CV-18 Fujian/003 CATOBAR carrier thread

[Mirabo]

actually,USN ordered USS Saratoga just a few days after USS Forrestal was laid down.And they ordered the forth Forrestal class before USS Forrestal was launched.At that time,No one knows if the world's very first super carrier got mistake or not.

Between 1955 to 1965,USN received 8 super carriers,4 Forrestal 3 KittyHawk and 1 Enterprise.

I mean if a country feel it's under threatened,It must enlarge it's fleet as soon as possible.even the origin design really got some mistake.you can fix it on the continued ships while they were constructioning.

The Chinese political leadership must not feel very threatened, then.

It's not so appropriate to compare 003 with the procurement of the Forrestals and the Kitty Hawks because the US Navy was consistently operating 24 fleet carriers from 1958 to 1965. Carriers then were smaller, cheaper and technologically primitive compared to carriers today. USS Forrestal took 3 years from keel-laying to commissioning, USS Gerald Ford took nearly 8 years. Building all four Forrestals in one go was no big deal for the 1950s United States. But try asking the USN to build 8 carriers in 10 years today and see how they feel.

The USN also had a very firm understanding of the key technologies on the Forrestals, including the elevators (only the positioning differed from previous carriers), the armored deck, and the steam catapults. Everything was already proven for years if not decades, and it was almost impossible to have any major errors. On the other hand, 003 is China's first clean-sheet carrier design, where all the systems are untested and unproven at sea. If they order multiple ships, and something does go wrong, it will be difficult to rectify.

 

[longmarch]

Well, I think 003 is good enough, China should build multiple copies of it, quickly. And let the nuclear one take its time.

 

[TK3600]

I think 2 of 003 style is enough. As good as it is it will not be the matured form of Chinese carrier. 001 and 002 each can provide a back up crew for training, so 2 of 003 style carrier is perfect.

 

[Intrepid]

... China should build multiple copies of it, quickly ...

Why? China's plan is to overtake the USA on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the People's Republic - that is in the year 2049. Until then, there is enough time to calmly build a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier force.

 

[fatfreddy]

I think 2 of 003 style is enough. As good as it is it will not be the matured form of Chinese carrier. 001 and 002 each can provide a back up crew for training, so 2 of 003 style carrier is perfect.

My feeling is 4 units of 003. 001 and 002 will be retired before long. It has served its purpose. The same process will be for the nuclear powered unit. They will wait for that first unit to be commissioned before the embark on more copies of it. So there is a gap in which it will be filled with more copies of 003.

 

[Lethe]

My feeling is 4 units of 003. 001 and 002 will be retired before long. It has served its purpose. The same process will be for the nuclear powered unit. They will wait for that first unit to be commissioned before the embark on more copies of it. So there is a gap in which it will be filled with more copies of 003.

I believe that China should build four 003 carriers before progressing to CVNs so as to generate a credible carrier force as rapidly and affordably as possible, but I wouldn't retire CV-16 at least until the first CVN came online.

Notional commissioning schedule...

CV-16 c. 2012
CV-17 c. 2019
CV-18 c. 2023
CV-19 c. 2026
CV-20 c. 2029
CV-21 c. 2032
CVN-22 c. 2035
CVN-23 c. 2039 (replaces CV-16 Liaoning)
CVN-24 c. 2043
CVN-25 c. 2047 (replaces CV-17 Shandong).

 

[steve_rolfe]

As far as i know the major navies of the world build their aircraft carriers to have a lifespan of somewhere around 50 years. I mean these vessels are a huge investment, and of importance to the navies. I really don't think the PLAN would be even be thinking of retiring its carriers such as 001, which hasn't even been in service for a decade yet, for many, many years to come.

 

[plawolf]

Exactly, 001 and 002 are still essentially brand new ships still, and have decades more service life in them. I fully expect both to be upgraded to EMCATs during their respective MLUs, which will massively boost the PLAN’s carrier fleet capabilities.

I think we will probably see 4 003 class carriers built for the PLAN in the next decade and a half, with probably two being built at the same time at its peak.

The first PLAN CVN will probably also be built within a decade, which gives them plenty of time to refine the design before it is also put into mass production, after the final 003 hulls are launched. I see maybe 4-6 first generation CVN units ultimately built within a decade and a half of them entering mass production across the two shipyards.

Only at the end of that production run, as they are gearing up for production of 2nd gen CVNs, would the PLAN seriously consider retiring 001 and/or 002, but will probably retain one for dedicated training roles to ensure all the super carriers are at peak combat effectiveness without needing significant downtime to do pilot training and qualifications.

 

[Intrepid]

My feeling is 4 units of 003. 001 and 002 will be retired before long. It has served its purpose. The same process will be for the nuclear powered unit. They will wait for that first unit to be commissioned before the embark on more copies of it. So there is a gap in which it will be filled with more copies of 003.

With new J-15s recently delivered without a catapult launch bar, I don't think Liaoning and Shandong will be retired early. Perhaps the ships will be handed over to allied navies in order to be able to serve as an alternate airport enroute.

 

[asif iqbal]

yes CV16 and CV17 will be around for decades, I guess post 2050 even

40 years for those is easy