PLAN Aircraft Carrier programme...(Closed)

Intrepid said:

No, I have no inside knowledge. I just see a full functional carrier without birds. I think, more than one year after delivery Liaoning should sail every other week to give the pilots a plattform for training, but she is cruising with her escorts and without her aircraft. And that is not normal for my understanding, that has a reason.

May be, the J-15 isn't any longer grounded (we never know actual, what is the matter; we always look into the past). But I think it was grounded for a while or several short times. It seems to me not as reliable as expected. No surprise for a new aircraft, so the reaction of some of you to my guess is a surprise for me.

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Others have already asked and you have not only not presented a single shred of evidence to support your baseless claim that the J15 was ever grounded, now you are spreading more baseless rumours about reliability problems? If wanting some evidence or proof for fantastical claims surprises you, then I think that in itself is telling.

The reason the Liaoning hasn't got a full air wing is because there hasn't been time to build one yet. You cannot just magic fighters into existence with a snap of the finger. Considering that the J15 only made their first carrier landings a few mere months ago, when the final certification of the plane was made to move it into production, to have low rate production aircraft flying already is quite a feat. Especially since the head of the J15 development team passed away during the sea trial involving the first J15 carrier landings.

The fact that time is needed to actually build the J15s is also one of the reasons why the Liaoning has spent so much of the last year in port. There is little point in her going out to sea when she hasn't got a fighter wing to train with. China has also spent a lot of time and money building a carrier simulator online, and for a lot of the basic trapping practices, that land based simulator is as good, if not better than a real carrier to help transition pilots into carrier landings.

As China builds up its J15 fleet and qualified pilot pool, you will see the Liaoning start to go out to sea more often and for longer durations, but its a gradual, steady process. That is just life, if that seems slow and unusual for you, perhaps that is because there is no 'rush build' option in real life, and as the time old saying goes, that's just life.

Bltizo said:

Well her current station at Sanya doesn't seem to be intended to train pilots, it's to test the infrastructure of the base and see how the carrier works in a warmer environment compared to the north.

When she was in the north, she constantly had J-15s onboard. Do you think they also need J-15s onboard right now as well?

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I think the move to Sanya is actually to facilitate training through the winter months. At the very least, the move to warmer region will prevent water droplets from freezing and creating an icy condition on the deck.

Engineer said:

I think the move to Sanya is actually to facilitate training through the winter months. At the very least, the move to warmer region will prevent water droplets from freezing and creating an icy condition on the deck.

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Move to Sanya - warmer conditions for training, plus see it as a diplomatic signal to the world - Hainan offers much greater and immediate access to SCS than Qingdao. This sends a confused signal because it is moving the emphasis away from Senkaku.

I believe the move is solely a practical one, and has little to do with sending a political message.

Cheng said:

Regarding the J-15 versus the Mig-29.

We're entering a world where affordable A2AD capabilities are spreading all across the world, which makes it increasingly deadly for any aircraft carrier to approach a hostile shoreline.

So longer range aircraft are the requirement for the future, which means the J-15 instead of the shorter range Mig-29.

In the case of the US Navy, it looks like the UCLASS is going to be really long range.

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Big jets give u power and range. Girly men carriers use girly jets like mig29 and legacy hornet.
Real men carriers use big jets like j15, f14 and maybe superhornet.

Schumacher said:

Big jets give u power and range. Girly men carriers use girly jets like mig29 and legacy hornet.
Real men carriers use big jets like j15, f14 and maybe superhornet.

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If I'm not mistaken the "legacy hornet" will be replaced by F-35Cs and Super Hornets.

For many years USN CVs had airwings with the much smaller A-4 Skyhawk and A-7 Corsair. Both very reliable and effective light attack aircraft.

Schumacher said:

Big jets give u power and range. Girly men carriers use girly jets like mig29 and legacy hornet.
Real men carriers use big jets like j15, f14 and maybe superhornet.

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Now that is too funny, you wouldn't say that in the Officer's Club with some of those little Marine Bug Drivers, they do NOT want the Super Bug, they say they can kick Super Bug Butt all day long. The Legacy Hornet, nor the Mig-29 are for girly men, they will both take on all comers depending on WHO is doing the driving. Now those same Marines can't wait to get their F-35Bs, they're not as sure about the Naval C model, but you can bet, they will be taken names and kick-in butts. Buuut, I do agree the J-15 and the F-14 are manly airplanes, and the Big Hornet will do the do, Now all that remains to be seen is how the J-20, and T-50 stack up against the F-22, tall shoes to fill, oh and don't write off the F-15c or well, you get the idea, there are lots of great fighter aircraft, thankfully. brat

Air Force Brat said:

Now that is too funny, you wouldn't say that in the Officer's Club with some of those little Marine Bug Drivers, they do NOT want the Super Bug, they say they can kick Super Bug Butt all day long. The Legacy Hornet, nor the Mig-29 are for girly men, they will both take on all comers depending on WHO is doing the driving. Now those same Marines can't wait to get their F-35Bs, they're not as sure about the Naval C model, but you can bet, they will be taken names and kick-in butts. Buuut, I do agree the J-15 and the F-14 are manly airplanes, and the Big Hornet will do the do, Now all that remains to be seen is how the J-20, and T-50 stack up against the F-22, tall shoes to fill, oh and don't right off the F-15c or well, you get the idea, there are lots of great fighter aircraft, thankfully. brat

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You have to imagine Schwarzenn- I mean Schumacher saying the above in an Austrian accent. Then it'll make sense.

Schumacher said:

Big jets give u power and range. Girly men carriers use girly jets like mig29 and legacy hornet.
Real men carriers use big jets like j15, f14 and maybe superhornet.

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LOL! Now that's just plain silly...or funny, if you meant it that way.

When a BVR missile takes another aircraft out...the guy that gets killed, or punches out, will realize that such "views" of OPFOR aircraft have no bearing on what just happened to him.

Same is true if they close to knife-fight range and the OPFOR pilot in one of those so-called "girly" aircraft, drives an IR missile up your tail cone, or uses a little 20 mic mic to ruin your day.

In the end, the F-18, the Mig-29, the Rafael, the Typhoon, Grippen, the J-15, the SU-27, SU-30, F-15, F/A-18EF Super Hornet, the F-35A/B/C, the J-20, the J-10, the F-22, etc., etc....any and all are more than capable of making manly men in whatever hot shot fighter they are flying in cry for mamma if they get the angle, advantage, etc. on them.

It is true that the larger aircraft have generally longer range (but air to air refueling fixes most of that), and can carry larger payloads (but more aircraft can also address that).

The PLAN chose the J-15 for their own reasons, and it is a good aircraft. The US Navy chose the Super Hornet (now) and the F-35C for their own reasons, and both of those are good aircraft. Other people (like the Russians and the Indians) chose the Mig-29K for their reasons, and those are also good aircraft. I expect all of these nations will put their aircraft to good use over the years...and none of the other nations will take them for granted, or in any way not respect the potential serious competition those aircraft represent.

Naja, so ist das Leben.

... any news on the Liaoning?