China Mobile offshore base

With China late entry into politcal affair. It will be difficult for PRC to negotiate for sensitive overseas airbase for its plane to refuel and rearm.

As demonstrated by France venture into Algeria and Mali. A continent(Africa) which PRC has a huge presence in there. What happen if flares up between South Sudan and Sudan started again. Not too mention many other Africa countries which PRC has a huge interest in. Usually, most Africa nation has regime which maybe unpredictable which even incentive and benefit offer to them will not work in PRC favour. How do PRC protect its investment in such possible scenario?

Even a IL-76 with full max load for airborne drop and assault is impossible without an overseas based to refuel the max loaded without running out of fuel for a return trip to safe land of PRC.

The American proposed the Mobile offshore base.

n the defense industry of the United States, a mobile offshore base (MOB) sometimes called a Joint Mobile Offshore Base (JMOB) — is a concept for supporting military operations where conventional land bases are not available. Such a floating offshore base has been researched and proposed, but never developed.
A MOB is a modular floating base that can be deployed to provide flight, maintenance, supply and other forward logistics support operations. MOB modules will most likely be semi-submersibles which have significantly smaller wave-induced motions compared to conventional hulls.[1]
This modularity supports the widest possible range of air support, ranging from vertical/short takeoff and landing (VSTOL) aircraft using a single module to conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft using several serially aligned modules approaching 2 km (6,000 feet) in length. In addition, a MOB accepts ship-borne cargo, provides nominally 280,000 m² (3 million square feet) for equipment storage and maintenance, stores 40 million litres (10 million gallons) of fuel, houses up to 3,000 troops (an Army heavy brigade), and discharges resources to the shore via a variety of landing craft. The cluster could have an air strip that could hold a large aircraft such as the C-17.

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I believe the luxury of US having many overseas bases might have eased USN off the idea of Offshore Mobile base. Plus with a stagnant US economy and a ever rising debt. Such massive project looks distance for US to realise.

It is absolutely critical for PRC to develop this concept especially with her ever deep involvement in Africa continent so as to plan for any contingency scenario in future. Plus, it will eliminate any of the political sensitive issue of PRC military station in foreign soil. It will be free from any political restriction as it will be deploy on international water making any objection of its presence as unjust to be pointless. Its simply an exercise of PRC right on international water according to UN law.

China mobile offshore airbase will be movable although it will be slow to deploy in other areas if needed compare to fast moving CV but Mobile offshore base is able to offer massive barrage of logistic(fuel, ammunition and even mini marine barrack of 1000 marines) and most important , a longer than standard carrier airstrap of at least 700m length to allow strategic airlift to land and take off. Acting as a transit point similar to US oversea base. Speed in moving this base will not be critical as I believe such base is meant to be permanent located in that area.







I sincerely hoped PLA or CCP top level has already has something similar in mind of US mobile offshore base in working.
In terms of need, financial power and even technology level, I could not find a better candidate to materialise the concept of offshore mobile base started by US.

Only US with its huge fleet and a thousand foreign bases is able to defend such a slow beast - perhaps!

I don't care who builds it, but those giant missile magnets looks like a big waste of cash to me. If China needs something like this, why not build an artificial islands dotting all over the globe on international waters at pivotal position? They're definitely lest costly and less maintenance to worry about. Just look at the new Sansha City for example.

Equation said:

I don't care who builds it, but those giant missile magnets looks like a big waste of cash to me. If China needs something like this, why not build an artificial islands dotting all over the globe on international waters at pivotal position? They're definitely lest costly and less maintenance to worry about. Just look at the new Sansha City for example.

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I know it's been done before many times, but put in this context, it's still quite an amazing idea.

I can see the quotes already. "China doesn't need to conquer new land! They'll just build more..." Certainly makes sovereignty debates a lot easier. Who got to this land first? Well, ______, obviously. They built it."

I think the only country in the world able to defend this kind of platform is the US, and even that, not definitively. China would have to gain a large lopsided military advantage over the US and her allies in order to keep this thing alive for any length of time.

Can yr suggested airfield spring board PRC strategic airlift to Africa?

PLA needs to live out of the box of just targeting US. Global projection it's something she needs to foresee it. And it doesn't always just end up a clash with US. And I don't think those rogue nation engulf PRC investment overseas has the mean to attack this mobile offshore in open sea with powerful warship. But definitely PLAN needs to show this rogue regime it has the ability to land on land to protect its asset.

Problem is that such a base would be a massive sitting target worth many billions if real war starts. It simply isn't worth it, for any country to build such a base to support expeditionary missions.

The money can be better spent on more aircraft carriers or ships, or even better, on non military related endeavours.

Bltizo said:

Problem is that such a base would be a massive sitting target worth many billions if real war starts. It simply isn't worth it, for any country to build such a base to support expeditionary missions.

The money can be better spent on more aircraft carriers or ships, or even better, on non military related endeavours.

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As I say, PRC can't always live in the shadow of battling the US directly. Are you telling me Libya rebel has the mean to take it down? Most of the Middle East countries are pro US friendly. How do you expect they allow PRC strategic airlift to springboard to Africa if a crisis and conflict broke out? Building an oversea based on foreign soil is highly sensitive topic. I bet the billion spend will be well worth than causing friction and trouble because of over seas based deployment as demonstrated by US Okinawa and US base in Pakistan.

ME rebels may not have the ability to strike at such a platform, but then you have to wonder whether it will be worth building such a platform when your enemy is only a few insurgents.

China is living in the shadow of potential conflict with the US at the moment, so such a vessel just makes no sense.

Building a ship this size is much too costly, complex, and will be a massive continuous drain on resources (think how much money it costs to support a carrier, then consider how much bigger this is compared to a carrier). It's just not worth it. Better spend money on more conventional and less risky sea lift capabilities.

China does NOT need to build artificial islands as bases. They have friendly and economic ties with Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka & Myanmar where they have helped build harbors. India has mentioned "String of Pearls" & their potentials for military usage by the PLA-N. Why NOT? after all China feels the containment policy of the surrounding neighbors backed by the US. It's strategic military thinking & Geopolitics. As I mentioned in other postings, what is NEED is the building of TRUST by actions not by words. Let the "OWLS" (my analogy - copyright of the respective countries particularly China, India, Japan & the US discuss/negotiate on various security issues. No place of HAWKS (warmongers) or the weak doves who are pushed aside & be bullied. That's my opinion is strategic/military thinking of the 21st Century. I stand corrected!

Equation said:

I don't care who builds it, but those giant missile magnets looks like a big waste of cash to me. If China needs something like this, why not build an artificial islands dotting all over the globe on international waters at pivotal position? They're definitely lest costly and less maintenance to worry about. Just look at the new Sansha City for example.

Click to expand...