China rejects reports of aircraft carrier project

BEIJING: China on Friday rejected reports that it was building an aircraft carrier but said it could do so in the future.

The denial from a senior official comes amid increasing worries over the country's robust military expansion.

Military analysts say China has considered building or buying an aircraft carrier, but the costly plan appears to have been put on the back burner in recent years.

Asked to comment on reports China had started building a carrier in Shanghai, Zhang Guangqin, vice minister of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence, said they were false.

"I'd like to make it clear that there is no such thing at all," the China Daily quoted Zhang as saying.

Suggestions that China is interested in operating aircraft carriers have appeared from time to time since the 1980s, when its navy closely examined a retired Australian carrier sent to the country for scrapping.

link

I hope he is saying the Truth. But going by previous China's reputation i'd like to think otherwise.

We have more than enough china threads now

and someone already posted that

Typical Chinese mis-direction and military propaganda

China is playing the game of secrecy and deception.
They know that if they are to be seen and considered as a true naval superpower in their region and globally, they will eventually have to build and enter into service credible aircraft carriers.

My guess/assumption is that China will build a few within the next 15-20 years and will try to maintain secrecy and deception in doing so, for the limited time that those techniques may last. Nothing remains a secret for long.
When is China going to build a Aircraft Carrier?

[edit on 30-6-2005 by Seekerof]

china will most likey use carriers to defend those important trade routes for carying oil. and project power in south-east asia

more like it'll use it to invade taiwan.

its surprising that india has operated 3 aircraft carriers so far and has even set out to build its own and china has none.

Indian navy indigenous 3,0000 million rupee aircraft carrier on way

If china does manage to build one, what airplanes would it use on them.

Originally posted by Stealth Spy
more like it'll use it to invade taiwan.

its surprising that india has operated 3 aircraft carriers so far and has even set out to build its own and china has none.

Indian navy indigenous 3,0000 million rupee aircraft carrier on way

If china does manage to build one, what airplanes would it use on them.

China has over 30 landbased airbases with-in close range of taiwan. we wouldn't need a sea based one. land-based ones are easier to launch and way more easy to supply


CHina would probaly use a twin-engined navaltised version of the J-10 or manybe russian SU-33

from whrere SU- 33 come from?

Originally posted by mirza2003
from whrere SU- 33 come from?

from russia

i am sure the have one almost done by now, considering the upgrading and arms race that china has started. That spokesmen has a really bad poker face, wish all chinese were like that!

AC to attack Japan, SE asia and Siberia! AC are not defensive weapon systems they are for projecting power, an ac used in defense is a dead ac.

India is being groomed with aircraft and aircraft carriers to be a local police force to keep China or others in check if they decide to expand out into territories already controlled. This is the same role that was given to Japan in between the World Wars complete with massive technnology transfers...including submarine/aircraft technologies.
Though China wants Taiwan for political reasons her real need in the future will be energy resources. For this China will have to find a way to get access to these energy markets to feed her enlarging needs.
China will have to build a aircraft carrier fleet in the future to expand out to secure her markets. Whether openly or in secret matters not..its just common sense. Also ..long term it is very difficult to hide a aircraft carrier project. Not just from overhead sattelite observation but economically ..the very purchasing of materials, the labor force necessary to build one or several etc etc. There are highly motivated peoples in the intelligence services ..constantly dedicated to ferreting out this information on any project..not just a aircraft carrier.

Thanks,
Orangetom

Originally posted by chinawhite
china will most likey use carriers to defend those important trade routes for carying oil. and project power in south-east asia

ummm... Aircraft carriers are not defendsive weapons but a offensive one. it is used to projecting power.

India's Aircraft carriers :

1) INS VIKRANT

now retired)
external image
> used Hawker Sea Hawks


2) INS VIRAAT : (in service)
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Air Group: Fleet Defense; Sea Harrier Frs Mk.51 upgraded with Israeli EL/M 2032 radarand Derby BVR missiles(30)
..............Airborne Early Warning; Ka-31 Helix-B
..............ASW/ASV; Sea King Mk.42B and Ka-28 Helix-A
..............Cdo. Assault & Vertrep; Sea King Mk.42C


Radar: Air/Surface Search; RAWS 08, E-band.
.........Air Search; Bharat/Signaal RAWL 02 C/D-band.
.........Fire Control; Two Plessey Type 904, I/J-band.
.........Navigation; Two Bharat Rashmi, I-band.
.........Tacan; FT 13-S/M

Sonar: Graseby Type 184M hull-mounted sonar, with active search & attack capability from 6-9 khz.

Combat Data System: Italian Elmar communication suites have been fitted. CAAIS action data automation; Link 10. Has SATCOM systems on-board.

Weapons: Two 40mm Bofors guns used for air defense, with two 30mm AK-230 gatling guns used for protection against anti-ship missiles. The Israeli Barak SAM system has been fitted.

Countermeasures: A Bharat Ajanta ESM is used for intercept purposes. Two Knebworth Corvus chaff launchers are used as decoys.


3)INS VIKARAMADITHYA POWER PROJECTION KIEV CLASS CARRIER (extensive refit & upgradation in Russia; to be delivered in late 2007/early 2008)

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-carrier-based MiG-29K
-Ka-28 ASW helicopters
-Ka-31 AEW helicopters
-E-2c 2000 Hawkeye AWACS

-P-500 Bazalt cruise missile launchers
-BrahMos cruise missile launchers
-four Antey Kinzhal surface-to-air missile launchers
-LAK optical-landing system

4)ADS-Power projection Air Defence Ship(to be delivered by 2011-12)
-twelve MiG-29K,
-eight Naval-LCA Tejas
- Sea Harrier Mk.60+,
- ten ALH Dhruv
- Kamov-31 helicopters

India will soon join the select band of three countries making heavy aircraft carriers when Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee launches construction work on the 37,500 tonne displacement indigenous carrier at Kochi on April 11. So far only United States, France and United Kingdom have the expertise in manufacturing aircraft carriers. The Russian Navy after building two carriers of over 40,000 displacement has stopped manufacturing air defence ships.

One of these carriers Admiral Gorshkov is currently undergoing refit for the Indian Navy and would be delivered by 2008.

The 252 metre-long indigenous carrier is capable of reaching top speeds of 28 knots and would carry 160 officers and 1,400 sailors having two runways with 200 metre-long ski jumps and a landing deck.

link


And take a look at the latest Mig-29K's

This may be old info to some. It may not even have any bearing on anything in this post but in 1989 the very top "admirals" in the PLAN made a secret (then) visit to USS Nimitz CVN-68 to observe carrier operations.
I don't know the exact location but it was while Nimitz was in western Pacific waters for shortly after this we made a symbolic visit to "Yankee" station off Vietnam. The airwing put on an airpower demonstration for them, including a simulated nuke delivery by an A-7E using a live, 2000 lb MK-88. This was some time past, but they sure appeared interested in carriers back then.

Originally posted by ulshadow

Originally posted by chinawhite
china will most likey use carriers to defend those important trade routes for carying oil. and project power in south-east asia

ummm... Aircraft carriers are not defendsive weapons but a offensive one. it is used to projecting power.

aircraft carriers are both for defence and offence..

Originally posted by Char2c35t
i am sure the have one almost done by now, considering the upgrading and arms race that china has started. That spokesmen has a really bad poker face, wish all chinese were like that!

AC to attack Japan, SE asia and Siberia! AC are not defensive weapon systems they are for projecting power, an ac used in defense is a dead ac.

china didn't start a arms race... china just wants to upgrade their military tech that is mostly made up of 50-70s tech. why shouldn't china be allowed to upgrade their military. they are making their army even smaller not bigger...

why would china want japan??? china already amkes the most steel in the world. america japan and germany combined dont even make as much as china...

south-east asia has free trade pacts with china. why would you want to invade the countries that buy your products.?

Sorry but AC are not defensive weapons they have only one purpose, offense. And all I have to say is surly you cant keep something as big as a carrier secret from satellites? Don't tell me they have underground ships yards.

Originally posted by WestPoint23
Sorry but AC are not defensive weapons they have only one purpose, offense. And all I have to say is surly you cant keep something as big as a carrier secret from satellites? Don't tell me they have underground ships yards.

how is defending a merchant fleet ofensive

Originally posted by chinawhite

Originally posted by WestPoint23
Sorry but AC are not defensive weapons they have only one purpose, offense. And all I have to say is surly you cant keep something as big as a carrier secret from satellites? Don't tell me they have underground ships yards.

how is defending a merchant fleet ofensive

thats one sunk AC cus its easy to track a defensive AC in order to defend the fleet it has to stay with them or in one place. Thats Sub bait and the Offensive does not have to stay latched to one area.

To say the truth, CVNs do have defensive roles. Ever heard of Air Defence Aviation Ships? Basically a carrier thats built to provide airdefence with air to surface capability but air defence is the main role. Having a carrier with a ski jump basically eliminates a lot of the air to surface capability as it significantly reduces planes take off weights. SU-33 can't do anywhere close to what it can do when its taking off on a Russian carrier because if it carries the weapons that it could carry, it'll basically fall into the sea.

Just as a footnote in history, I was watching an interesting docco on the Japanese build up to WW2 tonight.

It was fascinating to see how the Japs desperately concealed the construction of the Yamamoto and the Musashi in the late 30's, even to the extent of releasing pictures of another smaller battle cruiser and blatently lying and stating it was a picture of the Yamamoto.

At the time, the Yamamoto was the biggest battleship on earth, complete with massive 18 inch guns.

Of course as soon as the U.S. military got wind of this Roosevelt ordered the immediate construction of ten battleships.

Now I wonder if naval history would ever repeat itself? Nah, of course not- right?