China's New Concept Aircraft Carrier

Word order means something.

 

This is not a design concept aircraft carrier.

 

This is an aircraft carrier design concept.  Big difference. 

 

Of course we could do the old DOD thing and get   Design Concept, Aircraft Carrier, (One Each).   That also works.   

I would like to see the dry-dock for that monster.  It has to have more width than a pair of ULCC's, and is probably as long.

 

Only 4 elevators, all on the centerline so that they have to cross the flight deck to get the aircraft to the parking areas.  Looks like 2 catapults, to launching forward and 2 traps aft, plus 2 conventional runways.  Helicopter pads under the rear of the flight deck, shoe will be interesting to land on in high winds, probably some interesting flow patterns off the deck as well when at speed.

 

Probably handles like a pig on ice.  Given its combination of width and length getting through the Straits of Malacca would be perilous, limiting its utility against India.

This kind of investment - not only in terms of hardware but also trained personnel both aboard and ashore and material support assets - would require enormous numbers of escorts to provide protection while at the same time marking these vessels as the single greatest group of priority naval targets since the Bismark class battleships.

 

If anything ever warranted the designation as a target for a tactical nuclear warhead, it's this kind of white elephant. The Indian Navy will have these critters in their gunsights from the moment their keels are laid.

 

The gerontocracy in Beijing are definitely off their Alzheimer's medications. 

The Soviets learned the hard way just how hard it is to build a modern aircraft carrier.  It takes decades of experience, which the Chinese are trying to skip past.  They can't even build a decent engine for their fighter jets, which is simple in comparison.

 

And then you have to learn how to use it properly.

 

If you look at their navy it is mostly copies of Soviet-era weapon systems from the 70's and 80's.

 

Then of course there are supporting systems, such as AWACs and tankers, which they won't have.

 

As for the whole notion of a 300,000 ton carrier, while plausible, I doubt it would be practical.  A carrier that big would be a huge expense to build and maintain. and hard to miss as target.   As the Nazis found out while building tanks, bigger is not always better.  Remember that area of the Pacific has a lot of shallow spots and narrow straits.  And the current state of technology favors the attacker, meaning you don't want to invest too much money in your equipment.  Just imagine the Chinese trying to sneak such a monster past Taiwan, Japan, or the Philippines--none of whom are particularly fond of China.  Oh, and let's not forget those wonderful subs of ours.