CVAN 003 aircraft carrier
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy will operate at least five aircraft carriers in the near future, including the country's first two nuclear-powered ones that would likely be launched around 2025, Chinese military experts predicted on 05 December 2018. The remarks came after online discussions on how many aircraft carriers China needs, which were sparked by a WeChat article from the Xinhua News Agency on November 25, which announced the construction of the nation's third aircraft carrier.
The PLA Navy will shift its focus from "offshore waters defense" to "offshore waters defense" with "open seas protection," and will enhance its capabilities for strategic deterrence and counterattacks, maritime maneuvers, joint operations at sea, comprehensive defense and support, according to China's Military Strategy released by the State Council's Information Office in 2015.
Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, said that China needs at least five aircraft carriers to fulfill the strategic shifts. Wang Yunfei, a naval expert and retired PLA Navy officer, told the Global Times on 05 December 2018 that China needed six aircraft carriers to ensure enough carriers are on active duty while the others are undergoing maintenance. Meanwhile, China's Ministry of National Defense has not yet revealed a plan for future carriers. Ministry spokesperson Ren Guoqiang said at a press conference in November that the development of China's aircraft carriers will be based on the country's overall plan.
Minnie Chan writing for the South China Morning Post [SCMP] on 27 November 2019 reported "... plans for a fifth have been put on hold for now, according to military insiders. They said that technical challenges and high costs had put the brakes on the programme... one of the key obstacles is in the development of a new generation of carrier-based fighter jets. “China doesn’t possess the nuclear technology required, although it has developed many nuclear-powered submarines,” said the source, who added that developing a reactor for use on a large warship is more challenging than making one for a submarine.... tests of the electromagnetic catapults used to launch the J-15, China’s only carrier-based fighter, had yet to meet the required standard."
This story came amidst reports that the third carrier, namely the first locally designed big-deck carrier, was under construction and would be delivered within a few years. Without respect to the reporter, the clear intent of the reporter's sources was "dont worry, be happy" seeking to allay anxiety provoked by the rapid buildup of Chinese seapower. In the long sweep of a complex multi-year project such as an aircraft carrier, to say that plans "have been put on hold for now" is nearly meaningless. The "technical challenges" of the notional CV-003 would not seem to represent too much of a leap beyond the CV-002, which was a great leap over the CV-001 medium carrier. China's naval buildup does not otherwise seem constrained by "high costs".
The "development of a new generation of carrier-based fighter jets" was cited as "one of the key obstacles". For some years now, China has been flying both the J-20 [first flight in 2011] and the J-31 [first flight in 2012]. As of 2019, neither had been observed in association with land based carrier actitivites, though the J-31 [still a work in progress] was frequently featured in aircraft carrier artwork. A schedule mis-match of a few years between an aircraft carrier and its primary combat aircraft would not be out of the ordinary. In the Royal Navy, the new aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth was commissioned on 07 December 2017. On 30 June 2016 the first of Britain's new F-35B Lightning II supersonic 'stealth' strike fighters touched down in the UK for the first time. By the end of 2019, the second carrier, Prince of Wales, had be commissioned, but F-35B operations were not anticipated until 2021 at the earliest.
Turkey began the construction of a new multipurpose amphibious assault ship called the TGC Anatolia in January 2016. Turkey's procurement of the Russian S-400 missile defense systems prompted the U.S. administration to suspend Ankara's participation in the F-35 joint program in July 2019. This leaves Turkey without a clear path towards providing a fixed-wing combat capability for this ship. Turkey will thus be alone in having a large amphibious assault ship with no fixed wing aircraft.
The source maintained that "China doesn’t possess the nuclear technology required .... developing a reactor for use on a large warship is more challenging than making one for a submarine." A Chinese nuclear powered aircraft carrier would probably require a new power reactor, but Chinese industry is surely adequate to the task at hand. Such a reactor would probably need to be several times more powerful than existing submarine reactors, but contrary to the SCMP source's claim, reactors for surface vessels prsent less of a challenge than submarine, reactors, since the surface vessel does not confront the space limitations inherent in a submarine design.
US media reported that China has developed the 003 nuclear powered aircraft carrier. China's new aircraft carrier hinted at the future of the country's navy, according to a report published on the website of the Popular Science magazine published in the United States on 12 January 2017. China will develop fourth aircraft carriers, that is, the type of nuclear powered aircraft carrier, by the year of 2030. The 003 aircraft carrier displacement would be about 100 thousand tons, with a fleet of 70 to 100 helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. It would have a number of aircraft elevators and a large ship island.
With a nuclear reactor, the 003 aircraft carrier can reach speeds of more than 30 knots. Taking into account China's interest in unmanned vehicles, 003 aircraft carriers may be equipped with unmanned aerial vehicles, used to carry out surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The 003 aircraft carrier fleet will be equipped for anti submarine warfare and search and rescue helicopter.
The ship will use the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier as the standard, installing nuclear power and electric propulsion system, equipped with electromagnetic catapult and the fourth generation of advanced aircraft. The overall combat effectiveness would reach the world's most advanced level. In January 25, 2017, broadcast on CCTV CCTV10 channel "2016 annual science and Technology Festival" program, the naval power engineering expert Ma Weiming, said the latest research progress we are most concerned about the situation of the electromagnetic launch technology, said the electromagnetic launch technology, will replace the traditional chemical technology in ten years. The exciting news that is being developed in the design of 003 aircraft carrier type electromagnetic launch is a foregone conclusion.
The original plan is that the displacement of the next type of nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is at least about 110,000 tons. So after its power compartment section was spliced ??onto the original 003 module, the part below the waterline appears very fat. This has led to a significant increase in the displacement of the Fujian ship after the design modification. Now the displacement of the Fujian ship may have reached about 105,000 tons. The aircraft carrier battle group escort ships may include 055 destroyers and a future Chinese frigate. The improved type 055 destroyer will have an integrated electric propulsion system to enhance the ability of the ship to generate power for sensors and directed energy weapons. In addition to carrying helicopters, the ship may also be equipped with more than 100 long-range air defense and ground attack missiles. Considering the Chinese of unmanned vehicles in the Navy, these ships may carry unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) and unmanned surface vehicle (USV), to deal with mine. As for underwater escort, escort submarines may be type 095 attack submarines. Compared with the current Chinese attack vessels, the submarine stealth performance is better and more sophisticated equipment.
From type 001 to type 003, China would have 4 aircraft carriers in 2025 In 2025, it is estimated that China's fourth aircraft carrier type 003 will be launched into service. By then, China will have at least 4 aircraft carriers. By some accounts, China planned to have by 2049 - the Centenary of the founding of the PRC - completed construction of 10 aircraft carriers.
Niu Yuanwai suggested China may build four nuclear-powered aircraft carriers at the same time. Because the third workshop of Dalian Shipyard once bid for radiation-related equipment. The No. 2 dock of the third workshop has the technical conditions to build an aircraft carrier. The No. 2 dock is 360 meters long, 78 meters wide and 13.5 meters deep. Since this dock that has never built an aircraft carrier before may build a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, then the No. 3 dock of the second workshop of Dalian Shipyard, which originally built the Shandong ship, is likely to build a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at the same time. the dock at Hudong Shipyard, which built the Type 076, is also capable of building aircraft carriers. This dock is 440 meters long, 92 meters wide, and 13.1 meters deep. Now there are hull modules that may be used for the next aircraft carrier in this dock. So it is unlikely that the dock at Jiangnan Shipyard, which built the Fujian, will not build aircraft carriers. In this way, the possibility of building four nuclear-powered aircraft carriers at the same time has increased significantly. Dalian Shipyard, Hudong Shipyard and Jiangnan Shipyard all have the conditions for shore steam test. A few hundred meters east of Dock No. 2 of the Third Workshop of Dalian Shipyard is a thermal power plant. Builders only need to pull a steam pipeline over to conduct steam test in the outfitting dock next to the dock. The original Dock No. 3 where the Shandong ship was built is not far to the west. If a steam test is needed, just tow the ship here. The outfitting dock of the Fujian ship is not far to the west of the dock where the 076 amphibious assault ship is currently being built at Hudong Shipyard. Next to the dock is the boiler room used for shore steam test of the Fujian ship. Therefore, the aircraft carrier built at Hudong Shipyard can also go to the outfitting dock of the Fujian ship next door for steam test. The two biggest gaps between China and the United States in military strength are the number of aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines. Strategically, China and the United States are likely to decide the outcome within ten years. After these ten years, the United States will recognize the reality and shrink back to North America. The risk of military confrontation between China and the United States will drop rapidly. Therefore, for China, it is of great strategic significance to quickly build more aircraft carriers in a short period of time. Niu Yuanwai concluded "If our guess is correct, the hull modules of the next batch of aircraft carriers may already be under construction in the huge factory next to the dock, and the Fujian ship will be completed after the sea trial at the end of the year. After confirming that there is no need to modify the design, the hull modules of these four aircraft carriers may appear in the dock as early as the end of this year. Then by the end of 2027, that is, before the critical time node related to the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, we may have four more nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in service. If we continue to build a batch of four, then by 2030 we will have eleven aircraft carriers in service, enough to catch up with the number of aircraft carriers in the United States. This will be an extremely powerful security guarantee for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation."
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