cloyce
Junior Member
I dont get your point. Especially the first part. Please write in a more understandable english.
PLAN Aircraft Carrier programme...(Closed)
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001A and 002 are built by two different shipyards, and by two different teams (DL & JNCX). There is no conflict for resources. The planning for 002 and 001A were about at the same time, according to Chinese sources, which makes sense to me. The steam catapult is ready and no other technology barriers stand in the way of building 002.
In all likelihood, the construction of 001A and 002 are three years apart. So 002 may start to be built next year and will be commissioned by 2022.
Building a carrier takes a long time. For each of the classes 001, 002 and 003, it'll take roughly ten years from planning, design, hull-construction, launch, fitting, sea trial to commission. China will not build them in strict sequential order and their build schedule will be staggered.
It is because of this long build cycles that I believe they will have a secondary build branch 001A, 002A, and 003A that will be of the same corresponding class of the primary build branch 001-> 002 -> 003, but will incorporate incremental learning and technology developments from the construction/operations of previous carriers. This secondary build branch will also speed up the formation of China's carrier forces and leverage the economy of scales in construction and training. Ten years is a long time; already we're seeing a lot of people second-guessing the decision to build 001A instead of go straight to 002. And that decision were made around 2011-2012 when China was less confident about its carrier-building skills and steam catapult were mature enough.
Blackstone
Brigadier
The decision highlights the risk averse nature of China's high command and its unwillingness to take even moderate risks on new (to China) technology.
I'm not sure if I missed something, but he did quite clearly say the module was the demo module: "IMO, watch out for Dry Dock No.4 in JNCX where previously the aircraft carrier demo model was spotted."
He did not claim the demo module to be the actual module, unless that occurred after an edit (but even then, his edit seemed to occur some yen minutes before your reply, which also happens to quote the very part where he mentions the demo module).
The things he is claiming is from fzgfzy, a mod who is considered a very respected insider on Chinese navy developments. Fzgfzy seems to be claiming the cutting of first steel for 002 has begun, and if he is saying it then I am inclined to believe him due to his reputation and past predictions: fyi he was also the same guy making the predictions and releases earlier this year for 001A, months before any of us could positively ID the ship.
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My view was the same, thought I cannot read/speak Chinese, and so had no understanding of the Chines bulletin, re the cutting of steel. I had assumed the arrival of the new crane to signify a new period of building/different type of vessel. Likewise re the demo module - I felt that he mead it clear it was just that. A demonstration piece.
They can pump them out like a factory if they wanted to like their Type 052D once they are satisfied with a design, at present they are just toying with ideas and the trial and error method of engineering since they have the luxury of time on their hands.
Clarification, steel cutting was mentioned on another forum as something to begin this year
Sorry, I meant to say "... and steam catapult _weren't_ mature enough."
In any case, the decision to build a 001A instead of going straight to 002 is not a bad one, even in hindsight. 001A built by DL did not hinder the construction schedule of 002 built by JNCX. All it means its that the PLAN will have an extra STOBAR carrier to train ahead of the availability of 002, and it costs some budget which is much less of a concern than others.
As it stands now, the bottleneck to operationalize PLAN's carrier is not even the quantity of J-15, which is in shortage and SAC can't produce them fast enough, it's the training of the flight pilots. So having an extra STOBAR earlier is actually a good thing.
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