PLAN Aircraft Carrier programme...(Closed)

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peterAustralia

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I know I have said this a few times. I keep on being suprised as to why China does not build a relatively simple 25,000t helicopter carrier, optimised for anti submarnine warfare. Such a vessel could take twenty helicopters. A few vessels like this would give good protection for surface vessels in the south china sea. Imagine a fleet of say 10 surface vessels, adding one helicopter carrier to that would greatly improve the protection against enemy submarines. Submarines are dangerous. The Australian Collins class is reported to have penentrated the escort sheild around the US Nuclear carriers several times.

Having a pure design, just helicopters and no well deck, means more resources in the hull devoted to helicopters, thus it could take more aircraft than a ship that includes a well deck.

Given what UAVs are doing now, a 25,000t ship could also carry a few UAVs for airborne early warning. Something like the predator drone, but with a surface search radar. A small ship like this would be much cheaper than a dedicated carrier with catapults (which getting a few more of would be good), as there is no need to maintain the jets etc. Also losing a helicopter carrier would not be the disaster than losing a larger proper aircraft carrier would be. Even Thailand has one of these small helicopter carriers,,, and it is a small country, China has zero.
 
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xiabonan

Junior Member
peterAustralia said:
I know I have said this a few times. I keep on being suprised as to why China does not build a relatively simple 25,000t helicopter carrier, optimised for anti submarnine warfare. Such a vessel could take twenty helicopters. A few vessels like this would give good protection for surface vessels in the south china sea. Imagine a fleet of say 10 surface vessels, adding one helicopter carrier to that would greatly improve the protection against enemy submarines. Submarines are dangerous. The Australian Collins class is reported to have penentrated the escort sheild around the US Nuclear carriers several times.

Having a pure design, just helicopters and no well deck, means more resources in the hull devoted to helicopters, thus it could take more aircraft than a ship that includes a well deck.

Given what UAVs are doing now, a 25,000t ship could also carry a few UAVs for airborne early warning. Something like the predator drone, but with a surface search radar. A small ship like this would be much cheaper than a dedicated carrier with catapults (which getting a few more of would be good), as there is no need to maintain the jets etc. Also losing a helicopter carrier would not be the disaster than losing a larger proper aircraft carrier would be. Even Thailand has one of these small helicopter carriers,,, and it is a small country, China has zero.
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It's in the works, don't worry. According to people including POP3, these helicopter carriers are somewhere around 30,000 ton displacement.
 
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15 year old

New Member
peterAustralia said:
I know I have said this a few times. I keep on being suprised as to why China does not build a relatively simple 25,000t helicopter carrier, optimised for anti submarnine warfare. Such a vessel could take twenty helicopters. A few vessels like this would give good protection for surface vessels in the south china sea. Imagine a fleet of say 10 surface vessels, adding one helicopter carrier to that would greatly improve the protection against enemy submarines. Submarines are dangerous. The Australian Collins class is reported to have penentrated the escort sheild around the US Nuclear carriers several times.

Having a pure design, just helicopters and no well deck, means more resources in the hull devoted to helicopters, thus it could take more aircraft than a ship that includes a well deck.

Given what UAVs are doing now, a 25,000t ship could also carry a few UAVs for airborne early warning. Something like the predator drone, but with a surface search radar. A small ship like this would be much cheaper than a dedicated carrier with catapults (which getting a few more of would be good), as there is no need to maintain the jets etc. Also losing a helicopter carrier would not be the disaster than losing a larger proper aircraft carrier would be. Even Thailand has one of these small helicopter carriers,,, and it is a small country, China has zero.
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Im sure China can build a helicopter carrier no problem but the main problem is that China does not have a helicopter in the class like the Seahawk or AW-101 for ASW.
 
Blitzo

Blitzo

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15 year old said:
Im sure China can build a helicopter carrier no problem but the main problem is that China does not have a helicopter in the class like the Seahawk or AW-101 for ASW.
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Wrong on both counts.

Z-20 and Z-18.
 
bd popeye

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
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Bltizo said:
Wrong on both counts.

Z-20 and Z-18.
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I doubt if the PLAN helos have the sonar and ASW suites that the SH-60 has. Perhaps close(70%) but not equal. Nor does the PLAN have the numbers of helos the USN has.

What are the specifications of the Z-20 and Z-18? If someone would post that information with a link then we can give a somewhat fair comparison.

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latenlazy

Brigadier
bd popeye said:
I doubt if the PLAN helos have the sonar and ASW suites that the SH-60 has. Perhaps close(70%) but not equal. Nor does the PLAN have the numbers of helos the USN has.

What are the specifications of the Z-20 and Z-18? If someone would post that information with a link then we can give a somewhat fair comparison.

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I guess it's up to how you interpret "the same class".
 
Blitzo

Blitzo

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bd popeye said:
I doubt if the PLAN helos have the sonar and ASW suites that the SH-60 has. Perhaps close(70%) but not equal. Nor does the PLAN have the numbers of helos the USN has.

What are the specifications of the Z-20 and Z-18? If someone would post that information with a link then we can give a somewhat fair comparison.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
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I believe he was talking about weight class, therefore in that regard the Z-20 and Z-18 are definitely peers to SH-60 and AW101

Z-18 and AW101 are both 13 ton class helicopters and Z-20 is based on the Blackhawk with some structural improvements so its ASW version should weigh as much as SH-60, at the least.

The way he phrased his post made it sound like he was talking about having the designs of helicopter platforms to work off rather than having X number or Y capability of ASW helo in service, because that is just a redundant statement when talking about having a future LHA.
(Note there is a strong correlation between the size of an ASW chopper and its capability, as a bigger size means a more powerful radar, more sonobuoys, more range and endurance)
So how many helos the PLAN has versus the USN and the sonar capability or what not are not particularly relevant to what he said.
 
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