PLAN Carrier Strike Group and Airwing

Re: PLAN LHD/LPH/LHA discussion

If that module really is a carrier, we should remember its final overall beam could be longer than what it is now due to actually adding on te flight deck (right now it's only the hull) and also, this module may be a bow module which doesn't include the waist/landing strip.

If GE estimate is right, then this module seems much too wide to be an LHA/D, but is about right for a liaoning sized carrier, minus the flight deck.
Of course, the module seems somewhat different from liaoning, namely the dimensions of the elevator and the curious trough running on top of the module almost reminiscent of a space for a catapult.

Basically (apart from being a cargo ship, which we can't rule out) these are what the module can be, in decreasing likelihood:
-Carrier (liaoning or liaoning+catapult derivative)
-LHD/A (possible, but 50m beam seems way too large)
-"Mock up" of a carrier (mutterings of this module and the LHA/D both being an elaborate PLAN mock up still persist, which could possibly explain how the LHA appeared out of nowhere so fast. BUT a half sized mock up would be unprecedented for any navy, and seems a little useless to me, whether it is only a fraction of the real thing's size or full size). You'd also think a mock up would be better built on land, not at a shipyard and actually floated out onto water.)

Re: PLAN LHD/LPH/LHA discussion

Well, the module at Dalian obviously doesn't have that 10 meter extension on the starboard side of the Kuznetzov (though that only leaves us with 60 meters).

And the alleged elevator would have only a width of 9 meters and length of 12-13 meters (going from GE on 3/3/2013).

And we are assuming that the module in the most recent photos is still the same width when the photo was taken as it was on March 3, 2013 from GE.

Re: PLAN LHD/LPH/LHA discussion

I have to say that's way too small to be a carrier. The hangar is only two decks in height, which will clearly not be able to fit a J-15. Size wise, the section could be for a LHD, but I am more incline to believe it to be an experimental section.

I think an actual ship would have been built from the ground up. Even if multiple sections were to be built and later joined together, each section should be far longer then what they have right now, especially for a mid-section that has an elevator. Moreover, the section photographed has many features that are found on a carrier, but these features are way too close together to be of use. One notable example is the catapult trench being just a few steps away from the edge. The section would be very useful in terms of demonstration and practices however.

To those who feel a LHD or a small carrier is good practice for China, I disagree. Firstly, a carrier has to be of sufficient size to be efficient. A small carrier requires similar sized crew as a large carrier, but carries fewer planes. The small size will also make launch, recovery, and maneuvering aircraft on the ship very difficult. Secondly, if an idea doesn't work on a full-sized carrier, that same idea isn't going to magically work better on a smaller ship. Thirdly and most importantly, an actual ship has operating cost. Once a ship is built, it is kept around for at least 20 years. The operating cost over two decades will seriously put a dent in any budget allocated for full-sized carriers. If one doesn't built an operational ship for practice, then the operating cost can be eliminated. Going further, if there is no need to operate the ship, then there would be no need to build the entire thing. A single section cramped with every features found on a carrier would be sufficed for practicing purposes.

Re: PLAN LHD/LPH/LHA discussion

@skywatcher i thought this module was at shanghai, at the same shipyard as the LHA/D?

Re: PLAN LHD/LPH/LHA discussion

On some of the pics of the sections, there seems to be guy walking on top holding a bundle and he's at different places in each pic. If it is a guy, I don't know if that helps with the scale.

Re: PLAN LHD/LPH/LHA discussion

Just use the railings. If they are per Chinese safety code they should be 1.1 meters tall.

Re: PLAN LHD/LPH/LHA discussion

Jeff Head said:

I can't say if it is or isn't big enough because we do not have anything to tell us how tall that is. If that opening is 20 or more feet tall, then it could be big enough (ie. an F/A-18F Superhornet is 16ft tall, an E-2C/D Hawkeye is 18 ft. tall). If it is ony 12 feet tall, it clearly would not be.

Until we know what it's dimension are, we cannot make that call.

I am more intrigued with the picture of the ship on the construiction ways that I pointed out. How big is that ship? Is that structure on the starboard side an island? Is that indentation at the port aft quarter an elevator?

We just do no know. I have enlarged it and enhanced it and can still not tell from that photo. It may just be the lighing or the stage of construction that is making it look that way. In which case it is some large cargo/container ship being built. On the other hand, if that is an ilsand, and if that is an elevator, it is mot probably an LHD or LPH vessel.

We'll just have to wait and see.

Click to expand...

a standard rescue buoy is about 800mm in the outer diameter. with that being the guideline shown in the photos, the height of the cutaway is approximately 4.0 meters. Meanwhile the J-15 has a height of 5.9 meters.

Re: PLAN LHD/LPH/LHA discussion

But if this was half scale then that would make it around 8m tall, and the width would suggest mid section of a larger carrier. That section don't look like it's for LHD.

So a section like this (to borrow an existing example) with maybe 3 cats :

Re: PLAN LHD/LPH/LHA discussion

the construction for PLAN first carrier are identical to the soviet approach,during the 1976, high resolution image of first soviet carrier under constuction in nikolayev ship yard appear in Janes defense magazine,(The CIA agent who leak the image was subsequently arrested),according to the commentator, the soviet shipyard has no experince in constructing such a large ship like aircraft carrier,decided to construct in modular fashion,section by section built separately ,and final assembly together in berg (?)

Re: PLAN LHD/LPH/LHA discussion

no_name said:

But if this was half scale then that would make it around 8m tall, and the width would suggest mid section of a larger carrier. That section don't look like it's for LHD.

So a section like this (to borrow an existing example) with maybe 3 cats :

Click to expand...

If you mean the elevator, most LHD has elevators as well. these are crucial mechanical components of a carrier and I think it would make a lot of sense for the PLA to test it on smaller vessels such as a LHD to prove and mature the techniques before using it on a full blown carrier. Liaoning's elevator is most likely a copy or a refurbished old Russian model, if they are to construct new/larger carriers, they will have to design from scratch.