PLAN Carrier Strike Group and Airwing

Re: Latest Varyag Pics

Google Earth just put up some new hi res pics today, so here's varyag. Now, this doesn't mean it was taken like yesterday but as with most new images on GE, it could be just few days/weeks old. I apologize about size if someone's still on 56k modem.

Re: Latest Varyag Pics

Welcome back again Jeff!

Totoro thanks for posting that picture. I wish we had some ground level shots. Why? Because it looks to me as though that scafolding has been removed from around the island. The flight deck is no longer primered. But now is grey. Some older pics showed a hole in the flight deck. That appears to be gone. And what is that painted circle on the aft end of the flight deck?? No..I do not think they are conducting helo operations....But ya' never know!!!

Hey wait a minute..I just read in another thread that those pics maybe from 2001!! now I'm upset...Does anyone know for sure?

Hey when we get some real up to date pics of the Varyag let me know..

Re: Latest Varyag Pics

The picture was made before putting the non-skid coating on the deck, I think. The painted circle was already on deck as Varyag arrived in China.

Re: Latest Varyag Pics

I don't get it, if its so open and people can take pics then how come so it far it looks like the Chinese have done nothing to the Varag?

Re: Latest Varyag Pics

Shingy said:

I don't get it, if its so open and people can take pics then how come so it far it looks like the Chinese have done nothing to the Varag?

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Actually, they have done quite a bit, taking it from this condition:



To this condition, having had it in the naval shipyards and drydocks for some time.



That yard time is not cheap and they have made ignificant progress in its external appearance...and many believe (but no one knows) that similar progress has been made internally.

Re: Latest Varyag Pics

bd popeye said:

Welcome back again Jeff!

Hey wait a minute..I just read in another thread that those pics maybe from 2001!! now I'm upset...Does anyone know for sure?

Hey when we get some real up to date pics of the Varyag let me know..

Click to expand...

Thanks PE! As to that pic...I think it is clearly an older one. The condition of the deck looks signifcantly worse than the newer pics with the non-skid primer on it. I have been looking for newer ones...perhaps an up-to-date google earth account can give us some newer ones.

Seems like we are just going to have to wait on the PLAN to do their thing.

Re: Latest Varyag Pics

Oh right, i did not realise it looked like that before, silly me. How many can the Varyag actually carry? or at least its potential, say if they managed to utilise their capacity really well?

Re: Latest Varyag Pics

Shingy said:

Oh right, i did not realise it looked like that before, silly me. How many can the Varyag actually carry? or at least its potential, say if they managed to utilise their capacity really well?

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The Varyag is capable of carrying a total of fifty aircraft that would be a mix of fixed wing and rotary (helos). It sister ship, the Kuznetzov that the Russians operate usally carries 12 or more SU-27 and 18-22 helicopters. I would imagine that the PLAN would embark more fixed wing aircraft...but we will not know until the PLAN actually launches a carrier and developes their own carrier doctrine.

Re: Latest Varyag Pics

Shingy said:

I don't get it, if its so open and people can take pics then how come so it far it looks like the Chinese have done nothing to the Varag?

Click to expand...

I think ,always when there is no merchant ship to work on, they will proceed with varyag. And when there is a lot of work they can earn money with, varyag has to wait.

The Russian carrier Kuznetsov is only for showing that Russian aircraft can operate from carriers and that they have technology to sell, not for going to war or fight a battle.

Varyag will have the same status. And so it will have only a few fixed wing aircraft, may be 12 or 15 as Kuznetsov, or even less. The first real operational Chinese aircraft carrier is somewhere in the future.

Re: Latest Varyag Pics

Intrepid said:

I think ,always when there is no merchant ship to work on, they will proceed with varyag. And when there is a lot of work they can earn money with, varyag has to wait.

The Russian carrier Kuznetsov is only for showing that Russian aircraft can operate from carriers and that they have technology to sell, not for going to war or fight a battle.

Varyag will have the same status. And so it will have only a few fixed wing aircraft, may be 12 or 15 as Kuznetsov, or even less. The first real operational Chinese aircraft carrier is somewhere in the future.

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I quite disagree whit your statement… You all look to Soviet carriers from western prospective. Soviets didn’t build carriers as primary strike assets. Soviet carriers had one primary role – to provide air cover to soviet battle group. Secondary role was to attack US CBG whit SSM. When you look at Kuznietsov class from that prospective you can clearly see that they were quite capable for there role.
Plus Soviets intended to have mixed air group (Mig-29k/ Su–27k) so they could carry more aircraft( but Russian navy abandoned Mig-29k because lack of founds).