October 14, 2009:
Near Wuhan, China, a replica of the superstructure of the former Russian aircraft carrier Varyag is being built atop a large, flat roofed building. Also on the roof, near the new construction, is an Su-30 fighter (or a mockup), along with a naval helicopter. Locals report a replica of the Varyag hanger deck (which is right beneath the flight deck on a carrier) is also being built. The purpose appears to be training for sailors who will work on the flight deck, the hanger deck and in the superstructure. Elsewhere, a replica of the flight deck has already been under construction, apparently for training pilots.
A year ago, 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 over five years now. The Shi Lang has been moved into dry dock, apparently to install engines and other heavy equipment. It is expected to be ready for sea trials by the end of the year. Maybe. No one is sure exactly what plans the Chinese have for the Shi Lang, although work has been going on for years, and it's believed that the carrier will eventually be used to train the first generation of Chinese carrier aviators and sailors.
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. Shipyard workers reported ever tighter security on the carriers, and stern instructions to workers to not report details of what is happening on the carriers.
Originally the Kuznetsovs were to be 90,000 ton, nuclear powered ships, similar to American carriers (complete with steam catapults). Instead, because of the high cost, and the complexity of modern (American style) carriers, the Russians were forced to scale back their plans, 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.
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.
China has already announced that its first class of fifty 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.