She’s out to sea again. Yup, China’s first aircraft carrier, the ex-Soviet Varyag, left the port of Dalian at 11:30 local time today. Her maiden cruise — if you can even call it that — happened in August when photos surfaced showing her on open water accompanied by numerous tugs. Click through the jump to see the photos of her putting to sea today. We also included some photos from last week showing a Z-8 (bascially a French-designed Super Frelon) helicopter on her flight deck.
Meanwhile, India — Asia’s other carrier-equipped, major-power-in-the-making — is having some minor trouble fielding its 21st Century flattop the INS Vikraant, also known as the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC).
India may still have a leg up on China in this area; it’s been sailing ex-British carriers for decades and will recommission a former Soviet carrier soon, China is going to use the ageing, ex-Varyag to learn carrier ops.
As the name implies, the IAC is India’s effort to design and build a 21st Century carrier — something the Chinese aren’t expected to do for several more years, though there are reports that China has two of its own carriers under construction.
Enjoy!
From last week:
Images via China Defense Blog and Alert5.
{ 55 comments… read them below or add one }
Meanwhile the Philippines has bought a 45 year old cost guard cutter from the US…
You think that it's time for the Philippines to get in on the LHA business and maybe buy an LHA such as Mistral class amphibious assault ship or even the Austin class amphibious transport dock, Endurance class landing platform dock ship,Ōsumi class LST.
I also think that If the Philippines want to get into the Submarine business, they should at least get a Russian Kilo and put American systems on it. That way they can keep the Chinese at Bay.
Money makes everything easier. The Philippines isn't too good with money.
Why doesn't the Philippines but some older Kittyhawk class carriers and older F-18 and A-4 aircraft for its fleet. Oh The Philippines doesn't even have a air force right now. Thanks to the corrupt and incompetent President Arroyo.
Even if they somehow had the money, buying a supercarrier would be a waste if you don't have escorts to go with it. It'd just be one fat target for Chinese subs in the event of a shooting war.
Phillippines never really had a military, except when we funded it. This includes pre-independence and during the Cold War, peaking under Marcos (…grrr…)
You are a bit ambitious- a Navy friend of mine said the reason they got a cutter was because it has a diesel (it has a gas turbine for high speeds).
They will probably only run the diesels.
The Philippines can't afford to purchase anything recent. PRoC knows about the sad state of affairs of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. No air assets, no sea assets, army is in shambles. PRoC is happy that the Philippines kicked out the Americans in Subic and Clark.
With the Spratley Island dispute, all PLAN can do is send a frigate and the Philippines will respond with 70-year old LST with 2 UH-1 on the deck. That is sad.
best thing for them is for a strongman to take over again and rebuild the military. DO NOT LET Arroyo family take over again.
Losing Subic was a damn shame. Perfect harbor.
If only the Navy could have kept its sailors from impregnating every cute girl in a 20 mile radius- we would still be there.
Clark was shut down by that volcano more than the Filipinos.
That's why the Philippines needs a total military make over and need to clean house of all their corruption and maybe, they can have a decent military that can stand up to china. It's really sad, when they don't have an air force or a naval force to stand up to China. The Philippines are almost like New Zealand, though New Zealand is no worse than the Philippines.
Where are they going to get that kinda of money?
Whats the name of the carrier India has bought ?
INS Vikramadity from Russia, Admiral Gorshkov.
In service right now India has INS Viraat (HMS Centaur class)
Russia is holding the former hostage and using India as an ATM machine…and all those MiG-29K without a carrier to land on…
China, Russia, Brazil, India growing…
Europe and Japan falling…
USA stagnant…
Things are changing…have fear of future, NATO.
What is intresting, is how after the Vietnam , the Cold War, the first Gulf War, etc the U.S. Europe, Japan, etc are always "failing" and then in a year or two, we are "doing fine"! What gives?! The fact is that the USA, et al are going through changes right now, as is the rest of the world. I have no fear of the future, in fact to quote a President, and this goes for all of us, regardless of where you are from, " The only thing we have to fear, it fear itself"- Franklin Deleno Roosevelt… nuff said
China, Russia, Brazil, India economies are growing
US and Europe are falling
So this is the trend of the future
Yeah, china purchasing an old carrier compared to the U.S.’s near dozen more up to era carriers is something to really fear sarek…
Ex-Soviet heavy aircraft carrying missile cruiser "Varyag" is not very old ship compared to the Enterprise/Nimitz.
But without its offensive capabilities (cruise missiles, SAM), Chinese ex-Varyag looks pretty toothless ship.
yep, this is a paper tiger, fear not.
So did the USS Langley back in the day. This is a starting point.
It's critical to remember that the Nimitz was the culmination of a long evolutionary line and the result of many, many hours of flight operations at sea. It is a mature technology.
The Kuznetsovs were much earlier steps in the evolution of carrier design for the Soviets.
The PLANA does not have a mature carrier-based fighter. The J-15 (Sy-33) is by and large fleet air defense and have very limited strike capabilities. So for the near future, this carrier can only provide air protection for the destroyer/sub fleet around it, rather than being the core of that strike force.
The strike capabilities of the J-15 are *completely* unknown at the moment. Given the numbers of new PGWs turning up at air shows in China, I suspect that a rush to judgement might not be a good idea.
But is it a Shokaku or a Yamato?
More like a Hyuga/Ise.
Well She is a very beatiful way to show China have a strong navy. A) Estrategic: After take Japan, South Korea and Taiwan only, under shore umbrella. B) Tactical: Take time learn how operate so complex weapon in proper form. C) Defense: SSN Seawolf / or Virginia or SSK Soryu class "shadowing" her. How "General Belgano" was done in Falklands war
Silly comment. Not surprising it's from a Bible thumper. "tribulationtime" haha. The Bible is a work of fiction. If it's not, God is a pretty shitty creator. Starving people everywhere, endless wars, terrorism, etc.
Folks, she's a symbol who is doubling for training (sailers and air ops) and TTP development, not power projection. It's what follows her that "we" need to focus "our" worry on, but (for the time being) she's what needs to be watched, to learn what direction the PRC is headed and how long it will take to get there.
After studying the pictures I couldn't locate the bullseye on it—anyone see it?
US hid it just below the water line
Good Morning Folks,
A tour around Dalian Harbor, how nice, but where are the aircraft?
An aircraft carrier with out aircraft is rather useless, wouldn’t you agree?
Now for the really big, big question, can the yet to be named 60,000 gross. ton PLAN aircraft carrier, with it’s Diesel/Steam Turbine Hy-Brid propulsion system go fast enough into a 20 Knot. head wind to launch and recover a 54,000 lb. TO/Weight J-15?
ALLONS,
Byron Skinner
See my earlier post.
if steam turbines can push USS kitty hawk to 33knots, steam turbines can push this girl to 32 knots. No diesels in there BTW.
How do you think the Russians flew Su-33 off the Kuznetsov?
"How do you think the Russians flew Su-33 off the Kuznetsov?"
—Poorly
My expert source (ex-RN guy at the pub) reckons that they can get decent payloads on the fighters. The flight deck is effectively bigger now, as there are fewer helicopter spots (4 vs I think 9), and the deck mounted weapons are gone.
His theory, after looking at the flight lines, was: Rapid sorties with minimal loads, or much slower sorties with significant fuel and ordinance.
It might be for training and "science", but it's still an aircraft carrier. Hopefully they go and practise on pirates…
AFAIK, half-fuel load and 4 missiles.
We fly our aircraft off the carrier before we go into port. Don't expect to see many aircarf on the ship while in port.
Don't know why this is a BIG deal a new ship gets alot of sea trails before deployment in any Navy. The ship lacks aircraft currently so I find it laughable they have all to do with there ship and lack planes currently for it.
How do you eat an elephant?
Easy shoot it and skin it.
"One piece at a time."
this is the Chinese aircraft carrier, the symbol of China's prestige to the world. now it sets sail with China's glory.
… wit a single copter…
The first 3 photos show the carrier looking predominantly grey in color, akin to its maiden voyage. The remaining pictures are of its new lighter, possibly white, paint job. Is there some optical illusion that is making the ship appear grey or did the website post pictures of the first voyage and put pictures of the latest run after it?
It's just the lighting, if you look at the pictures where she appears to be white you'll notice that the whole picture is lighter than the ones where she appears to be grey.
The spectrum of opinion runs between the natural chest pounding "Oh, we can overmatch that" to the "Oh noes, it's Japan redux". The self-defense argument is pretty convincing but the last nation-state war explicitly started for natural resources to be allocated to the state was Gulf War One. It's easy to make the argument that Libya and GW2 were over "oil", but that was more about re-integrating countries back into the oil market system, rather than a naked natural resource grab.
They can get all the second hand carriers they want, but NOBODY can compete with the United States Navy/aircraft carriers/naval aviation.
iN a perfect world, that carrier should have two missions, one to destroy Pakistan (everybody there – they are just a bunch of radical moslem's anyway) and the other to nuke Kim Jung Il (He is the bad guy here. The people themselves will be relieved that he is gone)
On second thought, perhaps there should be third Chinese mission: nuke Detroit – the national crime rate would drop at least ten percent.
The issue for the USN is we are down to 285 Ships of all Classes and shrinking further with an adminsitration who think "talk nice" is a defense.
I am pretty sure you're right about North Korea being a potential adversary, though I can't see one carrier making all that much difference. After all, the Nork's are well in range of land based aviation.
As to Pakistan… well, they're the PRC's biggest customer for high tech weapons. Basic business sense says they aren't targets.
I'm actually more interested in India's IAC. Anybody have any info on it?
Thailand also has a carrier the HTMS Chakri Naruebet a V/STOL carrier built in spain
Please,China is our friend. We NEED each other. They send us money,they send us checks. Where would Walmart be without toxic products from China to poison us to death. We need their faulty tires to explode on the roads & cause yet another traffic death. Look how much our defense needs their counterfeit circuits & chips. Where would we be without their toxic poisonous toothpaste,pet food,lead painted toys to kill our children & pets. This is just some silly attempt to start another cold war & have us buy more weapons from the dreaded “Military-industrial Complex.” C’mon man,can’t we all just all get along,sing kumbaya,& proclaim peace & safety on earth? We luv China.
And don’t get me started on how far superior our weapons are over their’s………….
The US shouldn't worry about one CV- but we should monitor it.
I do think we should make some calls to the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore- lay some groundwork there.
It looks like we are doing exactly that.
Looks like a still floating TARGET. What will they have for escort?