It was built from 1970 till 1975 at Chernomorski factory in Nikolayev and was the first ship of its class -Service life:The Kiev was laid down on 21 July 1970 and launched on 26 December 1972...
. Russia insisted on China buying the blueprints as well for higher price, but neither country has revealed the exact dollar value. However, based on the official information released by the Chinese government on aircraft carriers, all of which dictates conventional design, the V/STOL design does not appear to fit the Chinese requirement.
The complete set of blueprints of a foreign aircraft carrier design obtained by China when it purchased the incomplete Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag
Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag
Varyag was to be an Admiral Kuznetsov class multirole aircraft carrier of the Soviet Union. She was known as Riga when her keel was laid down at Shipyard 444 in Nikolayev December 6, 1985. Design of the carrier was undertaken by the Nevskoye Planning and Design Bureau...
is the most recent purchase. Ukraine urged China to increase the original $18 million bid to include additional purchase of the complete set of blueprints of the design, and after negotiations, China agreed to pay another $2 million to purchase the complete set of blueprints. According to the memoir of Chinese embassy staff members who participated in the process, the blueprints reached China before the ship. This conventional design offers more capability than smaller, V/STOL designs.
In February 2011, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
sentenced a Russian national to six years in prison for stealing secrets to assist China in its carrier program. According to the Ukraine, Aleksandr Yermakov was being paid by Chinese authorities to steal military secrets related to carrier operations from the Land-based Naval Aviation Testing and Training Complex, located in the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
near the city of Saki
Saky
Saky is a city in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukraine. Population is 29,416 . The city has one of the major bases of the Ukrainian Navy. Other bases are at Odessa, Novoozerne, and Sebastopol....
.
Early plans
The first official plan of PLAN aircraft carrier dated back on March 31, 1987 when the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National DefenseCommission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense
The Commission for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense was a civilian ministry within the State Council of the People's Republic of China, responsible for setting policy for defense procurement. It was considered as the Chinese counterpart of DARPA of the USA...
approved the plan on the aircraft carrier and the next generation nuclear submarine for PLAN submitted by the then commander-in-chief of PLAN, Liu Huaqing
Liu Huaqing
Liu Huaqing was the Commander of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy from 1982 through 1988, and is considered to been responsible for its modernization efforts....
. The original plan was to be progressed in stages, with basic research to be completed by the end of the 7th 5-year plan, and development of the platform and aircraft to be completed by the end of the 8th 5-year plan. By 2000, construction was to begin when ordered.
To prepare the commanders needed for the future aircraft carriers, the Central Military Commission approved the program of training jet fighter pilots to be future captains in May 1987, and the Guangzhou Naval Academy (广州舰艇学院) was selected as the site.
However, Liu Huaqing
Liu Huaqing
Liu Huaqing was the Commander of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy from 1982 through 1988, and is considered to been responsible for its modernization efforts....
’s plan proved to be too ambitious as the domestic Chinese industry at the time could not meet the goal demanded by the plan. As a result, the plan was drastically scaled back to basic research level and the date for an aircraft carrier entering PLAN service was postponed and eventually put on hold. In the meantime, pilot candidates for warship captain training was also altered, with candidates switched to ship-borne helicopter pilots, because it was considered that naval helicopter pilots with much more ship-borne aviation experience would be better prepared than the land-based jet fighter pilots who lack ship-borne aviation experience.
Current status
In mid-2007, Chinese domestic sources revealed that China had purchased a total of four sets of aircraft carrier landing systems from Russia and this was confirmed by Russian manufacturers. However, experts disagreed on the usage of these systems: while some have claimed that it is a clear evidence of the construction of an aircraft carrier, others claim these systems are used to train pilots for a future ship. In August, 2008, Mr. Huang Qiang (黄强), the speaker of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National DefenseCommission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense
The Commission for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense was a civilian ministry within the State Council of the People's Republic of China, responsible for setting policy for defense procurement. It was considered as the Chinese counterpart of DARPA of the USA...
announced to the public at a news conference that China had mastered all of the technologies for an aircraft carrier, and would build aircraft carriers in the future when time was deemed right. The strongest proof of a Chinese aircraft carrier also appeared in 2008, from an official Chinese governmental source when the training program of jet fighter pilots for warship captains were resumed: PLA Daily (解放军报 published the news of Dalian Naval Academy
Dalian Naval Academy
Dalian Naval Academy is one of the higher education institutes of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy and is located in Dalian City, Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China....
(大连舰艇学院) accepting a total of 50 jet fighter pilots for warship captain training in 2008, and in comparison to the first class that was held more than one and half a decade ago at Guangzhou Naval Academy (广州舰艇学院), the training has been lengthened to four years. Resumption of this plan is viewed by foreign observers and military analysts as another step in preparation for an aircraft carrier entering service.
There are also some reports of a possibility of China building two nuclear powered aircraft carriers, though how reliable these are can be questioned. According to the Nippon News Network
Nippon News Network
Nippon News Network is a commercial television news network in Japan. The network is owned by Nippon Television, which itself is controlled by publishing company Yomiuri Shimbun. NNN operates a 24-hour news network, News 24, and its programming is aired on NTV stations.-Nippon News Network...
(NNN), research and development on the planned carriers is being carried out at a military research facility in Wuhan
Wuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
. NNN states that the actual carriers will be constructed at Jiangnan Shipyard
Jiangnan Shipyard
Jiangnan Shipyard is a historic shipyard located in Shanghai, China. The shipyard has been state owned since its founding in 1865 and is now operated by Jiangnan Shipyard Co. Ltd. Before 2009, the shipyard was located to the south of central Shanghi Jiangnan Shipyard is a historic shipyard...
in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
. Kanwa Intelligence Review reports that the second carrier to be constructed will likely be assigned to Qingdao
Qingdao
' also known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city with a population of over 8.715 million in eastern Shandong province, Eastern China. Its built up area, made of 7 urban districts plus Jimo city, is home to about 4,346,000 inhabitants in 2010.It borders Yantai to the...
.
It was also reported in 2009 that the Brazilian Navy will train PLA naval officers in carrier operations in exchange for assistance on nuclear submarine technology and additional funding.
According to a February 2011 report in the The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, the Chinese military has constructed a concrete aircraft carrier flight deck to use for training carrier pilots and carrier operations personnel. The deck was constructed on top of a government building near Wuhan.
On 7 June 2011, People's Liberation Army
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
Chief of the General Staff Chen Bingde
Chen Bingde
Chen Bingde is a general in the People's Liberation Army. He was the Director-General of the General Armaments Department until September 2007. In this position he acted as the head of the space program of China. Currently he is the commanding general of People's Liberation Army General Staff...
confirmed that China was constructing its own aircraft carrier. He stated he would provide no further details until it was complete.
On July 30, 2011, a senior researcher of the Academy of Military Sciences
Academy of Military Science (People's Republic of China)
The Academy of Military Science is the highest-level research institute of the People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China, headquartered in Beijing, China...
said China needed at least three aircraft carriers. "If we consider our neighbours, India will have three aircraft carriers by 2014 and Japan will have three carriers by 2014, so I think the number (for China) should not be less than three so we can defend our rights and our maritime interests effectively." General Luo Yuan. In July 2011, a Chinese official announced that two aircraft carriers were being built at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai.
On 10 August 2011, it was announced that the refurbishment of the Chinese aircraft carrier ex-Varyag
Chinese aircraft carrier ex-Varyag
China's first aircraft carrier is the unfinished former Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag. The carrier was purchased from Ukraine in 1998 by the PRC, reportedly for use as an amusement park, and moved to China...
was complete, and that it was undergoing sea trials.
External links
- "China To Launch Carrier This Year: Taiwan", 25 April 2011