The first two carriers, Liaoning and Shandong, were former Soviet designs. Liaoning originally bought scrap metal from Ukraine and repositioned it. While obsolete, they have been used to train new generations of naval officers and pilots in the complex science and art of aircraft carrier operations. This new aircraft carrier design is a quantum leap in the capabilities of these older models and will significantly enhance China’s combat power. The launch ceremony of China’s third aircraft carrier, Fujian, on June 17, 2022, in Shanghai, China [Photo by Li Tang/VCG via Getty Images]
Bigger, louder
The Fujian is colossal: 316 meters (1,037 feet) long, it will weigh about 100,000 tons when fully loaded. Aircraft launch electromagnetic system (EMALS) will accelerate jets that take off at speed, helping them take off with such force that the aircraft will be able to carry more fuel and weapons, thus extending the range and size of the punch it packs. aircraft carrier. Early warning aircraft will be able to take off and land more easily, enhancing the carrier’s ability to locate its enemies from afar. EMALS is also able to launch more aircraft at a faster rate, bringing more jets into the air faster than its rivals using older technologies – and is vital in defending against incoming attacks. This last feature gives the Fujian a significant advantage, as only the latest Ford aircraft carrier in the United States is equipped with it. France is slowly developing a similar system and India is considering its feasibility, but apart from the US, only China is using this system. Its navy has not yet operated a nuclear-powered aircraft, as the United States has done for decades. Fujian is conventional, but predictions are that the next to be built by China will be nuclear power. Fujian has shown the world that China has outperformed many current military technologies, such as launching steam catapults, rejecting them for cutting-edge plans that will create China’s carrier fleet for years to come.
Diplomacy by other means
The Chinese Navy’s goal is to have six airborne strike teams in place by 2035, allowing China to project combat power levels unprecedented in its history wherever it chooses. Aircraft carriers do not operate on their own and form the core of a fleet that surrounds the carrier, protecting this mobile air base, while also contributing huge amounts of firepower that can destroy targets in the ocean or hundreds of miles inland. Their big compliments for long-range land attack missiles, along with the carrier’s air wing, provide state-of-the-art firepower, giving China a powerful weapon at its disposal. The primary role of an aircraft carrier strike team is to project power far beyond its national borders. This can be done using real combat power, or it can be implied power, the proximity of an aircraft carrier impact group to a crisis zone that acts as a diplomatic barometer. Either way, they have been effective tools of state art for decades. China’s naval expansion is not just about the number of warships. The naval infrastructure, vital to mooring, maintaining and refueling ships, has been slowly building up over the last decade. A network of port facilities and docks have been built across the Indian Ocean with the goal of a growing naval fleet. The Chinese naval base in Djibouti has been refurbished, its piers extended to 340 meters (1,115 feet) and it is now able to accommodate its growing fleet of aircraft carriers. Located at the mouth of the Red Sea near the Horn of Africa, the base is rapidly becoming a supply hub for Chinese naval vessels on one of the most strategically important waterways in the world. As China’s economy becomes truly global in scale, its naval fleets are rapidly moving away from protecting China’s shoreline in the projection of large – scale forces. This is of increasing concern to the United States as China negotiates basic rights in Equatorial Guinea off the west coast of Africa with a view to building a naval presence in the Atlantic Ocean.
But wait, there are more
As important as China’s naval ambitions are, this is just the beginning. Fujian is a transition model that perfects a powerful new technology, while Chinese naval propulsion specialists and designers are trying to make the next technological leap. Its fourth aircraft is now likely to use nuclear propulsion. This will allow him to sail without refueling or repositioning for 20 years. It may, however, delay the construction of the air carrier and the final introduction to the Chinese navy as new technologies, especially nuclear, are being worked on and tested with great care. The design process for this future carrier has already begun and construction will begin in the near future at Dalian Shipyard. It is expected to be at least the same size as the Fujian if not larger. Its extended air wing will likely fly the latest stealth FC-31 Gyrfalcon naval aircraft, early warning aircraft and drones. Unmanned technology presents a significant challenge, but it is tempting as it can offer the country developing it first a significant strategic advantage.
The unmanned navy
While the US is working on new robotic ships, China is not far behind as it seeks to develop and expand its unmanned networked fleet. It has launched the first “drone carrier” in the world controlled by AI systems. It will be able to deploy submarine, surface and aerial drones, ensuring that no adversary can approach it without being detected. While it is merely a test bed for this new generation of automated naval vessels, more advanced “carriers” are being designed as unmanned technologies are integrated into the Chinese manned navy. An advanced version of the Type 076 aircraft carrier is being developed with the aim of launching war drones from its flight cabin. Although this is a capability being explored by other navies, the Chinese variant will likely bring a naval version of the stealthy combat drone GJ-11 “Sharp Sword”, which is able to fly at speeds close to the speed of sound, which does not detected by enemies. Over 11 meters (36 feet) long and with a range of 4,000 km (2,485 miles), it can carry more than two tons of precision ammunition in its internal weapon positions – and is designed to penetrate deep into enemy territory and destroy high value targets. A Gongji-11 (GJ-11) stealth unmanned aerial vehicle on display at the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition on September 28, 2021, in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province [Photo by Yang Suping/VCG via Getty Images] Powerful unmanned mini-destroyers are also being designed, with advanced radar, torpedo tubes and the latest surface-to-air missiles. They are able to have a strong punch, especially when networked together, and analysts consider it to be a rival to the US Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (USV), the Sea Hunter. China competes with US on unmanned weapons systems. There is a heated debate in Chinese military circles about where to put its significant but finite resources to the maximum effect. Many argue that the funding will go to large, visible ships such as aircraft carriers and cruisers. However, there is a growing voice within the People’s Liberation Army that supports smaller, smarter, well-armed vessels. Although nothing by themselves, when networked in a coordinated fleet of “fire” of distributed firepower, they become overwhelming. Like an army of ants, many can be destroyed, but acting together, they eventually overcome a much larger force, and China is at the forefront of this vital technology. This kind of strategic planning is vital if China is to win the next ocean war. Future conflicts will not be won with today’s weapons, but with tomorrow’s. The country that invents these new systems and trains realistically how to use them to its advantage will prevail. With the launch of Fujian, the Pacific naval armaments race has just picked up pace and shows no signs of slowing down. The production of new and advanced Chinese warships is increasing day by day. This new Leviathan is now aiming to challenge the strength of the US Navy, not merely being a regional player but a superpower on its own.
