Its good that you dont know. Despite the autocratic style of Putin. I believe he know where the priority needs to be placed when comes to decide Russia foreign policy.
PLAN Aircraft Carrier programme...(Closed)
- Thread starter bd popeye
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Russia conducts regular, very visible joint exercises with the PLAN in the western Pacific with their Pacific Fleet. Russia and the PLAN conducted very impressive exercises again this year.
Once the Liaoning is ready for it...and that will not be until her airwing is worked up, trained, and operating...in another 2-3 years at least, I am pretty sure she will be involved with those exercises.
When that happens, I would not be surprised in the least to see the Kuznetzov come over and join the party.
As I say, the two could meet up whenever the Liaoning starts making voyages to more distant places too...so I believe the two will in fact get together at some point.
Time will tell.
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joshuatree
Captain
So are the Russians not willing to have Kuznetzov participate in those joint exercises unless the Chinese present an equivalent? If that does happen, then it would be 2 CBGs in the Western Pacific and I can picture the alarmist articles already.
kwaigonegin
Colonel
not to mention in the forseeable future the Liaoning is about as close to the Kutz as Russia is ever going get. If the Russians feel 'embarrassed' to conduct exercises with the Liaoning, then they would be even more embarrass when China's true full deck carrier or 'improved Liaoning' comes online!!
Personally I just don't think the Russians would feel chagrin to having joint exercises of operations with Liaoning and/or any future PLAN carriers but even if deep down in their hearts they do they sure as heck are not going to admit it or defiitely notshow it publicly!
Once the Russians decided to ditch plans to update the Su-33 in favor of the Mig-29K on their own carrier, mainly on account of limitation of a older carrier they were going to hoist onto the Indians, Liaoning had became significantly more potent carrier than the Kuznetsov. No matter how they spin the Mig-29K, this can't help but highlight the fact tha Russians really can't fully afford a carrier like the Kuznetsov, while China can fully afford the Liaoning.
That must be very gulling, and make Putin's boasts of 4-8 large carriers in twenty years sound even more hollow.
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I have not said they are unwilling. 'So are the Russians not willing to have Kuznetzov participate in those joint exercises unless the Chinese present an equivalent? If that does happen, then it would be 2 CBGs in the Western Pacific and I can picture the alarmist articles already.
But the Kuznetsov is based on the other side of the world. She rarely gets into the Pacific. A joint exercise with the Chinese carrier however would be a good reason to bring her there. Short of that, I believe the Liaoning ultimately will travel outside of the Pacific for goodwill, and as a emblem of the PRC. So the Russian carrier may end up having exercises with her in that event.
I think the international situation would have to improve quite a lot for the Chinese, or one has to wait until quite a few more chinese carriers had taken to the water, before Liaoning would travel out of the West Pacific.
I agree with this.
To not hold exercises that would benefit your fleet, and your ability to coordinate and communicate with a potential ally because of such reasons, would be the height of folly.
The Russians, despite their current financial and logistical situation, still understand the need for such exercises. For me the key would be if they could afford it, and if the Kuznetsov was up to it.
Kuznetsov is going in for a major, multi-year refit soon. So, it will probably be on the other side of that in any case.
We shall see.
The PRC spoke of a cross-Pacific voyage for her earlier this year.
My own bet is that something like that will not happen in any case until they have their air wing worked up proper.
As to the Kuznetsov, as I mentioned to Kwaig, since she is going into a 3-4 year refit soon, it would probably not happen until after that in any case.
kwaigonegin
Colonel
I agree with your assessment but I also agree with Jeff's so basically the odds of Liaoning going outside the pacrim even as a one time event is 50/50 which means it's anyone's guess LOL ... same goes with the Kuznetsov the other way around.
I am however pretty sure she will sail to Africa though. Now,whether she stops short there or transit the Suez again it's anybody's guess. Even PLAN probably can't tell you that right now.
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