China launches its first domestically-made aircraft carrier

[jpak]

Source: Washington Post

BEIJING — China has launched its first aircraft carrier built entirely on its own, in a demonstration of the growing technical sophistication of its defense industries and determination to safeguard its maritime territorial claims and crucial trade routes.

The 50,000-ton carrier was towed from its dockyard just after 9 a.m. Wednesday following a ceremony in the northern port city of Dalian, where its predecessor, the Soviet-built Liaoning, underwent extensive refurbishing before being commissioned in 2012, the Ministry of National Defense said.

Development of the new carrier began in 2013 and construction in late 2015. It’s expected to be formally commissioned sometime before 2020, after sea trials and the arrival of its full air complement.

The carrier program is a key part of China’s naval expansion at a time when it is looking to beef-up its regional military influence to match its economic might. While China says it maintains a defensive military policy, its ambitions are rattling some neighbors who see Beijing as fueling already enflamed tensions in the region.

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/china-launches-1st-domestically-made-aircraft-carrier/2017/04/25/aea5420a-2a29-11e7-9081-f5405f56d3e4_story.html?utm_term=.3b40dc38b645

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[Sunlei]

1. I bet their new planes are all unmanned drones. No more flight constraints because of a human.

[NWCorona]

11. China has been buying older surplus fighter jets and retrofitting them to be unmanned.

The plan is to utilize the swarm technique. Scary stuff when you read about it. They have also been mass producing copies of our high-speed drones.

[Sunlei]

13. swarm technique is scary. No pilot to 'worry about' blacking out or making mistakes.

Plenty of people with 'mad skillz' at computer controls and that's something can be practiced and refined. I don't think any country could withstand a 400 mph swarm attack with a three minute warning.

[ozone82]

19. Manned A/C

Fighter: 24 J-15 Flying Shark (Based on the Russian SU-33).

And Changhe Z-18F anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters, four Changhe Z-18J airborne early warning helicopters and two Harbin Z-9C rescue helicopters.

[OnDoutside]

2. Is it plastic ?

[doc03]

3. Looks like the Russian carrier has a ramp on the bow don't they have

steam launchers or whatever they call them? After reading entire story they do have the 1940s ski jump. What do they use for planes the Jap Zero?

[Adrahil]

4. They are called catapults.

Old ones steam. New ones EM.

[melm00se]

6. the ski ramp configuration

has been used in conjunction with short takeoff/vertical landing planes (the Harrier for example).

[7962]

5. So after 80 yrs they build one with a 1940s ramp. Whoo hoo!

Thats a sad looking ship.

[NickB79]

7. It's very similar to British, French and Italian carriers

All have the ski jump, because they use less powerful aircraft like the Harrier jump jet.

[FBaggins]

8. Not necessarily "less powerful"

The F-35B can use a ramp... and the Chinese are close to a knock-off version of it with their J31.

They also use the Shenyang J-15 on their existing carrier (which also has a jump ramp). The limited load available that way makes it inferior to the claimed-similar F-18... but that's still worlds ahead of the Harrier.

[NWCorona]

10. Absolutely right about the J-15. It's limited to 4000lbs of ordinance when launched from a ski jump

IMHO they went this design route to have training continuity between this aircraft carrier and the old Varyag.

China’s military is moving forward at breakneck speed.

[LanternWaste]

27. Not quite accurate.

Not quite accurate. The hull was already built in 1985 by the Russians as a multi-role vessel, and sold to the Chinese in the late nineties, regardless of aesthetic irrelevancies.

[7962]

33. So the headline is inaccurate; as well as the beginning of the story. And a ramp isnt "irrelevant"

"100% Chinese" hardly includes a Russian hull, although I guess they need to hang their hat on something.
A ramp limits the payload of the aircraft launched by quite a bit, making it quite relevant.
Man, you hang your hat on the oddest things just to try to make me appear wrong. So far batting 0, but A+ for effort
ETA: Turns out the reference to a Russian carrier refers to a different ship altogether

[sarisataka]

35. It is accurate

You are perhaps thinking of the Liaoning, China's current active carrier. That was a Kuznetsov hull purchased from the Russians.

This carrier, currently only known as Type 001A, is completely Chinese constructed.

[kimbutgar]

9. China will become and leave us in the dust because of chump

We will become a third world debtor nation in the next 4 years under insane chump leadership.

[Sunlei]

14. both russia and china already baited trump to show them 'our best stuff' in action.

[Calista241]

15. How so?

The Tomahawk is a 20 year old technology. There is Nothing terribly innovative about it today.

The only thing I guess you could say we were baited into showing is the deployment of a THAAD battery to South Korea. But we've had an operational THAAD battery in Alaska for awhile now. Why do you think those Russian planes have been probing Alaskan airspace for the past few years?

[Sunlei]

21. why do they even need to use a plane when balloons shaped like flock of seagulls will do fine?

[OriginalGeek]

24. Because Iran

Iran's so far away...

[Codeine]

25. *golf clap* nt

[sarisataka]

30. .

[7962]

36. You're on FIRE sir!

[sarisataka]

29. I want to see that balloon

[Sunlei]

31. LOOK here, Putin made a spy balloon for China!

[7962]

18. They've SEEN our "best" in action already.

Of course, there COULD be stuff we know nothing about lying in wait.

[Sunlei]

20. I know. They've taken the plans, CDs,DvDs- copied,reverse engineered everything forever.

The entire of humanity hasn't changed much in centuries.

[DK504]

12. So nice to see all the money we've handed over to the Chinese to make them more powerful

than America. Fucking brilliant plan "lawmakers" allowing so many jobs to sweep out of the country. How exactly has free trade helped us?

[YOHABLO]

17. Cheap labor, horribly inferior goods, mean big profits for U.S.Oligarchs.

[YOHABLO]

16. Will they be available in WalMart?

[former9thward]

23. Scale models will be to be sure.

[Kaleva]

22. There's a reason very few nations purchase Chinese military products.

You get what you pay for.

[dchill]

26. Chinese junk.

Sorry, couldn't resist!

[Adsos Letter]

28. Nicely done. n/t

[7962]

34. Perfect!

[underpants]

32. Mmmmm I find the decoration concept to be monochromatic

Red flags? REALLY? Yes it's partly nationalistic minimalism but I feel as if a splash of say Green or blue would bring in a nautical element more apropos to the environment. Perhaps some accent features?

[Historic NY]

37. Its a Russian knockoff...