JL-10(or GJ-11 for the matter) is still a jet. Same problem.
Type 076 LHD/LHA discussion
- Thread starter banjex
- Start date
kwaigonegin
Colonel
Still don't understand how they do traps on it if it launches FW aircrafts with the cat. And w/o an angled deck it would mean having to clear most everything up top ea. time there's a landing.
The ONLY feasible explanation is STOVL but that would be an even bigger surprise than the recent 2 demos.
Am I missing something here?
The ONLY feasible explanation is STOVL but that would be an even bigger surprise than the recent 2 demos.
Am I missing something here?
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Because it wasn’t meant to be used as an aircraft carrier. The number of fixed wing aircrafts it carries are very small.
The deck should be wide enough where the park drones/planes all on the starboard side, while the land on port side of the deck. The Type 076 has a really wide deck compared to the America class, someone posted a image earlier in the thread comparing the two.
antiterror13
Brigadier
From my memory, you were the few who doubt it (?) .. when you were very active and much more contributing to this forum
We all are stuck. 076 is essentially USS Lexington-sized, especially since this bloody thing is in fact gas-, i.e. it's quite likely much faster than 075, too - and, say, beyond effective escort by frigates.
It is well beyond normal LHA in all aspects, basically. EM Catapult, 30t lifts(J-35 at MTOW!) and advanced weapon elevators, gas IEP, carrier self-defense suit.
All those aspects cost a lot of money, both in production and operation. There should be meaning behind.
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plawolf
Lieutenant General
Your main issue is that you seem to think this thing is meant to operate independently as a light carrier in near-peer naval combat operations when it’s clearly not designed for that.
This new class is meant to operate either independently in low-intensity combat operations to provide Chinese expeditionary forces with comprehensive UAV, UCAV and rotor wing air support, and limited manned fast jet support. Or it’s meant to operate in conjunction with the Liaoning and/or Shandong for near-peer high intensity naval combat operations.
For low intensity ops, how the 076 will function should be pretty self event, and by definition it would not need to conduct large scale intensive combat flight operations for the lack of an angled deck to really matter. In exchange, the full length deck provides massive flexibility in terms of the types of aircraft it can safely recover as well as they payloads they are carrying. This is especially important for low intensity drone operations where being able to launch and recover bigger and heavier drones and transports will be a massive advantage. As will the ability to safely land UCAVs with full combat warloads instead of having to ditch expensive ordnance in the drink.
For near-peer high intensity combat operations, its main role and purpose would be to supplement and support the existing Ski jump carriers by bringing force multipliers they themselves cannot accommodate to the fight. Namely naval fixed wing AWACS and manned fastjets with super heavy combat loads.
That will be its principle purpose and mission, and it bringing that capability along will boost the combat potential of both carriers by so much that it alone will justify the price tag of the 076. As you will be spending the price of an 076 to make the Liaoning and Shandong almost as good as a Fujian, which needless to say, is a massive power boost for a modest price.
You can obviously also massively economise the air wing composition by splitting it between two flat decks instead of one to gain more capability boosts. For example, the Liaoning and Shandong will be able to carrier fewer helicopters and more fighters since the 076s will be able to carry the bulk of the rotor wing fleet components. You can also do cross deck shift work for take-offs and landings to boost sortie rates etc.
But the general point is that the 076 is meant to work as part of a larger carrier strike group alongside existing older PLAN carriers, especially 001 and 002, rather than being the centrepiece of its own strike group for high intensity combat operations where sortie rates will truly matter. For everything less, it’s still got way more combat capability than you would want or need for the overwhelming majority of realistic combat operations the PLA might need to do far from Chinese shores without needing to commit a full fat carrier to the task.
Indeed, I would expect the PLAN to keep its true carriers close to the Chinese coast for the overwhelming majority of their lives, while the 076s will basically perform the global forward deployed role that the USN use its carriers for.
My guess is actually that PLAN will send carriers out in much larger groups of 2-4 each, at least. Because 1. They don't have as much basing around the world 2. They're not as limited by running costs and repairs as US.
076 have well deck, so it's not greatly designed for CV role to begin with. It's main role should still be amphibious assault, something China will have to do fairly often.