The combat capabilities of the new Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong
December 17, 2019 fleet China included the second aircraft carrier, named "Shandong." The new ship became the second for China. According to this indicator, the naval forces of the PRC have already bypassed the Russian fleet. At the same time, both the first and second Chinese aircraft carriers are still the development of more Soviet projects. In particular, the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser of project 1143.6 Varyag, the closest relative to the only Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov of project 1143.5. The latter, unfortunately, is most famous for his victories over naval infrastructure and the Russian budget.
On the way to the first aircraft carriers
The first Chinese aircraft carrier received the name "Liaoning", it was introduced to the PLA Navy in September 2012. The ship was a completed Varyag aircraft carrier, which China acquired from Ukraine for $ 25 million, and approximately $ 5 million was spent by Beijing on towing the ship from Nikolaev to Dalian. Structurally, the first Chinese aircraft carrier is as close as possible to the Admiral Kuznetsov of the same type, the main differences are associated only with the use of electronic weapons and Chinese-made combat systems.
The second Chinese aircraft carrier to enter service under the name Shandong is still close in design to the Soviet aircraft-carrying cruisers of Project 1143 Krechet. Externally, the ships are very similar, while the Chinese version is slightly longer, and its total displacement is greater than that of the “Admiral Kuznetsov”. The new aircraft carrier “Shandong” received an updated composition of electronic weapons, including a radar with AFAR, a new form of the superstructure and an enlarged air group. It is believed that both ships were built in China by the design kit for aircraft carrier 1143.6, which Beijing acquired from Nevskoye Design Bureau joint-stock company back in the 1990s. According to the bmpd blog, the cost of this transaction for the purchase of technical documentation for project 1143.6 amounted to only 840 thousand dollars.
The first Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning is a Varyag aircraft carrier built in China. China purchased a ship from Ukraine at the stage of technical readiness about 70 percent. The purchase took place in 1998, but the ship reached the shipyard in Dalian only on March 3, 2002, and the completion and testing process took 10 years. The ship was finally accepted into the fleet only in September 2012. The second Chinese aircraft carrier, Shandong, was built faster. The first work on the construction of the ship began in November 2013, the construction of the hull in the dry dock - March 2015, the launch - April 25, 2017, the commissioning of the fleet - December 17, 2019. The next Chinese aircraft carrier, known so far as the “Type 003” project, should become a new generation ship. It is reported that ships of this type will get rid of the springboard on the take-off deck, will receive an electromagnetic catapult and the ability to launch heavier and more advanced aircraft, including fifth-generation multi-role fighters Chengdu J-20.
Thanks to the acquisition of virtually unfinished aircraft carrier in Ukraine and technical documentation in Russia, China quickly turned into a country that is able to build large aircraft carriers and carrier-based fighter aircraft for them. In the shortest possible time, China became the fifth country in the world that is able to independently build an aircraft carrier designed to accommodate aircraft not of vertical, but of ordinary take-off and landing. Thanks to access to Soviet-era technologies, Beijing has already received two combat-ready aircraft carriers, and by the mid-2020s, the PLA fleet should be replenished with an aircraft carrier with an electromagnetic catapult and a displacement of about 80 thousand tons. At the same time, it is possible that without resorting to the Soviet technologies that Beijing got almost for nothing after the collapse of the USSR, China still could not even get close to the ships of the Admiral Kuznetsov level.
The combat capabilities of the aircraft carrier "Shandong"
Despite rethinking Soviet developments, the Chinese Shandong still cannot hide its relationship with the Admiral Kuznetsov and other ships of a similar project. This external resemblance cannot be hidden anywhere, while the main changes affected the internal structure and the equipment installed on the ship. Unlike Liaoning and Kuznetsov, the new Chinese aircraft carrier has grown slightly in size. The maximum length of the ship reached 315 meters, width - 75 meters, and the total displacement increased to 70 thousand tons. For comparison, the total displacement of Admiral Kuznetsov is about 60 thousand tons. At the same time, a more compact "island" appeared on the "Shandong", which allowed to increase the useful area of the ship's deck. The maximum speed of the new Chinese aircraft carrier is 31 knots (about 57 km / h).
Shandong's newest Chinese aircraft carrier at sea
A common feature for Liaoning, Shandong, and Admiral Kuznetsov is still a massive nasal springboard. Such a design on board an aircraft carrier has both obvious advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of this design include its simplicity and cheapness, the disadvantages are the inability to use heavy aircraft on board the ship, the springboard imposes restrictions on the load of take-off aircraft. The future Chinese aircraft carrier of the Type 003 project, which is supposed to be part of the PLA Navy by 2025, will receive an electromagnetic catapult, as on American-made aircraft carriers. At the same time, some Western experts doubt that Chinese designers have competencies in this technology. Whether it is so or not, we will be able to find out in the near future.
Even at the stage of completing the aircraft carrier "Liaoning", the Chinese abandoned the Soviet concept, which assumed the deployment of powerful offensive weapons on board aircraft-carrying cruisers. Both Chinese ships are full-fledged aircraft carriers, which carry only defensive weapons to repel air attacks. Both ships are intended to operate as part of aircraft carrier strike groups, where escort ships are responsible for their reliable anti-submarine and air defense. Fortunately, the Chinese industry makes it possible to build modern frigates and corvettes in commercial quantities, launching dozens of warships a year. At the same time, the rejection of offensive missile weapons allowed Chinese designers to expand aircraft carrier capabilities by concentrating more fuel on board, aviation ammunition and the aircraft themselves, which are the main striking force of the ship.
If on board the first Chinese aircraft carrier “Liaoning” it was possible to place up to 24 Shenyang J-15 aircraft, then on board the second aircraft carrier “Shandong” their number could be increased to 36 units. In addition to multipurpose carrier-based fighter aircraft, various helicopters can be based on the aircraft carrier, including projects Z-9 and Z-18. It is worth noting that the J-15 carrier-based fighter itself is an unlicensed copy of the domestic Su-33. Aircraft have an almost completely identical glider. Back in 2001, China acquired one of the prototypes of the Su-33 carrier-based fighter from Ukraine, having finished work on its own prototype only in 2010. The aircraft has a maximum speed of up to 2500 km / h and is equipped with 12 weapons suspension points. The maximum combat load is estimated at 6 tons, while Western experts believe that when fully refueling using a springboard, an aircraft can carry no more than two tons of ammunition. In turn, according to the statements of the Chinese side, the combat load of the aircraft is comparable to the American F / A-18 fighter. The main anti-ship weapons J-15 fighters are anti-ship missiles YJ-91 with a flight range of 50-120 km (warhead mass - 165 kg) and YJ-62 with a flight range of up to 400 km (warhead mass - 300 kg).
The defensive armament of the Shandong aircraft carrier is represented by three Type 1130 anti-aircraft artillery systems. Each such complex is a 30-mm automatic artillery system with 11 barrels, which makes it one of the deadliest and fastest in its class. The rate of fire of such a setup reaches 10 thousand rounds per minute. According to the assurances of the Chinese side, the installation allows you to hit anti-ship missiles flying at speeds up to 4 Machs, with a probability of 96 percent. The height of hitting targets is up to 2,5 kilometers, the interception range is up to 3,5 kilometers. Also, the composition of the aircraft carrier’s armament is represented by three short-range anti-aircraft missile systems HQ-10. Each such installation is designed to accommodate 18 short-range missiles with a range of destruction of targets at a distance of up to 9 km.
Commissioning of the second aircraft carrier expanded the combat capabilities of the PLA Navy
The commissioning of the second aircraft carrier "Shandong" has expanded the combat capabilities of the PLA Navy. It is worth noting that in December 2019, China became only the third country in the world, after the United States and Great Britain, which is able to exhibit two carrier groups in the oceans. The presence of two aircraft carriers, the first of which was initially positioned as experimental and training, but within a few years after commissioning it turned into a full-fledged warship, expanding the capabilities of the Chinese fleet, making the strategy of its application more flexible.
In addition to the fact that China has entered the top three countries that can simultaneously operate with two carrier strike groups, Chinese admirals can always send one of the ships for repair or modernization. While one ship will be under repair, the second will continue to serve. At present, the Russian fleet is deprived of such an opportunity. The only Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, most likely, will return to service no earlier than 2022, and this with the most favorable options. In the worst case, repairs after a major fire that occurred aboard the Kuznetsov on December 12, 2019 will be postponed indefinitely.
The presence of two aircraft-carrying ships relieves the Chinese fleet of the problems that the Russian fleet is experiencing today. Russian admirals cannot refuse the only aircraft carrier, since the laying of a new aircraft carrier is planned no earlier than 2030. All this time, Russian military pilots of naval aviation regiments need to train somewhere, working with the ground training simulator NITKA is not enough. For China, the presence of two aircraft carriers ready to go to sea is very important in terms of the continuous training of carrier-based pilots. Chinese industry and engineers gained experience in the design and construction of large aircraft carriers, and the fleet gained the opportunity to train deck aviation pilots and work out ways to use aircraft carrier groups. These are, perhaps, the main dividends that the PLA Navy is extracting from the operation and rethinking of the Soviet design heritage.
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