China Wants a Big Fleet of 5 Aircraft Carriers by 2030

[Beijingwalker]

My feeling is the contest for airspace will be shouldered by land based jets. U.S n co will fly and fight from Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines while China from it's closest coastal airbase like in Fujian.

Carriers will be supporting assets, mobile air bases that move rapidly, get in, bomb, get out.

I can't imagine the carrier air wing alone is adequate for hundreds of Chinese land based aircraft and their missile salvo.

And don't forget them

350,000 fishing boats sail to Taiwan to "fish" from Fujian province

350,000 fishing boats sail to Taiwan to "fish" from Fujian province

defencepk.com

 

[ziaulislam]

The US takes about 8 years to build and commission a CVN; could China cut that down to 6 years to meet the 2030 goal, it’s possible.

If China wants to it can build it a year..it has so much capacity lying around. It has more capacity than the rest of the world combined

It's really depends upon how urgent the need is..for China it's not urgent like it s frigates or destroyers that chuned our at an incredible rate

 

[Raiden]

Anyway, ballistic missiles has been proven against moving target in Bab Mandeb campaign.

What is yet to be proven is hitting armed and defened manouvering target. Like a U.S aircraft carriers.

 

[Antonius123]

The same OP who posted this also argues (by posting) that aircraft carriers are obsolete.

Aircraft carrier is obsolete if used to project power to superpower territories, but it is not obsolete against weaker countries or to project power close to own territories like China is doing now with their aircraft carriers to guard west pacific.

 

[Nuffle]

Anyway, ballistic missiles has been proven against moving target in Bab Mandeb campaign.

What is yet to be proven is hitting armed and defened manouvering target. Like a U.S aircraft carriers.

Not just defended, but very well defended. People forget that a CSG is strongly defended by several layers of defense.

Being a guided “ballistic” missile, like the DF-21D, in addition to the hard kill mode (direct interception that aims to destroy the missile) there is also the soft kill mode, which is based on the interference of the electronic system that makes it work or offering false targets in order to trick your processor or hiding it from the seeker in some way.

Here is a list of systems of both types (hard and soft kill) possible to be implemented in a US Navy CSG (not including onboard aviation that can break China's kill chain).

Soft kill:
AN/SLQ-32 (including the newer SEWIP Block III version): active electronic jammer;
AN/SLQ-59: active electronic jammer;
AN/SLQ-62: active electronic jammer;
Mk-36 SRBOC: chaff launchers, flares, etc.;
Mk-53 Nulka: propelled active decoder system;
AN/SLQ-39: floating decapitator system;
*A few years ago a cloud of carbon particles was tested that prevents radar penetration.
** The DDG-1000 is stealth and its tiny RCS does not offer enough feedback for a small and weak missile radar.
–
Hard kill:
endoatmospheric interceptors:
SM-2 Block IV
SM-6
–
exoatmospheric interceptors:
SM-3 Block AI
SM-3 Block IIA

Not to mention that many military enthusiasts in China claim that the entire kill chain can exist relying only on satellites, what some would have us believe is that the existence of missiles like Chinese ASBMs undermines not only aircraft carriers, BUT ALL FIGHTING SHIPS IN THE WORLD ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, because it is like an irremediable death sentence, with a 100% chance of success.

If it were possible, the entire chain of events (kill chain) that leads to the launch and success of the DF-21D or DF-26 missile against an aircraft carrier from a US Navy CSG could be based in space, on satellites, and that nothing could be done by the aircraft carrier's fighters to break the kill chain, a series of defensive measures would still be possible, both soft and hard kill, with a greater or lesser probability of working.

The point is that all links in the kill chain cannot be space-based or land-based OTH radar and located thousands of kilometers, beyond the range of the carrier's fighters.

Not to mention that the first American measures in a hypothetical and unlikely war in the China Sea between the US/allies and China would be to neutralize OTH radars with Tomahawk missiles launched from submarines and/or with cruise missiles launched from the air by bombers. In the future it could be with hypersonic missiles. These radars are an important link in the ASBM kill chain and would be easy targets for Tomahawks, as they are fixed, have a known position and are gigantic.

Let's ignore the fact that a US Navy CSG has anti-satellite capabilities with its SM-3 missiles. The next link in the kill chain would be aircraft. These are the Achilles heel of the Chinese kill chain. The best thing is that they are stealth drones, which can install themselves inside the CSG's protective bubble and remain there indefinitely, despite the close surveillance of an E-2D Hawkeye.

The Americans recently installed IRSTs on their Super Hornets. If there are stealth aircraft that can operate stealthily within the bubble and they are capable of providing mid-course upgrades for reentry vehicles in the pre-terminal and/or terminal phase, there would still be means of defense for the CSG.

Conclusion: it will not be the Chinese ASBM missiles that will decree the end of a CSG's operations in areas that they believe are free from the attack aircraft of an aircraft carrier and the Tomahawks of naval surface units.

For these enthusiasts, crying is free.

 

[FuturePAF]

If China wants to it can build it a year..it has so much capacity lying around. It has more capacity than the rest of the world combined

It's really depends upon how urgent the need is..for China it's not urgent like it s frigates or destroyers that chuned our at an incredible rate

True, but they don’t want to waste resources as well, for example the Dalian shipyard is being upgraded to build super carriers (they are ready have a 360 meter by 78 meter drydock) and the Jiangnan shipyard in Shanghai can already build the Fujian.

The improvements are Huludao/Bohai shipyard’s sub production faculties have been increased to be able to make up to 20 subs at a time, but we haven’t seen china ramp up the rate beyond 3-4 subs a year.

 

[nahtanbob]

USA can certainly locate and strike any ship in the west pacific in a vaccum, but that is not the point.

After they have raked most major facilities and high value assets in their half of the pacific, and follow up air campaigns have achieved significant results, someone have to plant their boots on those smoldering ruins to make sure that they cannot be restored into working order and establish their circle lasting prescence to assert control. And that's where carriers come in.

The fact that PLAN is doubling down on building more carriers means they perceieve a need to not just contest, but to cement their victory.

3 or 10 aircraft carriers makes little difference. With the current strike capabilities the US military should wipe them out fast in all out war. China has zero to little ability to protect their fleet.

 

[nahtanbob]

Aircraft carrier is obsolete if used to project power to superpower territories, but it is not obsolete against weaker countries or to project power close to own territories like China is doing now with their aircraft carriers to guard west pacific.

I would not consider USA, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan or Australia to be weak.

 

[Beijingwalker]

3 or 10 aircraft carriers makes little difference. With the current strike capabilities the US military should wipe them out fast in all out war. China has zero to little ability to protect their fleet.

Lol, you just talk big, China can sink every single carrier you have with ease.

 

[nahtanbob]

A carrier is the enabler for a large force of aircraft to operate in a region they wouldn’t be normally able to operate in. They are the center piece of a surface action group; SAG; the carrier battle group would be more capable than just a squadron of destroyers.

Who is going to handle land based combat aircraft ?

 

[nahtanbob]

Lol, you just talk big

you should look into the mirror

 

[Beijingwalker]

I would not consider USA, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan or Australia to be weak.

LOL, big talk is easy, when would you handle Houthis?

 

[Beijingwalker]

China has zero to little ability to protect their fleet.

Lol, then why are you so scared?

China's Shipbuilding Capacity is 232 Times Greater than the United States. What Happened?​

 

[Beijingwalker]

you should look into the mirror

Who should look into the mirror? do you have enough shipyards and workers to give your ships a decent paint job?

Rusty US naval ships

 

[nahtanbob]

Lol, then why are you so scared?

China's Shipbuilding Capacity is 232 Times Greater than the United States. What Happened?​

No one is scared