PLA Navy news, pics and videos

Ok here's my take

By all accounts it's a semi submersible and if it's a semi submersible then it can be classed as a heavy lift ship and as a heavy lift ship it can be used for as a substitute for a MLP and USNS has shown the proof of concept of using a heavy lift ship for such operations with the Mighty Servant

Now will it be used for seabasing operations for amphibious landing force? Well that we will have to see because we don't have pictures from the other side which could contain cutaways for LCAC

Does China have roll on roll off ships yes, can a semi submersible be used for forward staging a forward base? Well we have to wait and see for this demonstration

Let's wait for more info and see how this one plays out more importantly more pictures

shen said:

Looks like it is based on the same class of ship as 振华7号 which helped Taiwan enlarge the port facility on Taiping Island.

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Instead of being an MLP I think Shen is on to something about this ship being a heavy lift ship to assist in moving island construction equipment or other large pre-built structures to go on islands. As to whether or why it has to be officially PLAN, or why they don't just repaint a civilian one, it could be because of a myriad technical or tactical requirements.

Now THIS is a GREAT picture! Long awaited.

There are six J-15s top side (one just taking off), but there is a seventh that you can just see on the forward elevator. Also, a Z-18 helo back towards the back end of the angled deck, and a Ka-27 helo on the forward part of the angled deck. Nice.

As we predicted, they are exercising more aircraft on the carrier. I am sure we will see eight at some point this year now...if not more.

So, SEVEN J-15s confirmed aboard the Liaoning at once now. Outstanding!

I don't remember what tread we were discussing the future PLAN shipwise...
But James Fanell (retired US Nay officer), has a guesstimate of his own:

To accomplish this, Fanell said, the PLAN will grow to include 99 submarines of all types, four aircraft carriers, 102 destroyers and frigates, 26 corvettes, 73 amphibious ships and 111 missile craft.

All told, Fanell predicted, the Chinese Navy of 2030 will comprise 415 ships.

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An intresting read
China's Navy Makes Strides, Work Remains To Be Done

Alvaritus said:

I don't remember what tread we were discussing the future PLAN shipwise...
But James Fanell (retired US Nay officer), has a guesstimate of his own:


An intresting read
China's Navy Makes Strides, Work Remains To Be Done

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Great read and I have great appreciation and respect for Captain Fanell, but including the 111 missile crafts to reach 415 ships is hyping 'the China threat' a tad much. Nevertheless, even 300 very capable major combatants are impressive and pose serious challenges to the Middle Kingdom's rivals, especially in the ECS, SCS, and Indian Ocean.

yuxiaochen said:

sorry guys but this photo is actually a CG done by 西葛西造舰, he has done alot of top of the class CGs of PLAN ships including 055 and future aircraft carrier. he has made a claim on weibo about this photo being his and that it was made in 2013.

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Oh well...if that is so, then it took us all in.

I guess we wanted it too badly.

But it is a very good CGI...although admittedly the escorts looked somewhat fishy. I figured the aircraft were so well done on the deck...oh well.

this is him on weibo claiming that the CG was done in 2013 to celebrate Liaoning's first fleet sail

Deino said:

Actually I still don't think so ... if You compare to this CG below also made by him it looks much clearer, cleaner, much more perfect than the image posted yesterday shot out from a helicopter in flight. It has the same imperfections like the latest J-15-images ... but maybe I simply want it too much to be real.

Therefore ... tell him please to post this CG !

View attachment 14159

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here's a close up of the CG

yuxiaochen said:

sorry guys but this photo is actually a CG done by 西葛西造舰, he has done alot of top of the class CGs of PLAN ships including 055 and future aircraft carrier. he has made a claim on weibo about this photo being his and that it was made in 2013.

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I think what made us all fall for this CG is that it shows the kind of activity we expected to see by now after seeing all the images about 2 years ago.

It seems to me that after the first rush of videos and images we only got to see "replays" of old exercises and haven't really seen what has been happening on the carrier for the last year or so.

So here is my question: do you think the carrier is doing this kind of exercises (involving ~6 fighters and some helicopters on the flight deck at the same time) and the PLAN just keeps it secret or are they still at a stadium were they only start some prototype jets at a time ?

yuxiaochen said:

here's a close up of the CGView attachment 14161

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We WANTED to believe...so we did.

It is all the more clear now, from this latest, older pic that you have posted that it is in fact a CG pic, done some time ago.

I still believe that the escort mix could have been a warning signal...but, like I said, it was otherwise so well done, and we wanted it to be so...that we ran with it.

Just goes to show you, that even here on SD, with as much expertise as we have...we can still fall prey to mistakes.

Not that this individual event tried to fool us...hehehe...no, we just got a repost of his pic and let our own desires and imagination do the rest.