First Chinese Carrier Aviators

**Ryan Ruck** · October 8th, 2008, 06:12

China announced that its first class of carrier aviators had begun training at the Dalian Naval Academy. The naval officers will undergo a four year course of instruction to turn them into fighter pilots capable of operating off a carrier. China already has an airfield, in the shape of a carrier deck, built at an inland facility. The Russians have warned China that it may take them a decade or more to develop the knowledge and skills needed to efficiently run an aircraft carrier. The Chinese are game, and are slogging forward.

Earlier this year, the Russian aircraft carrier Varyag was renamed the Shi Lang (after the Chinese general who took possession of Taiwan in 1681, the first time China ever paid any attention to the island) and given the pennant number 83. The Chinese have been refurbishing the Varyag, one of the Kuznetsov class that Russia began building in the 1980s, for several years now. It is expected to be ready for sea trials by the end of the year.

The Varyag has been tied up in a Chinese shipyard at Dailan since 2002. While the ship is under guard, it can be seen from a nearby highway. From that vantage point, local military and naval buffs have noted that some kind of work is being done on the ship. The only visible signs of this work are a new paint job (in the gray shade used by the Chinese navy) and ongoing work on the superstructure (particularly the tall island on the flight deck.) Many workers can be seen on the ship, and material is seen going into (new stuff) and out of (old stuff) the ship. The new contracts are believed to be for more equipment for the Varyag, in addition to the non-custom stuff already going into the ship.

Originally the Kuznetsovs were conceived of as 90,000 ton, nuclear powered ships, similar to American carriers (complete with steam catapults). Instead, because of the cost, and the complexity of modern (American style) carriers, the Russians were forced to scale back their goals, and ended up with the 65,000 ton (full load ) ships that lacked steam catapults, and used a ski jump type flight deck instead. Nuclear power was dropped, but the Kuznetsov class was still a formidable design. The thousand foot long carrier normally carries a dozen navalized Su-27s (called Su-33s), 14 Ka-27PL anti-submarine helicopters, two electronic warfare helicopters and two search and rescue helicopters. But the ship can carry up to 36 Su-33s and sixteen helicopters. The ship carries 2,500 tons of aviation fuel, allowing it to generate 500-1,000 aircraft and helicopter sorties. Crew size is 2,500 (or 3,000 with a full aircraft load.) Only two ships of this class exist; the original Kuznetsov, which is in Russian service, and the Varyag. Currently, the Kuznetsov is operating in the Mediterranean.

The Chinese have been in touch with Russian naval construction firms, and may have purchased plans and technology for equipment installed in the Kuznetsov. Some Chinese leaders have quipped about having a carrier by 2010 (this would have to be a refurbished Varyag). Even that would be an ambitious schedule, and the Chinese have been burned before when they tried to build new military technology in a hurry.

**Ryan Ruck** · June 5th, 2011, 15:23

Concrete Evidence Of China's Naval Ambitions

February 7, 2011

China has secretly built a concrete aircraft carrier for pilot training as part of its military build-up, intelligence sources have disclosed.

The concrete aircraft carrier near Wuhan in central China, which is built on the roof of a government building, and, inset, the ski ramp style take-off platform.

The large concrete structure, complete with a bridge, landing deck and ski ramp take-off platform has been constructed far inland near the city of Wuhan.

The ''carrier'' will allow Chinese navy pilots to practise landing approaches and train ground crew.

It is unclear whether planes have actually taken off or landed on the structure, but secretly taken pictures have shown what appears to be a Su-33 Flanker strike jet and naval helicopters on the flight deck.

Intelligence reports have dismissed the idea that it could be a theme park because it has been built on the roof of a government building. They believe it signals China's intent to become a global "blue water" naval force and is a direct challenge to America's supremacy in the Pacific.

The disclosure will also cause uncertainty among China's neighbours, particularly Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam, who all have disputed territories that have previously caused conflict.

Commodore Stephen Saunders, editor of Jane's Fighting Ships, described the structure as an "enigma".

"It seems to have some sort of research role, perhaps to teach the aircrew how to operate flight deck and move equipment around," he added.

**Ryan Ruck** · September 6th, 2014, 17:12

China Says 2 Pilots Died In Aircraft Carrier Tests

September 6, 2014

Two Chinese test pilots were killed during development of the country's first aircraft carrier fighter wing, state media said, in a rare admission of problems with the hugely popular naval program.

The admission came in a report by the official Xinhua News Agency saying President Xi Jinping had signed an order awarding honorary titles to all pilots in the first squadron to conduct take-off and landing tests aboard the Liaoning, China's only aircraft carrier.

"Two test pilots of the squadron sacrificed their lives during the tests," the report said. No details were given.

The original Xinhua report ran Aug. 28, but went largely overlooked at the time. It was picked up by U.S. defense blogs and linked Friday to the blog of the U.S. Naval Institute.

Carrier flight operations are inherently risky, and the loss of two pilots is far from unusual. However, China's military still operates under a shroud of secrecy and no deadly accidents relating to the carrier had been reported at the time.

China announced it had begun flight tests on the Liaoning in late 2012, spurring a wave of patriotic pride in the country's growing capabilities. State television ran hours of footage of planes landing and taking off, while Internet users across the country posted photos of themselves recreating the carrier flight crews' "all-clear" signal to the pilot.

Chinese carrier pilots fly the J-15 fighter-bomber, a copy of Russia's Sukhoi Su-33.

China spent a decade refurbishing a derelict Soviet-era carrier bought from Ukraine before commissioning it as the Liaoning in 2012. It is part of a major expansion of the Chinese navy that includes sophisticated new surface ships and submarines. The ship is slower and smaller than U.S. aircraft carriers and doesn't carry as many aircraft.

The Liaoning is still conducting sea trials and Chinese defense officials haven't said when, or even if, it will receive its full complement of aircraft.

On Dec. 5, 2013, a Chinese ship accompanying the Liaoning was involved in a near collision with a U.S. Navy cruiser, the USS Cowpens, when it was operating in international waters in the South China Sea. U.S. Navy officials said the Cowpens maneuvered to avoid the collision, but it marked the two nations' most serious sea confrontation in years.