This is one point I disagree with -- I don't think we can argue that Varyag can serve as a C&C hub in a PLAN taskforce any better or worse than a nimitz or QE in future, and I am quite certain that nimitz class cvns have quite extensive CICs.
For instance, the ford class will be equipped with SPY-3, that doesn't necessarily mean it will feature a massive jump in C&C capability compared to nimitz class carriers, which only feature AN/SPS-48s as its most powerful radar (at least, no bigger a jump than you would expect from natural growth in electronic capability).
Also, with CeC and extensive datalinking I'm not sure you need a great big radar aboard your flattop for it to serve as a command hub -- although clearly it will help.
I actually asked a similar questions about radars and carriers in a different thread, focusing on whether ford CVNs will feature a massive increase in C&C capability from its much more potent radar compared to nimitz. The answer was that CVs will have strict emissions control in a combat scenario anyway, so their radars will probably be turned off.
Basically, my main point is that the presence of a powerful PAR is not necessarily indicative of a ship's C&C capabilities (especially aboard large ships like carriers or LHA/Ds), and that Varyag imho will probably not feature much superior or extensive C&C provisions compared to other carriers. Also, I expect any future indigenous carriers to also feature PARs. That seems to be the trend these days (ford, QE, hyuga, dokdo),
Well firstly, it is not an issue of whether carriers can act the C&C nexus and overall fleet command ship for a carrier battle group, clearly any carrier could do that. The issue is more of whether you would want your carriers to be doing that.
As you have already pointed out, ideally, carriers would want to strictly control their emissions during combat missions. That is a carrier's primary means of defence more so than it's escorts or self defence weapons. Even the USN's CSG defences would be overwhelmed by a determined attack from a capable opponent if they know where to strike. The same will be more true for a PLAN carrier.
Ideally, you would want a cruiser co-ordinating the fleet defences a fair distance away from the carrier itself. That way, the cruiser and the rest of the fleet can go active if needed, while the carrier and one or two close protection ships could benefit from their sensor feeds while remaining silent themselves.
Theoretically, you could still command the fleet while relying on off-board sensor input, but that is a massive amount of data. Even if the data links could handle the traffic, that level of datalink bandwidth could easily be enough to allow top-end EW suits to pin-point the carrier even if it's own sensors are offline. Throw in enemy active jamming and it becomes a very unreliable means to co-ordinating your fleet. That is why it is important that the fleet co-ordinator has very capable sensors themselves, so that even if enemy jamming degrades or even disrupts data links, the ship will still know what is going on and could direct the rest of the fleet using old fashioned light signals if it really came down to if.
Also, for a carrier, even though they are giant ships, space onboard is still at a premium. The decision to put PARs onboard does not just affect the PARs themselves, you also need to put in additional generator and capacitors to power those PARs and the back-end processing and control systems etc. That all adds up to a lot of space that could otherwise be used for more hanger space, fuel/munitions stores or a hundred other things.
Suffice to say, deciding to add PARs is not a small decision, and doing so tells us a great deal about how the ship is intended to be used, as with the exception of the USN, no-one spends that kind of money for 'just in case we feel like using it' features.
The varyag is ultimately a compromised design. The PLAN got an effectively finished ship that was built to Soviet doctrine and specifications, and it was designed and built with a lot of throw back to the now defunct carrier-cruiser doctrine, with massive PARs and long range anti-ship missiles that have no place on a pure-bred medium carrier.
The PLAN has made as much modifications as was practical, by chopping off a great part of the island, and who knows how much internal work. But they decided to keep the PARs and associated back-end equipment. Considering how few 052Cs the PLAN has bought, you can be sure that they did not decide to put those expensive PARs onboard on a whim. Those PARs represent a significant part, if not the majority of the cost for another 052C, and if they did not want to use them on the Varyag, they would not have put them in and would have bought another 052C instead.
It just so happens that the PLAN lacks a cruiser class ship that could act as a fleet command ship. Sure, an 052C could do the job, just as a Burke could, but there is a reason the USN insist on having a Tico in their carrier fleets - space. The 052Cs are big ships, but they are not that big, and I doubt that they have the kind of fleet level CICs you would find on cruisers or carriers. It probably won't make an enormous difference, but in combat, every little bit of additional edge is welcome.
