China’s aircraft carrier “Shandong”: only weaknesses stand out!
-Four years after her commissioning, ship take-off and landing training in Guam
2023/05/29 According to the article posted on chosunonline
There is a limit to the launch of the ski-jump system, and concerns about fuel shortages have arisen.
Exercise area announced by the Chinese military (image)
China’s first indigenous aircraft carrier “Shandong”:
Since commissioning in 2019, it has never advanced to the Western Pacific.
From April 8th to 10th, Taiwan siege training was conducted in the sea 370km east of Taiwan.
After training in Taiwan, I headed southeast.
Training in Guam West Sea:
Over the course of a week, we conducted 140 take-off and landing exercises for J15 carrier-based aircraft.
It is a drill to cut off the Taiwan support route in the event of a Taiwan emergency.
First aircraft carrier Liaoning commissioned:
In 2012, China commissioned its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, after converting the Ukrainian aircraft carrier Varyag.
Load capacity of the second ship “Shandong”:
The Shandong is China’s first domestically built aircraft carrier.
The island on the deck has been reduced, and the number of fighters and loads has been increased.
Under the flight deck, carrier-based aircraft are installed.
Liaoning carried 24 J15 fighters. Shandong, on the other hand, can carry 36 aircraft.
Weaknesses of the ski jump method:
The “jumping table that tilts 12 degrees and launches the carrier-based aircraft” is still used.
“The biggest weakness of the jump table” is that “the weight of the ship-based aircraft and launch weight is greatly restricted”.
If you are an aircraft carrier with a short runway and only a jump pad, you can only use a light aircraft.
It cannot carry a large amount of weapons or fuel, and cannot use early warning aircraft or electronic warfare aircraft.
Comparing carrier combat capabilities, the number of sorties of Chinese carriers is one-sixth that of U.S. carriers.
Advantages of the electromagnetic catapult system:
The US aircraft carrier solved this problem with an electromagnetic catapult.
Uses a catapult that can rapidly accelerate to 250 km/h with electromagnetic energy.
Maximum launch weight of carrier-based aircraft:
The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan has a maximum launch weight of 45 tons. The maximum launch weight of carrier-based aircraft in Shandong, China is 28 tons.
As fuel and armament decrease, operational radius decreases and combat power decreases.
Restrictions on the number of sorties:
During training in Guam, the Shandong dispatched fighters an average of 20 times a day.
Compared to “Nimitz, the average number of sorties per day is about 120 times”, it is one-sixth.
Restrictions on sailing period:
“Shandong” uses diesel engines instead of nuclear propulsion.
However, she only has 15 days of operation on her own fuel, and only 7 days of actual operation.
US nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, on the other hand, can operate without refueling for several years.
Limitations on refueling:
China’s carrier fleet is followed by supply ships behind the task force.
In December last year, Liaoning received refueling four times from a replenishment ship during a training exercise in the waters of Guam.
-Chosun Online Chosun Ilbo
https://www.chosunonline.com/site/data/html_dir/2023/05/29/2023052980010.html