17 Agustus 2011

CVN 76 USS Ronald Reagan (photo : US DoD)

The US Navy (USN) will operate with nine carrier strike groups (CSGs) by the end of the year, reducing the effectiveness of the service's 11-carrier force, Jane's has learnt.

The service plans to dissolve CSG Seven, previously attached to USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), in reaction to a short-term reduction in carrier capability following the planned decommissioning of USSEnterprise (CVN 65) in 2013 and before the first next-generation Gerald Ford-class carrier (CVN 78) commissions in 2015.

According to a 1 August memo from the office of the Chief of Naval Operations, a CSG will be relocated from Naval Station Everett, Washington, to Naval Station San Diego, California, to shore up the loss when CSG Seven stands down in December. CSG Nine from Everett will replace CSG Seven. CSG Nine is currently composed of USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Carrier Air Wing Two and elements of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) Nine.

Next year Abraham Lincoln will begin its mid-life refuelling and complex overhaul (RCOH), which will take four years to complete and keep the carrier out of the fleet for the duration of the repairs and refuelling.

Currently USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) is undergoing that process, which is expected to be completed by late 2012 or early 2013.

(Jane's)

10 Agustus 2011

File photo of China's refitted aircraft carrier. The aircraft carrier left its shipyard at Dalian Port in northeast Liaoning Province on Wednesday morning to start its first sea trial. Military sources said that the first sea trial was in line with schedual of the carrier's refitting project and would not take a long time. After returning from the sea trial, the aircraft carrier will continue refit and test work. (photo : Xinhua)

DALIAN, (Xinhua) -- China's refitted aircraft carrier platform left its shipyard at Dalian Port in northeast China's Liaoning Province on Wednesday morning to set sail for its first sea trial.

Military sources said that the trial is in line with the carrier's refitting schedule and will not take a long time. Refitting work will continue after the vessel has returned to the port.

The carrier was originally built by the former Soviet Union, which failed to complete the ship's construction before collapsing in 1991. The still-unnamed aircraft carrier was an empty shell when it was sold to Ukraine. Ukraine later disarmed it and removed its engines before selling it to China.

It is still unknown where or for how long the carrier's first sea trial will last.

The Liaoning Provincial Maritime Safety Administration publicized a notice restricting navigation in waters off the Dalian coast, saying that vessels are forbidden from traveling through an area of sea 13.25 nautical miles wide and 22 nautical miles long in the northern Yellow Sea and Liaodong Bay from Aug. 10 to 14.

Military enthusiasts and tourists flocked to Dalian in hope to view the refitted carrier days before it set sail. However, a dense fog prevented many people from seeing the vessel.

"It isn't a big deal for China to have an aircraft carrier. It is in the state's interest," said Tan Changbin, a tourist from southwest China's Sichuan Province, adding he was personally interested in seeing the ship.

Military enthusiast Lu Gang believes the carrier carries more symbolic significance than anything else.

"It is very complicated to refit an aircraft carrier. It is a challenge to upgrade the country's industrial manufacturing ability," he said.

Xu Jian, a retired navy officer, said China's international status implies that the country deserves to have its own aircraft carrier.

"Even countries like India and Thailand have carriers, let alone America and Russia. Why can't China?" he asked.

Zhou Xiangling, a researcher with the Dalian Institute of Modern History, said the carrier's trip signifies a new era for China's navy, an era that will put an emphasis on scientific research and training.

"It implies that China is able to make new contributions to maintaining global marine safety and peace," he said.

The Chinese navy is made up of three separate fleets: the Beihai Fleet, the Donghai Fleet and the Nanhai Fleet. Each fleet has its own support bases, flotillas, maritime garrison commands, aviation divisions and marine brigades.

Senior Colonel Geng Yansheng, a spokesman from the Defense Ministry, said earlier this year that China will never change the defensive nature of its national defense policy.

While conducting escort operations in the Gulf of Aden and waters near Somalia, the Chinese navy protected Chinese and foreign vessels alike, Geng said.

(Xinhua)

30 Juli 2011

At present, nine countries -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia, Spain, Italy, Brazil, India and Thailand -- have a total of 20 aircraft carriers of varying capacities in service. (image : Xinhua)

China needs at least three aircraft carriers: general

BEIJING - CHINA needs at least three aircraft carriers to defend its interests, a general said, days after the state media broadcast footage of its first carrier in a rare public mention of the project.

'If we consider our neighbours, India will have three aircraft carriers by 2014 and Japan will have three carriers by 2014,' General Luo Yuan, a senior researcher with the Academy of Military Sciences, was quoted as saying by Beijing News.

'So I think the number (for China) should not be less than three so we can defend our rights and our maritime interests effectively.' His comments, published on Friday, came after China sought to downplay the capability of its first aircraft carrier, saying on Wednesday the vessel would be used for training and 'research'.

Beijing believes that the three Japanese carriers it referred to, built for helicopter operations, could eventually be converted into full aircraft carriers.

China recently confirmed it was revamping an old Soviet ship to be its first carrier, a project that has added to regional worries over the country's fast military expansion and growing assertiveness on territorial issues.

'We are currently re-fitting the body of an old aircraft carrier, and will use it for scientific research, experiments and training,' defence ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng told a news briefing.

(Straits Times)

11 Juli 2011

Artist's impression of Shi Lang/Varyag aircraft carrier (image : Jeffhead)

TOKYO -- China has started construction of its first domestically made aircraft carrier, according to diplomatic and U.S. government sources.

China has set a national goal of building a stronger navy and aims to expand its maritime interests.
This year, China will likely begin test-sailing a midsize aircraft carrier - the Varyag - that it bought from Ukraine, the sources said.

When the domestic carrier is completed, the Chinese Navy will have two aircraft carriers in its fleet.
The addition will likely raise concerns in neighboring countries, including Japan, whose ties with China have been strained over the Senkaku Islands, and Vietnam and the Philippines, which have territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.

It will also shake up stability in the Asia-Pacific region, which has been primarily maintained by the United States' overwhelming military power.

In early June, Chen Bingde, the Chinese military's chief of the General Staff, told Hong Kong media that China was building an aircraft carrier, the first time a top officer of the Chinese military has acknowledged the fact.

But he did not clarify whether the carrier being constructed referred to the Varyag or the other carrier.

According to the diplomatic sources, another officer in the Chinese military said the Varyag cannot be called a domestically made carrier, and clearly stated that the carrier is another under construction in a different location.

A U.S. government official also said that Washington regards the carrier referred to as the one made in China.

Part of the U.S. Defense Department's 2010 annual report, titled "Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China," said China will be able to operate two or more aircraft carriers in the coming 10 years.

Military sources close to developments in the Chinese Navy said the domestically made carrier is being constructed in a shipyard on Changxing Island in Shanghai.

The sources said the new carrier will likely be midsize, similar to the Varyag, and carry Jian-15 jet fighters, which China has just developed. The fighters will likely take off from a ski jump-style flight deck as is done on the Varyag.

Though the new carrier is modeled after the Varyag, the military sources said it has great geopolitical significance, showing that China has acquired the technology to construct an aircraft carrier on its own.

Security around the shipyard on Changxing Island has increased significantly since the start of this year, which military sources attribute to the start of construction of the carrier.

According to military experts, even in the United States it takes at least five years from the start of construction of an aircraft carrier to its deployment. Thus it is likely that China will need seven to eight years until the domestically made carrier can be put to use.

The experts also said China is constructing modern destroyers equipped with air-defense missiles to defend the carriers.

(The SacBee)

22 Juni 2011

China's aircraft carrier (photo : Xinhua)

HONG KONG - China's first aircraft carrier - a remodeled Soviet-era vessel - will go on sea trials next week, a report said June 21, amid escalating tensions in the South China Sea.

China's top military official reportedly confirmed earlier this month that Beijing is building a huge aircraft carrier, the first acknowledgement of the ship's existence from China's secretive defense program.

The Hong Kong Commercial Daily, which broke the story of the vessel's confirmation, quoted unnamed military sources saying the carrier will go on sea trials on July 1 but will not be officially launched until October 2012.

The sources said the test has been expedited in view of rising tensions in the South China Sea - home to two potentially oil-rich archipelagos, the Paracels and Spratlys - in recent weeks.

China's military "hopes it will show the strength of the Chinese maritime forces to deter other nations, which are eyeing the South China Sea, in order to calm tensions," the sources said.

They added that the sea trial date was also picked to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party but noted that factors such as weather could affect the planned test run.

China's military did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.

Tensions between Beijing and other rival claimants to the strategically vital South China Sea have heightened recently.

J-15 shipborned aircraft wih folding wing and tailhook (photo : Scramble)

China has claimed mineral rights around the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea and argued that foreign navies cannot sail through the area without Beijing's permission.

In September, Japan and China also clashed over the disputed Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu Islands in China, located in the East China Sea.

But Chinese officials have previously said that its first aircraft carrier would not pose a threat to other nations, in accordance with Beijing's defensive military strategy.

The Chinese aircraft carrier plan was confirmed when the chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army, Chen Bingde, confirmed the ship's existence in an interview with the Hong Kong paper.

He said the 990-foot former Soviet carrier, originally called the Varyag, was being overhauled. The ship is currently based in the northeast port of Dalian.

An expert on China's military has reportedly said the carrier would be used for training and as a model for a future indigenously-built ship.

The Varyag was originally built for the Soviet navy but construction was interrupted by the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The PLA - the largest army in the world - is hugely secretive about its defense programs, which benefit from a large military budget boosted by the nation's runaway economic growth.

(DefenseNews)

20 Juni 2011

Admiral Gorshkov/INS Vikramaditya (photo : Militaryphotos)

Delivery of the warship as per schedule in Dec 2012

India and Russia ended their high-level defence cooperation meeting at Moscow late on Thursday with Russia assuring that the sea-based aircraft carrier, Admiral Gorshkov will start sea trials off the Russian coast by November this year. Delivery of the ship to India will be as per schedule in December 2012.

The 45,000 tonne, 283-metre aircraft carrier will fly the naval version of the MiG 29 off its deck. The fighters are already in India and based at Goa. At present, the Indian Navy has one aircraft carrier, the INS Viraat and is building one of its own at Kochi that is to be named INS Vikrant. The development of an craft carrier is crucial as China is set to launch its first-ever such ship which is also a old Russian carrier being re-fitted.

MiG-29K naval fighter (photo : Max Bryansky)

Sources said the Indian Defence Ministry team led by Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar visited the ship yard at Sevmash in North-Western Russia to see the development. Gorshkov is being re-fitted as per the Indian requirements. Teams at the shipyard are working overtime and around the clock to meet the schedule. The cost escalation and delay in the ship had caused a strain on the 50-year-old Indo-Russian ties. It needed the intervention of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev who himself took care that all contracts are signed.

Meanwhile, a section of the Indian delegation was also shown a test flight of the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) that the two countries are co-developing. The development of design alone will cost close to $ 6 billion.

(The Tribune)

18 Juni 2011

Under details of the deal given in the past, the ships are to be built by French shipyard company DCNS along with Russia’s state-run United Shipbuilding Corp., OSK. (photo : Militaryphotos)

ST. PETERSBURG, (RIA Novosti). Russia and France signed on Friday a $1.7 billion (1.2 bln euro) contract on two French-built for Mistral class amphibious assault ships for the Russian Navy.

The deal was signed in St. Petersburg by Anatoly Isaikin, director of Russia's Rosoboronexport state-controlled arms exporter, and Patrick Boissier, president and CEO of France's DCNS shipbuilder, who are contracted to build the warships.

The signing ceremony was overseen by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

The first warship will be delivered in 2014 and the second in 2015, DCNS said.

French President Nicolas Sarcozy hailed the contract as a sign of strategic partnership between the two countries.

"The signing of the contract... points to a strategic level of cooperation between France and Russia, as well as the constant support that it gets from the heads of state," the Elysee Palace said in a communique.

The project will provide 1,000 jobs over the course of four years, the Palace said.

The warships will be equipped with Russian weapon systems, Navy chief Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky said.

"Construction technology used in building such ships allows Russian weapon systems to be integrated into this project, including amphibious landing assets and carrier aviation," he said.

The use of Mistral class ships will significantly increase the effectiveness of humanitarian operations, he said, adding that they could be used both in peacetime and in wartime for a variety of missions.

The program has alarmed Russia's neighbors, especially Georgia.

Russia and France in January signed an intergovernmental agreement to build two Mistral class helicopter carriers at the STX shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. Another two are planned to be constructed later in Russia.

Contract talks stumbled over Russia's demand for the transfer of sensitive electronic systems.

A Mistral class ship is capable of carrying 16 helicopters, four landing vessels, 70 armored vehicles, and 450 personnel.

France has two Mistral class amphibious assault ships in service and is building a third.

(RIA Novosti)

07 Mei 2011

HTMSChakri Naruebet is docked at Juk Samet naval base in Sattahip district of Chon Buri. The aircraft carrier has been deployed in disaster relief operations and to protect maritime resources. (photo : Thiti Wannamontha-Bangkok Post)

Navy's flagship is first port of call in emergencies

Serving the country for 14 years, aircraft carrier HTMS Chakri Naruebet has been a protector of marine resources and linchpin of disaster relief operations.

The government approved the building of the navy's 7.1 billion baht flagship in 1992 after Typhoon Gay devastated Chumphon province and other southern provinces in 1989.

Since then, the aircraft carrier has been used in several disaster relief operations under the codename 911.

It is not only the Royal Thai Navy's largest warship, HTMS Chakri Naruebet is also Southeast Asia's largest helicopter carrier with a full-load displacement of 11,544 tonnes and can sail in wave heights of 13.8 metres.

The carrier is 30.5 metres wide and 182.6 metres long, and as high as a 12-storey building. Its dock is about 4,000 square metres.

Constructed at Bazan shipyard in Spain, the ship was commissioned into the navy on March 20, 1997.

His Majesty the King named it Chakri Naruebet, meaning "The Honour of the Chakri Dynasty".

Her Majesty the Queen presided over the launch of the carrier on Jan 20, 1996, at the Bazan dockyard.

The carrier has brought pride to the navy. About 30,000-40,000 Thais visit the ship every month at Juk Samet naval base in Sattahip district of Chon Buri.

One of six Seahawk helicopters on the carrier prepares for take-off. (photo : Bangkok Post)

"HTMS Chakri Naruebet is the Thai people's ship as it was bought with taxpayer money. Thais are allowed to visit the ship free of charge," said Suvin Jangyodsuk, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier.

"The navy is responsible for taking care of the people's property and is ready to protect our territorial waters and marine resources. We are also ready for disaster relief operations." Captain Suvin is the fifth commander of the ship since it was launched.

During the 1997 economic crisis, the ship did not engage in training exercises due to naval budget cuts.

When the economy improved, the carrier was taken out of for exercises at least one to two times a month.

Capt Suvin said 451 personnel are stationed on the carrier and that number can exceed 600 during special exercises.

HTMS Chakri Naruebet was constructed by Spanish shipbuilders Bazan/Navantia. (photo : Naval Technology)

The carrier has been deployed on several disaster relief operations, including in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami when it transported more than 700 bodies.

During the floods in the South in March, the ship was sent to Surat Thani and plucked 734 stranded visitors from Koh Tao. "We were the first agency to reach flood-hit people," said Capt Suvin.

The carrier has a fully equipped hospital with more than 40 beds.

In the event of a territorial dispute, the carrier serves as a floating operation command centre. In peace time, it is duty-bound to protect the country's marine resources and help people affected by natural disasters.

Naval personnel man an anti-aircraft gun. (photo : Bangkok Post)

The officers' uniforms make the aircraft carrier more colourful. They don red, yellow, green, purple and white uniforms depending on the section they are attached to. Those wearing red uniforms belong to the firefighting section, for example, while those in yellow work for the air traffic control unit.

The carrier has a kitchen with the capacity to feed almost 500 personnel.

Chief Petty Officer 1st Class Chamnong Saengkham, 58, the head chef, said 15 staff prepare meals for everyone. His team cooks 50 kilogrammes of rice a day for three meals. Vegetables, meat and other ingredients are bought fresh from a market in Sattahip district.

Petty Officer 1st Class Thitipong Thongyoi, 29, said he was proud of being a crew member on the country's largest naval vessel.

HTMS Chakri Naruebet in side view (image : Shipbucket-MConrads)

Floating Facts

HTMS Chakri Naruebet

Builder: Bazan of Spain
Keel-laying ceremony: July 12, 1994
Launched: Jan 20, 1996
Commissioned: March 20, 1997

Length: 182.6 metres (overall)

Beam:22.5 metres (flight-deck waterline), 30.5 metres (maximum)
Height (flight deck): 18.5 metres
Height (masthead): 42 metres
Draught: 6.2 metres
Displacement: 11,544 tonnes (fully laden)
Cruising speed: 12 knots
Maximum speed: 27 knots
Range: 10,000 nautical miles at 12 knots
Propulsion:Combined diesel or gas (CODOG) turbine system
- 2 x GE LM2500 gas turbines
- 2 x Bazan-MTU 16V 1163 TB83 diesel engines
- 2 propulsion shaftswith 4-bladed propellers
Power system: 4 power generators
4 back-up power generators

Other equipment:
3 sets of 155-tonne air-conditioners
2 sets 5-tonne cooling systems
2 sets of stabilisers
4 sets of reverse osmosis water machines
5 elevators

Hospital: Check-up room, operating room, X-ray room, dental room, 15 beds and 26 auxiliary beds for emergencies

Personnel:451 officers including 42 commissioned navy officers; 69 chief petty officers; 230 petty officers; 110 seamen

Weaponry: Three Sandral launchers Four 20mm close-in weapons systems
Aircraft carried: Nine Spanish Matador AV-8s aircraft Six S-70B Seahawk helicopters

(Bangkok Post)

26 April 2011

THE FORMER SOVIET aircraft carrier Varyag berths at Dalian, northeast China, in May 2002. Taiwan's spy chief said April 25 that China could bring the carrier into service before the end of 2011. (File photo / Agence France-Presse)

TAIPEI - Taiwan's spy chief on April 25 said China could bring its first aircraft carrier into service before the end of the year, kindling fears in Taipei over Beijing's continued naval buildup.

Tsai Teh-sheng, head of the island's National Security Bureau, said Varyag - a half-completed Soviet-era aircraft carrier Beijing obtained from Ukraine in 1998 - is expected to make its maiden voyage before the end of 2011.

The warship has been docked in China's Dalian harbor, where it has undergone extensive refurbishing work since 2002.

"Varyag has restored its sailing capability, and is expected to start providing training missions before the end of 2011," Tsai said in response to a parliamentary question by Lin Yu-fang of the ruling Kuomintang party.

Tsai said the warship will have "certain combat capability" and will serve as a base for an unknown number of China's home-grown fighter jets, which are modeled on Russian-made Su-33s.

Taiwan's defense ministry has expressed alarm at China's naval buildup although experts say it may still take time for the People's Liberation Army to operate its first carrier group complete with fighter jets.

"The Chinese communists' acquisition of their first aircraft carrier will threaten not only Taiwan but the stability of Asia," said David Lo, spokesman for Taiwan's defense ministry.

Taiwan plans to build a new "stealth" warship armed with guided missiles next year in response to China's naval build-up, military officers have said.

An aircraft carrier group would potentially double the military threat posed to Taiwan by China by allowing the Chinese to approach from directions other than across the strait, experts warn.

Ties between China and Taiwan have improved significantly since Ma Ying-jeou became the island's president, vowing to adopt a nonconfrontational policy toward the mainland. But China still regards Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting to be reunified by force if necessary, although the island has governed itself since 1949, when a civil war ended.

(DefenseNews)