China's Aircraft Carrier in sight

ahtansh SG

A commercial U.S. satellite company said it has captured photos of China’s first aircraft carrier in the Yellow Sea off the Chinese coast.

Stephen Wood, director of DigitalGlobe’s analysis center, said he’s confident the ship is the Chinese carrier because of the location and date of the photo. The carrier was on a sea trial at the time.

DigitalGlobe, based in Longmont, Colo., sells satellite imagery and analysis to clients that include the U.S. military, emergency response agencies and private companies. DigitalGlobe has three orbiting satellites and a fourth is under construction.

The aircraft carrier has generated intense international interest because of what it might portend about China’s intentions as a military power.

The former Soviet Union started building the carrier, which it called the Varyag, but never finished it. When the Soviet Union collapsed, it ended up in the hands of Ukraine, a former Soviet republic.

China bought the ship from Ukraine in 1998 and spent years refurbishing it. It had no engines, weaponry or navigation systems when China acquired it.

China has said the carrier is intended for research and training, which has led to speculation that it plans to build future copies.

China initially said little about its plans for the carrier but has been more open in recent years, said Bonnie S. Glaser, a China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“It wasn’t until the Chinese actually announced they were sending it out on a trial run they admitted, `Yes, we are actually launching a carrier,’” she said.

China publicly announced two sea trials for the carrier that occurred this year, she said.

The carrier’s progress is in line with the U.S. military’s expectations, said Cmdr. Leslie Hull-Ryde, a Defense Department spokeswoman.

A Defense Department report to Congress this year said the carrier could become operationally available to the Chinese navy by the end of next year but without aircraft.

“From that point, it will take several additional years before the carrier has an operationally viable air group,” Hull-Ryde said in an email.

Mr Milo SG

I suppose that is the Varyag they bought?

Anyway, the Chinese will not stop at 1 carrier

they will definitely design, build and deploy modern advanced carriers armed with.........................................

Dalforce 1941 SG

they will definitely design, build and deploy modern advanced carriers armed with.........................................

They are building at least 3 or 4 of them. I think in the long term, they are going to deploy them to latin america to put pressure on the U.S.

Europe, middle east all these areas where U.S has strong alliances and military presence, I think all must be penetrated by China, Russia, India and other powers that are against U.S hegemonism, so as to weaken U.S influence.

Must find ways to disrupt, weaken, neutralise, destroy all the U.S alliances and push U.S out of eurasia.

Mr Milo SG

Not only must they build the carriers, but the ships that protect it as well

In short, we expect to see 1 or 2 carrier battle groups in the near future from china

Dalforce 1941 SG

India also building.

India to Construct Own Aircraft Carrier: Navy

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=3965175

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/south_east_asia/AJ201108226971

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-01-20/india/28359441_1_aircraft-carrier-cbgs-refit

Mr Milo SG

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

China has submarines to sink them though

it will be interesting if the 2 engage in a skirmish

Mr Milo SG

it will be even more interesting if there is a naval base next to India(but not inside) where the PLAN can build their aircraft carriers

Dalforce 1941 SG

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

China has submarines to sink them though

it will be interesting if the 2 engage in a skirmish

I prefer they cooperate together. India should move into the middle east and counter western influence there.

U.S will try to divide India and China up and use them to check each other.

Dalforce 1941 SG

it will be even more interesting if there is a naval base next to India(but not inside) where the PLAN can build their aircraft carriers

BEIJING – In a move that may cause unease in India, China announced that it will set up its first military base abroad in the Indian Ocean island of Seychelles to “seek supplies and recuperate” facilities for its Navy.

The naval fleet may seek supplies or recuperate at appropriate harbours in Seychelles or other countries as needed during escort missions, Chinese Defence Ministry announced.

China has already cemented its foothold in the Indian Ocean by signing contract with the UN backed International Seabed Authority to gain rights to explore polymetallic sulphide ore deposit in Indian Ocean over the next 15 years.

The contract awarded this year to a Chinese association exclusive rights to explore a 10,000-square-km of international seabed in the southwest Indian Ocean.

The base in Seychelles is regarded significant by analysts as China is about to launch its first aircraft carrier. It is currently undergoing final trials.

Playing down its significance, Chinese Defence Ministry statement said it is international practice for naval fleets to re-supply at the closest port of a nearby state during long-distance missions.

Apparently commenting on a recent report that China will establish a military base in Seychelles, it said Chinese naval fleets have re-supply facilities at harbours in Djibouti, Oman and Yemen since China sent its first convoy to the Gulf of Aden in 2008.

The decision to establish its first naval base abroad was taken during Chinese Defence Minister Gen Liang Guanglie’s goodwill visit to Seychelles earlier this month.

During the visit, Seychelles Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Paul Adam said his country has invited China to set up a military base on the archipelago to beef up the fight against piracy.

“We have invited the Chinese government to set up a military presence on Mahe to fight the pirate attacks that the Seychelles face on a regular basis,” Adam was quoted as saying in the media reports.

“For the time being China is studying this possibility because she has economic interests in the region and Beijing is also involved in the fight against piracy,” he said.

http://thelinkpaper.ca/?p=12695

http://nvonews.com/2011/12/06/with-china-on-mind-india-us-japan-to-hold-trilateral-meet/

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/dec2011/auin-d16.shtml

Mr Milo SG

China had better do well to fortify and guard this base of theirs, for if it fails or collapses for any reasons, their enemies will laugh

in fact, with such a base around there, lots of vital shipping routes are at their mercy

Dalforce 1941 SG

Japan too.

Japan has opened a military base in Djibouti, - the first one outside the national territory of the Land of the Rising Sun since the end of the Second World War.

The base is located near a US airbase and is meant to fight sea pirates off Somalia’s coast. Assigned to the base are two destroyers and two patrol aircraft.

The overall strength of Japanese navy sailors, pilots and screening ground units makes up some 200.

http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/06/01/51109469.html

More players the better, as long as it breaks the military dominance of the U.S.

As long as the U.S hegemony is not destroyed, I won't be satisfied.

Mr Milo SG

one by one, they are all opening up bases in the name of fighting piracy

Good objectives and Kind Intentions

once the pissing war starts, the pirates will be somewhere watching the spectacle on a lounge chair

I think the US will also be happy to take a backseat and let the rest solve their own problems

they have done a lot and got tons of criticism for it

Dalforce 1941 SG

I think the U.S will lose if their economy continues its slow growth. There will be more and more domestic protests and unrest which will cause problems in conducting an active foreign policy against China and others.

Mr Milo SG

Oh, ok

so, what will the US do?

Keep spending to prop up the economy?

Below is an article on High Energy Weapons:

http://www.ausairpower.net/APA-DEW-HEL-Analysis.html

Hitman Factory 1 SG

im developing a force shield system.......energy laser weapons are easily stopped.

alize SG

Every Singaporean forum has an idiot like sHitman.

Hitman Factory 1 SG

welll....before they invented the cars ,planes and dvd players they said the same things about the inventors who strived to build them.

well at least some folks like me are wealthy thu my own business and inventions.only idiot nin this forum i know would be alize

Hitman Factory 1 SG

had folks thought like alize...we would still be living in caves,using horses and travelling on wooden ships.

thats a mighty scary thought.

alize SG

what's worse? if everyone were like Hitman, there would be no children at all.

Hitman Factory 1 SG

what's worse? if everyone were like Hitman, there would be no children at all.

if everyone were to be like alize...planet overpopulated with people making monkey faces at one another.:)