INTRODUCTION
On December 17, 2019, at Sanya port, Hainan Island in the
presence of President Xi Jinping, China officially commissioned the Shandong
aircraft carrier, also known as Type 001A. This event marked a new milestone in
the strategy of developing naval power for China to become a maritime power in the
context of competing with the US in the Asia-pacific region. The Chinese are
proud of Shandong as a 100% domestic carrier, the second in China's ambitious
naval development program with a fleet of 4 to 5 aircraft carriers. Shandong - The First Chinese Domestic Carrier
Such rigorous naval modernization efforts have made observers question: China places a great emphasis on naval development strategies to counter America's containment strategy in Asia-Pacific or just deterring other countries in the region?
Jean-Pierre Cabestan, of Hong Kong Baptist University, said: “Aircraft carriers are a powerful attribute.” “It places China above regional countries and helps China boosts its presence in the South China Sea and the East China Sea.” These are also the waters where Beijing has expressed the ambition to dominate, through territorial claims in spite of international law. China's ambition to become a naval power began to form in the 1990s and 2000s, but it has become a priority since Xi Jinping came to power in 2012. Shandong - The First Chinese Domestic Carrier
HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT
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| Shandong Carrier |
Such rigorous naval modernization efforts have made observers question: China places a great emphasis on naval development strategies to counter America's containment strategy in Asia-Pacific or just deterring other countries in the region?
Jean-Pierre Cabestan, of Hong Kong Baptist University, said: “Aircraft carriers are a powerful attribute.” “It places China above regional countries and helps China boosts its presence in the South China Sea and the East China Sea.” These are also the waters where Beijing has expressed the ambition to dominate, through territorial claims in spite of international law. China's ambition to become a naval power began to form in the 1990s and 2000s, but it has become a priority since Xi Jinping came to power in 2012. Shandong - The First Chinese Domestic Carrier
HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT
Construction work on Shandong began in 2015, she was
launched in April 2017 and completed in 2018. Shandong was developed based on
the experiences that China gained from its first aircraft carrier the Liaoning.
Back to the Liaoning, this is an aircraft carrier rebuilt by China based on the
wreck of Varyag that China sought to obtain from Ukraine. Shandong and Liaoning
share the basic design elements as well as the propulsion system but they are
not completely identical. The overall dimension of Shandong is slightly larger
than its predecessor. She has a standard displacement of 55,000 tons and a full
load between 66,000 to 70,000 tons. Shandong has a length of 315 meters, a beam
of 75 meters, and a draught of about 11 meters.
DESIGN
DESIGN
Although Shandong inherited the design features from the
cousin of soft class, the architectural parts have been improved. Drawing on
experience from the first aircraft carrier, Shandong has a wider aircraft deck
and less sweeping at the leading edges. The entire width of the runway at the
portside is also significantly longer. The superstructure part of the
air-traffic tower is similar to that in Liaoning but more compact, helping to
free up more space. For the aircraft, the ship's superstructure is built in two
parts: the nine-deck forward half, containing the bridge and mainmast. The
other half is at the aft, with the funnel and air intakes. Shandong - The First Chinese Domestic Carrier
Shandong still retains
the ski jump at a 12-degree angle. The electromagnetic aircraft Launch System is used to launch naval aircraft from the deck. While the Liaoning has only two
rectangular elevators arranged along the starboard. Shandong is designed with
three bell-shaped elevators to make the ship's activities more flexible. Basically, Shandong is an improved version of the previously Liaoning with dimensions
comparable to the U.S Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carrier.
ENGINE
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| Shandong Carrier |
ENGINE
The Chinese have invested heavily in the development of
aircraft carriers in recent years, but the technology they have is not
sufficient to produce nuclear aircraft carriers. The propulsion system is
provided by steam turbines from eight boilers, driving four propellers,
producing a total capacity of 200,000 horsepower. In addition, she is also
equipped with turbine and diesel generators to provide power for onboard activities.
Shandong can reach a maximum speed of 31 knots. Because there is no nuclear energy like the American carriers, her ability to operate is worse, depends on refueling.
The operating range of Shandong is 14,000 nautical miles at an economic cruising speed of 14 knots. The ship can operate at sea for 90 consecutive days without support from auxiliary ships, a crew including about 2,000 men. The carrier is designed to carry around 50 aircraft, including helicopters and fixed-wing planes. Shandong will operate the Shenyang J-15 carrier-based fighter aircraft, the Z-18 medium transport helicopter, and the Harbin Z-9 utility helicopter.
SELF PROTECTION
The operating range of Shandong is 14,000 nautical miles at an economic cruising speed of 14 knots. The ship can operate at sea for 90 consecutive days without support from auxiliary ships, a crew including about 2,000 men. The carrier is designed to carry around 50 aircraft, including helicopters and fixed-wing planes. Shandong will operate the Shenyang J-15 carrier-based fighter aircraft, the Z-18 medium transport helicopter, and the Harbin Z-9 utility helicopter.
SELF PROTECTION
In terms of weapons, Shandong is equipped with three HHQ-10
surface-to-air missile systems, also known as FL-3000N. The HHQ-10 is similar
in design to the American RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile System. HHQ-10 is a
24 cell launcher developed from the TY,-90 air-to-air missiles. The HHQ-10 can
reach a maximum speed of Mach 2, an effective range of 500 meters to 9 kilometers, and only 6 kilometers for supersonic targets. The HHQ-10 missile use is a
combined guidance system that incorporates both passive radio frequency
guidance and imaging infrared guidance. The system is usually fully automatic
without human intervention, but the manual operation can be inserted when needed. A
total of 54 HHQ-10 are carried. Shandong - The First Chinese Domestic Carrier
Shandong as close-in weapon system is Type
1130 systems. Type 1130 is a further development of Type 730, it also appeared
on the Liaoning aircraft carrier. The type 1130 is a Chinese 11-barreled 30
millimeters Gatling gun close-in weapon system. It has a reported rate of
11,000 rounds per minute. There are two ammunition drums each contains 640
rounds.
INTENTION FOR THIS CARRIER
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| HHQ-10 |
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| Type 730 |
INTENTION FOR THIS CARRIER
With the new aircraft carrier, it is clear that China wants
to be ready for a clear, strong, and lasting presence in the seas where it
wants to gain control to protect its ships, especially the tankers for them
from the Middle East. To prevent Beijing's ambition, the United States recently
dispatched warships to the South China Sea area, close to disputed islands,
even into Taiwanese waters. Such moves are viewed by Beijing as provocative
and threatening. According to Chinese military scholars, the new aircraft
carrier is a great help to preserve sovereignty, territorial integrity, and
national security against threats from the US Navy.
FUTURE CARRIERS
FUTURE CARRIERS
With Shandong, Beijing already has two aircraft carriers and
continues to build a third, fourth, or fifth to serve its ambition to become a
military power. Their goal is not to compete with the US but to dominate other
countries in the region, especially with Japan and South Korea, then two
countries in Southeast Asia. Military experts agree that China will take at
least ten more years for the Navy to fill the gap in modern combat experience
with the aircraft carrier fleet. The immediate challenge for the Chinese Navy
is to train enough Navy Air Force pilots to be able to take-off and land on
aircraft carriers. They also need to build warship groups to coordinate with the aircraft carrier.
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