Well, if we need a hint that China’s first aircraft carrier, the ex-soviet Varyag is getting ready for flight operations, this might be it. These pictures show ex-Varyag’s crew conducting what looks like a FOD sweep of the ship’s flight deck. Remember, we saw a Z-8 helo operating around her flight deck just before her maiden voyage last August. On her last couple of cruises we saw what appeared to be an aircraft fueling truck sitting on her deck. Speaking of interesting things on her flight deck, check out the camoflage trailer with what looks like some sort of satellite or radar antenna on top of it sitting on the deck just aft of the ship’s island.
Click through the jump for more images.
Images via China Defense Blog.
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
Spread out, keep your mouths shut and eyes on the deck!
They got DirecTV's best package with that satelite hookup! It could be that some of their comms suites aren't fully operational yet or this was needed for near-shore comms with a manufacturer.
When i see new chicom aircraft carrier… i jump in it!
No pain! No Pain!
Can someone tell me what those bars all along the flight deck are? Wouldn't those be dangerous to aircraft taking off? Just curious.
I'm not sure what they are, but I have seen pictures where they're pointing outward (to the sides). I'm guessing they're just in that vertical position because the ship is in port.
Those look like some sort of HF antenna. USN carriers have them also.
http://www.defense.gov/dodcmsshare/newsphoto/2004-07/040723-N-7615S-315.jpg
http://thevirtuousrepublic.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/081125-n-5961c-067.jpg
Yes, those are antenna. They are stowed in a vertical position when the ship is in port so that they can tie up at a pier without tangling them in the rig of another ship. When the ship then deploys, the masts are returned to the horizontal, allowing unobstructed flight ops. As a side note, having all the antenna around the flight deck in the vertical position makes for a spectacular show during an electrical storm as it increases the chance to form ball lightning along the flight deck.
Most ships have similar bars, barriers to keep people from falling off the deck.
Oops, I though you were talking about the fence type bars, not the vertical masts. Yep, look like antennas.
thanks to you, bye
Who has lost a a contact lens, article was not specific?
Perhaps its not an FOD sweep after all. I wonder … could it be one of those "Chinese fire drills" I've heard about? Sharp looking unit though. You can almost imagine all the U.S. and Russian aircraft "copies" neatly arranged on deck!
I took a closer look at that dish. Look at picture FOD2 and FOD4. The Dish moved about 90 degrees it appears. It may be in a bad position, but could that be a Radar dish? Also, Why are many of the people in this wearing what appear to be standard construction hard hats and the ones in Orange and Purple seem to be wearing flight deck gear instead? Could this be a way to inspect work done to the flight deck?
I doubt it China hasn't adopted a carrier fighter to fly off them and helicopters dont need any special ops for use on ships. Its possible China may buy either the old SU-33 design or newer adopted (in Russia) MiG-29K for ops while waiting a few years for a domestic carrier plane to pass testing and enter service.
Don't they do something like this when you have FOD concerns on a runway?
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3162/2885841824_64…
Certainly with less people, I guess.
Source: http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2008_09_01_arch…
i watched a doco on the F-22, they had people lining shoulder to shoulder checking for FODs
FOD is always a concern and an all hands effort. All branches do it every morning on their flightlines/flightdecks
Love how they copied USN uniforms for their departments. Stay classy PLA.
If it aint broke…
Besides, should they use more exotic colors? There are only so many. Maybe Mauve, Puce, and Magenta would suit them better. With polka-dots…
Why reinvent the wheel? Copy what one of the best trained and most experienced carrier Navies in the world is doing, watch how they operate, and take notes.
Quick everyone walk down the deck like we are getting planes ready to land to distract the bloggers from our submarines:
http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/2064/132555987…
Is this the first of their so called Niritz Class carriers?
Imagine the FOD-walk up the ski jump on a light rain day with a strong wind. Perhaps the Chinese should call up the Royal Navy for advice. That would be a heck of a conversation. "Say, Old Chap, when you give us back Hong Kong, then we'll tell you how we do it."
Going to do a fast jet carrier landings in port? Don't think so. Probably just checking before a helo landing. Nothing impressive with a helo landing on a deck in port. Unless of course, they need to practice how to look for FOD in the first place, which would mean they are pretty bad off.
Somehow I highly doubt that they don't know how to look for FOD given that they've had an air force for quite some time now and I'd imagine that one of the first things they learned about running a jet age air force is to conduct FOD walks of their runways just like we do.
just wait when they try to land in a decent swell or storm , are guys make it look easy when there is nothing easy about it.