Floating casino still in dry dock

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spot
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Floating casino still in dry dock

Post by spot »

Here's a little puzzle. Why has the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) started to exercise an aircraft carrier training formation this year, given that they don't have an aircraft carrier?According to the PLA Chief of General Staff Department, the Central Military Commission recently decided to send the PLA Navy North (PLAN) Sea Fleet's helicopter training ship 82 Shichang Hao to the PLAN South Sea Fleet. The 82 Shichang Hao will join missile destroyers 168,169,170,171, which recently entered service, and missile frigates 525 and 526, attack nuclear submarine 093, Songgai conventionally-powered submarine, to temporarily form the first aircraft carrier training formation. The formation will train within a Chinese framework on maritime carrier comprehensive operations before China's new aircraft carrier enters active service. The 82 Shichang Hao will temporarily act the role of an aircraft carrier.

(International Strategic Studies Association Defense & Foreign Affairs Special Analysis March 9, 2007)

Does anyone remember the Chinese spending a year persuading the Turks to allow them to drag the "rusting hulk" of the Varyag (a part-completed Admiral Kuznetsov class multirole aircraft carrier) from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean and on to China, where "they would moor the ship and convert it into a floating hotel and gambling parlor"? "Construction stopped by 1992 with the ship structurally complete but without electronics. Ownership was transferred to Ukraine as the Soviet Union broke up and the ship was laid up unmaintained, then stripped. In early 1998, she lacked engines, a rudder, and much of her operating systems. She was put up for auction".

It was quite an adventure to tow the ship but it did get there. The Chinese already had three decommissioned aircraft carriers working as leisure exhibits, this was their fourth. This one's in dry-dock at the moment. "Recent photos in the Dalian Shipyard have shown that a yellow anti-skid primer was added to the flightdeck. Then the final flight deck turf layering was added on top of it. The vessel has also been painted in the standard PLA Naval colours".

Go on, I hear you say. You need naval combat aircraft to equip a ship like that. They're not on the market.

Near the end of October , Russia's Kommersant newspaper revealed that Russian state-run weapon exporter Rosoboronexport is completing negotiations with China to deliver up to 48 Sukhoi SU-33 (NATO codename: Flanker-D) carrier-capable fighter aircraft in a purchase deal reportedly worth $2.5 billion. The SU-33 is a variant of Sukhoi's SU-27 Flanker with forward canards, foldings wings, an arrester hook, a reinforced structure, and other modifications that help it deal with carrier operations and landings. At present, reports regarding the sale and China's aircraft carrier intentions both remain somewhat murky.

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/200 ... /index.php

There's not many aircraft carriers around, worldwide. Twenty or so, of which the US has eleven. The Indians will have three operational fairly soon - did anyone wonder what happened to HMS Hermes after the Falklands War? India bought it together with the Sea Harriers, it's still in active service there. They bought the Baku from the Russians too a couple of years ago, that comes into service next year. Four years from now they'll have a third which they're building themselves.

Russia and France have one each, the UK's building two big ones to replace the two small ones currently in service.

So the puzzle is, why would the Chinese be refurbishing just the one (admittedly cheap) hull? I reckon there's a construction yard somewhere in China that's got a couple more keels laid already, they can't expect to control the Western Pacific with just one group.

Oh - a final twist. The Varyag, if it does get refloated, has a new name, it's the Shilang. So people say. I think they're making that bit up, given the implications of the name (which the inquisitive can find on Wikipedia).
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Floating casino still in dry dock

Post by zinkyusa »

Interesting post, I'm sure they got a bargain. There is no doubt the the Chinese are interested in developing a true blue water Navy. Would that be the Peoples Liberation Army Navy?:thinking: Certainly even an old rusty carrier would offer the opportunity to study the technology of carrier ops and as the article said there may be some training value. The Chinese are very good at copying and improving on designs. A Chinese carrier task force would certainly have at least a great symbolic value for an emerging power.
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Floating casino still in dry dock

Post by spot »

zinkyusa;640644 wrote: There is no doubt the the Chinese are interested in developing a true blue water Navy. Would that be the Peoples Liberation Army Navy?Yep, that's the name of the outfit we're discussing.

The article at www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/a ... 01469.html doesn't quite grasp the point as far as the new capabilities of China's submarine fleet is concerned. Here's the background:In September 2006, Rear Admiral Ding Yiping, China's top submarine officer and PLAN Vice Chief of Staff, sent a Song submarine on a mission to hunt an American carrier. On October 27 (October 26, Washington time), the submarine surfaced in waters off Okinawa within torpedo range of the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, where it was seen in the Kitty Hawk's wake by an F-18 pilot on landing approach. It then submerged and disappeared, defeating all U.S. anti-submarine warfare (ASW) efforts to detect it. The carrier battle group's ASW systems did not detect the sub because it had apparently waited - submerged, stationary, and silent - for at least one day as the task force approached the area. Beijing's state-controlled media reported that Admiral Ding had personally commanded the entire operation, perhaps even skippering the submarine himself, and predicted that the success of his mission would lead to a promotion.Link that with www.fas.org/blog/ssp/2007/02/post_2.php "The Federation of American Scientists says data from the US Navy show that China's entire submarine force conducted only two patrols in 2006, while the navy's single deployed Xia-class ballistic missile submarine made no deterrent patrol at all - a level of activity suggesting an 'almost dormant submarine fleet'." Compare it with what Jane's Navy International wrote in April 2007: "The ease with which the submarine maneuvered undetected into Japanese waters and evaded U.S. and Japan Self Defense Force submarine sensors suggests that China's large submarine fleet engages in far more sea patrols than the U.S. has any hope of tracking".

One more quote? This is from the International Strategic Studies Association Defense & Foreign Affairs Special Analysis March 9, 2007 which I started the thread with in the first post:Since 1995, the PLAN has commissioned about 31 new submarines, including two nuclear-powered submarines based on advanced Russian technology. Eight submarines were commissioned in 2005, and seven were commissioned in 2006, including new Song-class boats and a Yuan-class boat heavily inspired by Russia's Amur-class sub with its anechoic tile coatings and quiet seven-bladed skewed propeller. The reported incorporation of "air-independent propulsion" systems that permit submarines to operate underwater for up to 30 days would make the Song and Yuan submarines virtually undetectable to existing U.S. surveillance networks.I reckon the Chinese submarine fleet's about the same size as what the US deploys worldwide at the moment, and I bet it's not particularly interested in going outside of local waters. That provides quite a concentration of deterrence for them in the Western Pacific.

I hope I'm staying coherent, it's not easy to tell while writing.
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Floating casino still in dry dock

Post by zinkyusa »

Interesting articles and yes you quite coherent. While I agree completely that carriers are becoming more vulnerable as submarines become quieter and are able to carry long range missiles it is important to note this task force was not carrying out any asw ops when the Chinese sub surfaced. That is not to say they necessarily would have detected it if the sub was lying motionless. It is an interesting tactic the Admiral Ping used for sure. Tracking submarines is an involved process involving the use of propositioned undersea detectors, aircraft other submarines and even some overhead assets. I submit that in advanced state of readiness and using all assets to track the sub the good admiral’s challenge would have been more difficult. In the USAF we often used our assets to exercise against the USN and yes we could take a carrier but it was not easy. We were not able to do it using Soviet tactics and doctrine and simulating Soviet capabilities at the time. (Late 1980's) Sorry I got off thread just reminiscing.

Also, I imagine the patrol estimates were done using imagery not active tracking of the subs (i.e. counting when the subs sortied).
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Floating casino still in dry dock

Post by spot »

Soberano;640550 wrote: i have been reading a book about submariners in the second world war, one mans account from naval reserve to Commanding Officer of H.M submarine Storm. Spell binding stuff.I'm always amazed at how varied a career some people people can concoct. That's the bloke who drew the Penguin Books logo and designed their first covers. How does one get from that to being given a submarine?
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Floating casino still in dry dock

Post by spot »

zinkyusa;640644 wrote: Certainly even an old rusty carrier would offer the opportunity to study the technology of carrier ops and as the article said there may be some training value.


Posters will be delighted to hear that the "Floating Casino" is now out, refitted, on sea trials.

BBC News - China's first aircraft carrier 'starts sea trials'
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Floating casino still in dry dock

Post by spot »

And, joy of joys, it's been photographed by a commercial satellite...

BBC News - Picture of China's first refitted warship 'emerges'
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Floating casino still in dry dock

Post by Týr »

This is a first then - an aircraft just landed on the floating casino.

Declaring the East China Sea an air defence identification zone last week suddenly makes a lot more sense.

BBC News - China lands jet on first aircraft carrier
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Floating casino still in dry dock

Post by fuzzywuzzy »

Airspace row: China internet users call for war against Japan - Indian Express

China published coordinates for an East China Sea Air Defence Identification Zone over the weekend and warned it would take "defensive emergency measures" against aircraft that failed to identify themselves properly in the airspace.

Two unarmed US B-52 bombers on a training mission flew over the disputed waters on Monday night EST without informing Beijing while Japan's two biggest airlines also flew through the zone on Wednesday.


I'm impressed that they fly their casino guests in by jet. lol

japan has told it's commercial airline not to identify themselves, Australia will but they already do . And America (apparently) wont. Interesting times ahead. Commentators are saying that to identifying yourself to China it gives 'them' administrative authority over the islands.

China has already had a go at us for condemming the new rule. And now accused of playing favourites . Which of course the threat means political and trade positions lost.
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Post by Týr »

As regards air defence identification zones, I note that Britain maintains one, Japan itself maintains one so immense it practically grazes Taiwan, Canada maintains one and the USA imposes to no less than four across the world. Why the Chinese shouldn't lay one out on the doorstep to its own defensive heartland I'm not quite sure.
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Post by fuzzywuzzy »

It's disputed airspace. Very disputed. China is playing their usual games .
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Post by spot »

Anyone want to know whether commissioning the Varyag worked?

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Floating casino still in dry dock

Post by FourPart »

If China were of an aggressive nature, their sheer size alone would make them a primary threat to the Western World but on the whole I think that so long as everyone stays out of their hair, they're happy to keep to themselves. Their culture seems to be Westernising, but in their own time. If only that were the same as all the other Super Powers.
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Post by spot »

And here's the Liaoning, live-firing in the China Sea just one month before Donald Trump takes up the White House slack.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/ ... ns-with-us

The timing of the Chinese leadership is impeccable as always, a twenty year plan coming home to roost with a month to spare, step by methodical step, right down to building suitable planes to match the Varyag.

By the time Trump's up for re-election there will be three operating Chinese aircraft carrier battle groups, one in the East China Sea and two in the South China Sea. Let's see if he's still accepting phone calls from Taiwan by then.
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Post by spot »

My word, President Trump has stirred a major response with his provocation. They'll be cruising hull-down off San Francisco at this rate.

China's first aircraft carrier in Western Pacific drill - BBC News
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