User:Rincewind42/sandbox/Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning

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History
China
Namelist error: <br /> list (help)
CV-16 Liaoning
(Chinese: 中国人民解放军海军辽宁舰)
NamesakeLiaoning Province, China
OwnerPeople's Liberation Army Navy
Builderlist error: <br /> list (help)
Nikolayev South
Original designer: Nevskoye Planning and Design Bureau
Fit-out:Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company
Laid downDecember 6, 1985
LaunchedDecember 4, 1988
Completed2011
CommissionedSeptember 25, 2012
StatusIn active service
General characteristics Liaoning as of 2011
Class and typeType-001 Aircraft Carrier
Displacementlist error: <br /> list (help)
57,000 metric tons (63,000 short tons) (standard)[1]
67,500 metric tons (74,400 short tons) (fully loaded)[1]
Lengthlist error: <br /> list (help)
Captain 304 m (997 ft) (length)[1]
[convert: invalid number] (waterline)[1]
Beam70.54 m (231.4 ft)[1]
Draft10.5 m (34 ft)[1]
Propulsion4 4 steam turbine shaft 200000 horsepower[1]
Speed29 to 31 knots[1]
Complement2100 plus 500 airforce staff[1]
Sensors and
processing systems		list error: <br /> list (help)
Type 382 Sea Eagle 3D Air Search Radar
Type H/LJG-346(8) Shipborn Active Phased Array Rarar (SAPAR)
Electronic warfare
& decoys		4 x Decoy/Chaff (24 barrels ea)
Armamentlist error: <br /> list (help)
3 x 18 cell FL-3000N (54 missiles)

3 x 30mm Type 1130 CIWS

2 x 240mm ASW launchers (10 barrels ea)
Aircraft carriedlist error: <br /> list (help)
40 ~ 70 aircraft[1] including:

26 Shenyang J-15[2][3]
18 Ka-27[2][3]

4 Ka-31 (Z-8)[2][3]
Notes[1]

[2]

[3]
Flight deck: 300 m by 70 m
Flight deck width: 70 m
Hanger: 152 m by 26m by 7m

Liaoning (16) (Chinese: 中国人民解放军海军辽宁舰; pinyin: Zhōngguó Rénmín Jiěfàngjūn Hǎijūn Liáoníng Jiàn), is the first Type-001 aircraft carrier[4] (Chinese: 001型航母; pinyin: 001 Xíng hángmǔ)[5] of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). The ship, whose home port is Qingdao in Shandong province, is principally a training and testing platform for future Chinese aircraft carriers. It was commissioned by the PLAN on September 25, 2011[6] when the name, hull number and type were announced for the first time.[7] The name Liaoning comes for Liaoning province in the Northeast of China, where the ship was fitted out.

The Liaoning was originally intended as a aircraft carrier for the USSR navy. I was laid down in a Ukranian ship yard just before the USSR broke up. The ship was then named the Riga (Russian: июня) and was designative Project 1142.6 (Russian: Проект 1143.6; NATO reporting name: Admiral Kuznetsov class). She was launched on December 4, 1988. In 1990, the unfinished ship was renamed Varyag (Russian: Варяг).

With the breakup of the USSR in 1991, the Varyag languished in the Ukrainian shipyard for the best part of the decade. In 1998, the Varyag was stripped for her engines and armament and sold to a Chinese firm, with the purpose of being converted into a floating casino off the coast of Macau. The empty hulk was transported to China but the casino deal fell through and the ship was eventually docked in the north-eastern port of Dalian where she remained for another decade.

In 2010, the news and media began reporting that work on the Varyag had been started. Rumors circulated in the press that the Chinese were fitting the ex-USSR hulk out as a aircraft carrier. The ship was completed in mid 2011 and after sea trials was commissioned by the PLAN. At the same time, China revealed prototype versions of their new J-15 carrier based fighter aircraft. Senior PLAN staff stated that the new ship, now renamed the Liaoning 16 would be a testing and development platform for training PLAN personnel, air crews and developing carrier based naval tactics.

Proposed outline[edit]

History[edit]

  • USSR project 1142.6
  • Launch 1988
  • Renamed Varyag 1990
  • Ukrainian shipyard
  • Stripped of engines and armament
  • Sale to Chinese firm
  • Transporting
  • Bosporus issue
  • Greek island near disaster
  • Suez canal issue
  • Toed round Africa
  • Macau casino failed
  • Transport and docking in Dalain
  • Rumours of work starting
  • Sandblasting and painting
  • Dry dock
  • Sea trials
  • Commissioning
  • First flights
  • Transfer to Qingdao home port
  • Foreign reactions

Description[edit]

  • Original USSR specifications
  • Liaoning specifications and facilities
  • Crew and training
  • Air compliment

Liaoning (16) (Chinese: 中国人民解放军海军辽宁舰; pinyin: Zhōngguó Rénmín Jiěfàngjūn Hǎijūn Liáoníng Jiàn), is the first aircraft carrier commissioned into the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).[8] Originally laid down as the Admiral Kuznetsov class multirole aircraft carrier Riga for the Soviet Navy, she was launched on December 4, 1988 and renamed Varyag in 1990. The stripped hulk was purchased in 1998 by the People's Republic of China and towed to Dalian Shipyard in north eastern China. After being completely rebuilt and undergoing sea trials, the ship was commissioned into the PLAN as Liaoning on September 25, 2012.[8][9]

History[edit]

The Liaoning ship has spent a piece of its' near-30 year life with the Soviet, Russian,Ukranian, and now, Chinese navies.[citation needed]

Origin[edit]

Design of the carrier was undertaken by the Nevskoye Planning and Design Bureau.[10] The ship was laid down as Riga at Shipyard 444(now Nikolayev South) in Mykolaiv, Ukraine on December 6, 1985.[11][12]Launched on December 4, 1988, the carrier was renamed Varyag (Varangian) in late 1990, after the famousRussian cruiser.

Construction had ceased by 1992, with the ship structurally complete but without electronics. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, ownership was transferred to Ukraine; the ship was laid up, unmaintained, and then stripped. By early 1998, she lacked engines, a rudder, much of her operating systems, and was put up for auction.[13]

The hulk of the carrier was purchased from Ukraine in 1998 under the pretext it would be used as a floating casino, and towed to China.[14]

She has since been refitted by the PLAN as an aircraft carrier for "scientific research, experiment and training."[15]

Soviet and post-Soviet role[edit]

While designated an aircraft carrier by the West, the design of the Admiral Kuznetsov class implied a mission different from carriers of the United States Navy, Royal Navy or French Navy. The Russian-language term used by her builders to describe the Soviet-era ships is "тяжёлый авианесущий крейсер" tyazholiy avianesushchiy kreyser(TAKR or TAVKR)—“heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser”—intended to support and defend strategic missile-carrying submarines, surface ships, and maritime missile-carrying aircraft of the Russian fleet. As such, the Soviet Union and later Russia argued that these ships are not aircraft carriers under the Montreux Convention and not subject to the tonnage limits imposed on these ships in traveling through the Bosphorus.[16][17]

Fixed-wing aircraft on the other ship of the class, Admiral Kuznetsov, are essentially constrained to air superiority operations. Were Varyag to have become operational with the Soviet, Ukrainian, or Russian Navy, it would have also carried out anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations, as well as carrying anti-ship missiles.

Sold at auction[edit]

In April 1998, Ukrainian Trade Minister Roman Shpek announced the winning bid of US$20 million from Chong Lot Travel Agency Ltd., a small company based in Hong Kong. They proposed to tow Varyag out of the Black Sea, through the Suez Canal and around southern Asia to Macau, where they would moor the ship and convert it into a floating hotel and gambling parlor.[12] It would be similar to the attractions Kiev in Tianjin and Minsk at Minsk World in Shenzhen.

Before the auction was closed, officials in Macau had warned Chong Lot that they would not be permitted to berthVaryagin the harbor. The sale was carried out anyway. Chong Lot is owned by Chin Luck (Holdings) Company of Hong Kong. Four of Chin Luck's six board members live in Yantai, China, where a major Chinese Navy shipyard is located. Chin Luck's chairman is a former career military officer with the People's Liberation Army.[12]

Towed to China[edit]

Varyag under tow in İstanbul.

In mid-2000, the Dutch International Transport Contractors tugboat Suhaili with a Filipino crew was hired to takeVaryag under tow. Chong Lot could not get permission from Turkey to transit the dangerous Bosphorusstrait; under the Montreux Treaty of 1936 Turkey has obligations to permit free passage, but has certain sovereignty and refusal rights. The hulk spent 16 months under commercial tow circling in the Black Sea. High-level PRC government ministers conducted negotiations in Ankara on Chong Lot's behalf, offering to allow Chinese tourists to visit cash-strapped Turkey if the travel agency's ship were allowed to pass through the straits. On November 1, 2001, Turkey finally relented from its position that the vessel posed too great of a danger to the bridges of Istanbul, and allowed the transit.[citation needed]

Varyag was escorted by twenty-seven vessels, including eleven tug boats and three pilot boats, and took six hours to transit the strait; most large ships take an hour and a half. The Russian press reported that sixteen pilots and 250 seamen were involved.[citation needed] At 11:45 a.m. on November 2, the hulk completed its passage and made forGallipoli and Çanakkale at 5.8 knots (10.7 km/h; 6.7 mph). It passed through the Dardanelleswithout incident.[18]

The Varyag on July 3, 2011, in Dalian, China

On November 3, Varyag was caught in a force 9 gale and broke adrift while passing the Greek island ofSkyros. Sea rescue workers tried to re-capture the hulk, which was drifting toward the island ofEuboea. The seven-member crew (three Russians, three Ukrainians and one Filipino) remained on board as six tugboats tried to reestablish their tow. After many failed attempts to reattach the lines, a Greek coast guard rescue helicopter landed on Varyag and picked up four of the seven crew. One tug managed to make a line fast to the ship later in the day, but high winds severely hampered efforts by two other tugs to secure the ship. On November 6, Aries Lima (reported as both Dutch and Portuguese), a sailor from the tug Haliva Champion, died after a fall while attempting to reattach the tow lines. On November 7, the hulk was taken back under tow and progress resumed at about three knots.[citation needed]

The Suez Canal does not permit passage of "dead" ships — those without their own on-board power source —so the hulk was towed through the Strait of Gibraltar, around the Cape of Good Hope, and through the Straits of Malacca. The tugs towing the hulk maintained an average speed of 6 knots (11 km/h) over the15,200-nautical-mile (28,200 km) journey, calling for bunkers and supplies at Piraeus, Greece; Las Palmas, Canary Islands; Maputo, Mozambique; and Singapore en route. They entered Chinese waters on February 20, 2002, and arrived March 3 at Dalian Shipyard in northeastern China. China continued to assert thatVaryag would be a casino. When Macau awarded new casino licenses in February 2002, Chong Lot was not among successful bidders. The hulk was tied up at Dalian. The total cost of acquiring the hulk was over US$30 million: US$25 million to the Ukrainian government for the hull, nearly US$500,000 in transit fees, and some US$5 million for the towing.[citation needed]

Modernization and refit[edit]

In 2008, Robert Karniol, the Asia editor of Jane's Defence Weekly, said: "The Chinese haven't seen this type of carrier before and it could be very useful to them. They are trying to vacuum up as much know-how as they can".[19] Liu Huaqing, a senior admiral of the PLAN and proponent of naval modernization, has spoken of the 21st century as the "century of the sea" and called for naval modernization over several decades.[8] At the same time, there has been resistance within the PLAN towards Liu Huaqing's vision for an extensive Chinese navy, leading to constant debates between developing aircraft carriers andsubmarines.[8]

The Varyag was moved in early June 2005 to a dry dock at Dalian (38°56′06″N 121°36′51″E / 38.935°N 121.6141°E / 38.935; 121.6141 (Varyag)). Her hull was sandblasted and scaffolding erected around her. Her islandwas painted in a red marine primer that is used to treat corroded metal. On October 24, 2006, the Kommersant online daily newspaper reported that Russia planned to sell up to 50 Su-33 fighters to China through Rosoboronexport, in a $2.5 billion deal. In March 2009 Moskovskij Komsomolets reported that these negotiations had collapsed over Russian fears that China might begin producing cheaper export versions of the Su-33 with Chinese avionics and systems, undercutting Russian exports, in the same way as with the J-11B (Chinese version of the Su-27).[20]

Jane's Fighting Ships had previously stated that the ship would possibly be named Shi Lang and assignedpennant number 83. Jane's noted that both the name and pennant number were unconfirmed. Shi Lang was a Ming-Qing Dynasty admiral who defeated Koxinga's descendants' navy and conquered Taiwan in 1681.[21] Jane's Navy International noted in October 2007 that "refurbishment work and fitting out is continuing and the vessel is expected to begin initial sea trials in 2008".[22] At the end of 2008, the Asahi Shimbun reported that the carrier was "nearing completion".[23] On April 27, 2009 the carrier was reported to have been moved into another dry dock, "apparently to install engines and other heavy equipment".[24] A new radar mast was installed on the superstructure by December 15, 2009.[25]

In 2009, at the Wuhan Naval Research facilities near Huangjia Lake in the southwestern suburbs of Wuhan, the PLAN constructed a full scale logistics and training deck and island mockup.[26][27]

Sensors that have been observed are Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) and Sea Eagle radar. Weapons observed have been the Type 1030 CIWS, and the FL-3000N missile system. It has also been observed that the old anti-ship missile tubes have been plugged and will not be used, thus freeing up more internal space for hangar or storage use. Russia plans to do the same when it modernizes its sister ship Kuznetsov.[28] The Kamov Ka-31 has been confirmed as purchased and operational with the PLAN, and may form the Airborne early warning and control basis for the ship's air wing.[29]

On June 8, 2011, the Chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army, Gen. Chen Bingde confirmed that Beijing was building an aircraft carrier, marking the first acknowledgement of the ship's existence from China's armed forces. He said that the refurbished Soviet carrier "is being built, but has not been completed." The ship would be used for training and as a model for a future indigenously-built ship. Qi Jianguo, assistant to the chief of the PLA's general staff said "All of the great nations in the world own aircraft carriers —they are symbols of a great power."[30] On July 27, 2011, the Chinese Defense Ministry announced it was refitting the vessel for "scientific research, experiment and training."[15]

Sea trials and handover[edit]

Wikinews has related news:

On 10 August 2011, the ex-Varyag began sea trials. An RSIS analyst noted that China still had a long way to go to make it operational, but was determined to do so.[31] On 15 August 2011, she docked in Dalian, completing its first four-day sea trial.[32] On 29 November 2011 the carrier left port for its second set of trials.[33][34] In December 2011 the ship was photographed by satellite while undertaking sea trials.[35] The carrier completed its eighth sea trial between 7 June and 21 June 2012 and returned to Dalian. In July 2012, the ship set out for the longest sea trials so far, 25 days, and there was speculation that this would have involved testing the launching and recovery of aircraft.[36]

According to the China Times, the carrier completed sea trials in early August 2012 and loaded Shenyang J-15aircraft and KJ-88, YJ-83K, and YJ-91 missiles in preparation for weapons systems trials.[37]Reuters analysis suggests the role of the ship will be mostly training and evaluation ahead of the building of domestic carriers, with only a limited operational role. Flight control software, avionics, weapons and radars remain to be developed. Reuters reports PLA officers stating the carrier is far from operational with extensive further trials and exercises required.[38]

On 23 September 2012, the aircraft carrier was handed over to the People's Liberation Army Navy, and was commissioned on 25 September 2012.[8][39] Currently, there is no official confirmation on any operational aircraft on the carrier,[40] however some aircraft were identified inside the hangars according to a Chinese news report.[41] Further, a Chinese Navy pilot successfully landed his J-15 jet fighter on the carrier deck, performing an arrested landing with a tailhook.[42][43][44] At the commissioning ceremony, the carrier was officially namedLiaoning.[8][45] The ship was named in honour of the Liaoning province, in which she was retrofitted.[8][46]

On 26 December 2012, the People's Daily reported that it will take 4 to 5 years for the Liaoning to reach full capacity, mainly due to training and coordination which will take significant amount of time for Chinese PLA Navy to complete as this is the first aircraft carrier in their possession. [47]

As it is a training ship, the Liaoning is not assigned to any of China's operation fleets.[48]

Aircraft handling[edit]

On 4 November 2012, it was described in an article on the PLA official newspaper PLA Daily(Chinese: 解放军报; pinyin: Jiěfàngjūn bào) that J-15s had performed carrier touch-and-go training.[49][50] On 25 November 2012, Chinese media announced that five J-15s had made successful arrested landings on theLiaoning.[51][52][53] The first pilot to land on the Liaoning was revealed to be Dai Mingmeng (Chinese: 戴明盟; pinyin: Dài Míngméng).[54]

In June 2013, a second round of flight tests began on board the Liaoning, with personnel from the fleet air arm of the Brazilian Navy providing carrier training support to the Chinese Navy.[55][failed verification] Five Chinese pilots were certified the next month for carrier operations.[56]

The U.S. Department of Defense notes that the J-15 will have below normal range and armament when operating from the carrier, due to limits imposed by the ski-jump takeoff and arrested carrier landings.[57]

Bibliography[edit]

History[edit]

[58]

[59]

Soviet Background[edit]

The ships construction was originally part of the USSR's desire to build a aircraft carrier based navy. Stalin had initiated plans that the post war fleet rebuilding of the 1940's should include aircraft carriers these did not come to fruition. According to Norman Polmar, Nikita Khrushchev, who was Stalin's successor, wrote: "Aircraft carriers, of course, are the second most effective weapon in a modern navy (after submarines). I'll admit, I felt a nagging desire to have some in our own navy, but we couldn't afford to build them. They were simply beyond our means."[60]. It was not until the 1980's that the USSR would construct it's first aircraft carriers, the Kiev-class, of which four were built under the Soviet project 1143. The design of the Kiev-class ships limited the type of aircraft that could be used to those with vertical/short take-off and landing (VSTOL) capability as the ships had no catapult nor ski-jump launchers nor arrester wires for landing.[61]

Following on from the experience of the Kiev-class, the USSR started projects 1143.5 and 1143.6. These would become the Admiral K-class aircraft carriers. This new class was to be conventionally powered with ski jumps to assist take-off and arrester wires for landing. In the late 1980's, the Soviets also started planning project 1143.7 which was to be a significantly larger, nuclear powered aircraft carrier with catapults and arrestor wires. However, in 1991, the USSR broke up. Only the first of these ships, the Admiral K, had been completed and commissioned into the Soviet fleet. The fate of the other projects was uncertain.[61]

[62]

[59]

USSR project 1143.6[edit]

The ship that would later become the Liaoning started life as Project 1143.6.[63] Design of the carrier was undertaken by the Nevskoye Planning and Design Bureau. The ship was laid down at Nikolayev South Shipyard (formerly Shipyard 444) in Mykolaiv, Ukraine on December 6, 1985.[64][11][12] She was launched on December 4, 1988.[65] The ship was initially given the name Riga but this was later changed to Varyag (Varangian) in late 1990—a name that has been used on several Russian and Soviet naval ships including with the famous Russian cruiser Varyag of 1899.[66] The NATO reporting name for the class was derived from the Varyag's sister ship the Admiral Kuznetsov.[67]

During construction, there was some confusion over the clasification of the new ship. During an interview form Pravda on Octover 19, 1989, Admiral Chernavin made reference to the ship as an "aircraft carrier". On Ocotber 22, Pravda published and article starting that the previous article had been incorrect as the ship should be classed as a "heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser". The issue at hand was of restrictions within the Montreaux Convention of 1936 that would prevent an aircraft carrier form passing through the Turkish Straits or the Bospherus to exit the Black Sea.[68]


The USSR broke up in 1991 and the new Russian armed forces were left short of finances. The Russian Dfence Ministry stopped funding the Varyag carrier project in late 1991. The unfinished hulk was handed over the Ukranian ship yard.[59]

Sale to Chinese firm[edit]

Background to Chinese purchase[edit]

[69]

[70]

[71]

[72]

[73]

[74]

[75]

The purchase itself[edit]

[76]

[77]

[78]

[79]

[59]

Transporting[edit]

Bosporus issue[edit]

[69]

[80]

[81]

[82]

[83]

[84]

[79]

[59]

Greek island near disaster[edit]

[85]

[86]

[87]

Suez canal issue[edit]

[69]

[82]

[59]

Towed round Africa[edit]

[69]

[59]

Macau casino failed[edit]

[88]

Transport and docking in Dalain[edit]

[69]

[76]

[81]

[82]

[89]

In China[edit]

Renamed Shi Lang[edit]

[90]

Rumours of work starting[edit]

[89]

[91]

[69]

[92]

Sandblasting and painting[edit]

[59]

[62]

[64]

Dry dock[edit]

[59]

Sea trials[edit]

[59]

[64]

[93]

[94]


Commissioning[edit]

[7]

[6]

[5]

[4]

[95] [96]

First flights[edit]
Transfer to Qingdao home port[edit]
Foreign reactions[edit]

Description[edit]

Original USSR specifications[edit]

[65]

[97]

Liaoning specifications and facilities[edit]

[1] [2]

[3]

Crew and training[edit]

Air compliment[edit]

Future carriers[edit]

[98]

[99]

[58]

[100]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "国防部：中方披露航母信息与当前南海局势无关" (in Simplified Chinese). CCTV News. July 27, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e "中国首艘航母详细参数曝光" (in Simplified Chinese). military.china.com. July 21, 2011. Archived from the original on November 18, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Overview of the new Chinese, PLAN Aircraft Carrier". defencetalk.com. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Video: 001-type aircraft carriers pay access out ceremony (视频: 001型航空母舰交接入列仪式)" (in Simplified Chinese). CCTV 13. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Ceremony signage displays "Liaoning ship" internal model is "Type 001 aircraft." (仪式标牌显示"辽宁舰"内部型号是"001型航母")" (in Simplified Chinese). finance.jrj.com.cn. September 26, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  6. ^ a b "001-type aircraft, commisioning ceremony (001型航母入列儀式傳遞話外強音)" (in Simplified Chinese). china.com. September 28, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Official media for the first time exposure of first Type 001 aircraft carrier ship in photos (官媒首次曝光我国首艘001型航母舰上舰内照)" (in Simplified Chinese). news.sina.com.cn. September 25, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Chang, Felix K. (October 2012). "MAKING WAVES: DEBATES BEHIND CHINA'S FIRST AIRCRAFT CARRIER" (PDF). FOREIGN POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE. p. 6. Retrieved October 24, 2012. Cite error: The named reference "Liaoning carrier Sept 2012" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Chinese Navy (PLAN) Liaoning Aircraft Carrier Set Sails For Sea Trials". November 26, 2013.[self-published source?]
  10. ^ "Aircraft Carrier Varyag". Russiafile.com. Retrieved May 9, 2011. [dead link]
  11. ^ a b Rochlin, G. I; La Porte, T. R; Roberts, H, "The Self-Designing High-Reliability Organization: Aircraft Carrier Flight Operations at Sea", Naval War College Review, vol. LI, no. Autumn, 1987, number 3, Footnote 39, archived from the original on December 13, 2006 Cite error: The named reference "nwcr_flightops" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  12. ^ a b c d Storey, I; Ji, Y, China's Aircraft Carrier Ambitions: Seeking Truth from Rumors, vol. 57, Naval War College Review, archived from the original on December 12, 2006 Cite error: The named reference "nwrc_winter2004_china_ambitions" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  13. ^ "Comparison of Chinese Aircraft Carrier Liaoning and Indian INS Vikrant". The World Reporter. 25 August 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2013. [better source needed]
  14. ^ "China's aircraft-carrier: Name and purpose to be determined". The economist. 2011-08-11. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  15. ^ a b Li Gang (July 27, 2011). "China refitting aircract carrier body for research, training". Xinhua. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  16. ^ 14 San Diego L. Rev. 681 (1976-1977) Kiev and the Montreux Convention: The Aircraft Carrier That Became a Cruiser to Squeeze through the Turkish Straits; Froman, F. David
  17. ^ "The Tbilist and the Montreux Convention". Osaarchivum.org. Retrieved December 8, 2011. [dead link]
  18. ^ Jonathan Eyal (July 16, 2011). "China Aircraft Carrier Dreams". Straits Times. [self-published source?]
  19. ^ PLA Navy announces to recruit fighter pilot for its first Aircraft CarrierChinese Military Power Mashup article, September 10, 2008 [self-published source?]
  20. ^ Sukhoi Su-33 "Navy Flanker" Milavia article on the Su-33[self-published source?]
  21. ^ Saunders, Stephen (editor) (2007). Jane's Fighting Ships Vol. 110, 2007-2008. Coulsdon: Jane’s Information Group. p. 122. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  22. ^ Jon Rosamond, 'China completes joint exercise with UK aircraft carrier,' Jane's Navy International, November 2007, p.6
  23. ^ Minemura, Kenji (December 31, 2008), China to start construction of 1st aircraft carriers next year, Asahi Shimbun, archived from the original on May 26, 2009
  24. ^ "Chinese Carrier Goes Into Dry Dock". Strategypage.com. May 14, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2011. [self-published source?]
  25. ^ "Naval Air: An Important Varyag Update". Strategypage.com. December 17, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2011. [self-published source?]
  26. ^ "The Rising Sea Dragon In Asia Varyag Transformation". Jeffhead.com. February 4, 2011. Retrieved May 9, 2011.
  27. ^ Forsythe., Michael (October 20, 2009), Watching Beijing's Air Power Grow, The New York Times [self-published source?]
  28. ^ the carrier: new look of Admiral Kuznetsov
  29. ^ "Surveillance Aircraft". Chinese Military Aviation. Retrieved March 26, 2011. [dead link]
  30. ^ "China aircraft carrier confirmed by general". BBC News. June 8, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
  31. ^ Bitzinger, Richard A; Mitchell, Paul T (May 6, 2011), Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag: Shape of things to come? (PDF), RSIS Commentaries, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS)
  32. ^ "China's first aircraft carrier completes sea trial". Xinhua News Agency. August 15, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  33. ^ "China's first aircraft carrier starts second trial". MaritimeSecurity.Asia. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  34. ^ AFP (November 30, 2011). "China's first aircraft carrier starts 2nd trial | World". Manilatimes.net. Retrieved December 15, 2011. [dead link]
  35. ^ Agencies. "US satellite snaps China's first aircraft carrier at sea | World news | guardian.co.uk". Guardian. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  36. ^ Yang, Jian (July 12, 2012). "J-15 jets on deck as carrier sets off on longest sea trials". Shanghai Daily. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  37. ^ China Times, "China's First Aircraft Carrier Ready To Enter Service: Report", August 6, 2012 [title incomplete]
  38. ^ David Lague (August 29, 2012). "Analysis - China's aircraft carrier: in name only". Reuters. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  39. ^ China’s Navy passes first aircraft-carrier into service
  40. ^ first aircraft carrier enters service
  41. ^ Reporter visited China's first aircraft carrier
  42. ^ China conducts first landing on aircraft carrier, AFP News, November 25, 2012
  43. ^ Jet fighter J-15 successfully lands on Liaoning
  44. ^ J-15 landing on the carrier is the real starting point for the Chinese aircraft carrier projects
  45. ^ SpaceWar.com,"China's Liaoning carrier enters service",UPI, September 27, 2012
  46. ^ Pang Li (September 10, 2012). "China to name its first aircraft carrier 'Liaoning'". China.org.cn.
  47. ^ "Liaoning aircraft carrier will reach full capacity in 4-5 years". AirForceWorld.com. Dec 26, 2012.
  48. ^ [Waldron, Greg (24 April 2013). "Chinese officer hints at country's big aircraft carrier plans". Flight International. FlightGlobal. Retrieved April 24, 2013.]
  49. ^ "滑跃14°：中国海军起飞的仰角". 解放军报 (in Chinese). Beijing. 4 November 2012.
  50. ^ "解放军报还原中国航母舰载机触舰复飞瞬间（图）". 中国新闻网 (in Chinese). Beijing. 4 November 2012.
  51. ^ "J-15 successfully landed on China's carrier Liaoning". Xinhua English. Beijing. 25 November 2012.
  52. ^ "More photos of the two J-15's landing and taking off on Liaoning". 新华网 (in Chinese). Beijing. 25 November 2012.
  53. ^ "Jets land on China's 1st aircraft carrier". China Daily. 26 November 2012.
  54. ^ "IN BRIEF (Page 2)". China Daily. 30 November 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  55. ^ "China Carrier Starts Second Round of Jet Tests". USNI News. United States Naval Institute. June 19, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2013. The Chinese are being trained in carrier aviation —the most complicated military aviation operations — by a cadre of Brazilian carrier pilots.
  56. ^ "China certifies first aircraft carrier pilots."
  57. ^ Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People.s Republic of China 2013 (PDF) (Report). Office of the Secretary of Defense. 2013. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  58. ^ a b "x" (in Simplified Chinese). {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help) Cite error: The named reference "x" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  59. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "CHINA'S FIRST AIRCRAFT CARRIER - Its Background". CCTV News. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  60. ^ Polmar, Norman (1991). The Naval Institute Guide to the Soviet Navy. Naval Institute Press,. p. 49. ISBN 9780870212413. Retrieved January 18, 2014. The fleet rebuilding that Stalin initiated in the late 1940's was to include aircraft carriers, but none were laid down. Even after the halt of Stalin's shipbuilding project in 1953, Nikita Khrushchev, his successor, wrote in his purportedmemoirs: "Aircraft carriers, of course, are the second most effective weapon in a modern navy (after submarines). I'll admit, I felt a nagging desire to have some in our own navy, but we couldn't afford to build them. They were simply beyond our means." {{cite book}}: line feed character in |quote= at position 121 (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  61. ^ a b Norman, Polmar (1991). The Naval Institute Guide to the Soviet Navy. Naval Institute Press,. p. 47. ISBN 9780870212413. Retrieved January 18, 2014. Soviet Navy's air arm is continuing to increase the numbers of aircraft and aviation ships while improving quantitatively. The Soviet Navy's interest in sea based aviation is now personified by two MOSKVA-class helicopter cruisers, the four KIEV-class ships capable of operating vertical/short take-off and landing (VSTOL) aircraft, and the first full deck carrier, ADMIRAL K (ex-TBILISI), which incidentally went to sea in 1989. At least two other aircraft carriers are under construction.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  62. ^ a b Zhang Jingya (July 27, 2011). "Aircraft carrier Varyag's past and now" (in Simplified Chinese). CCTV.com. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  63. ^ Bishop, Chris; Chris, Chant (2004). Aircraft Carriers: The World's Greatest Naval Vessels and Their Aircraft. Zenith Imprint. p. 88. ISBN 9780760320051. Retrieved January 18, 2014. Construction of a sister ship (Project 1143.6), initially named the Riga and later named Varyag, started in December 1985 at Nikolayev and the ship was launched in November 1988. Late in 1991 the Russian Defence Ministry stopped funding the carrier and handed the hulk over to the Ukrane.
  64. ^ a b c "Liaoning (Varyag) Aircraft Carrier, China". Naval Technology. Retrieved January 17, 2014. The aircraft carrier was referred to as Riga when her keel was laid down at Nikolayev South Shipyard (formerly Shipyard 444) at Nikolayev in December 1985. The ship was launched in December 1988 and renamed Varyag in late 1990. ... Liaoning was moved to a dry dock at Dalian in early June 2005. The hull was sandblasted and scaffolding raised around her. Her island was coated with a red marine primer to treat the corrosion of the metal.
  65. ^ a b Norman, Polmar (1991). The Naval Institute Guide to the Soviet Navy. Naval Institute Press,. p. 136. ISBN 9780870212413. Retrieved January 18, 2014. VARYAG (ex-RiGA), Black Sea Ship Yard, Nilolayev (South), Laid down 10 December 1985, launch 4 December 1988, Expected completion 1992-93 Displacement: approx 66,000 tons Length: approx 281 m (waterline) Beam: approx 38 m Extreme width: 73 m Draft: 11m Propultion: 4 steam turbines, 200,000 hp, 4 shafts Boilers: 8 turbopresure type Speed: +30 knots Compliment: Aircraft: approx 30+ (Mid-29, Su-25, Su-27, Ka-27) Missiles: 12 x SS-N-19 anti-ship launchers, 24x SA-N-9 anti-air vertical launchers 192, 8 combined 30mm gun/SA-N-11 type anti-air launchers (CADS) Guns: 6 30mm/65-cal close-in (multi-barrel) ASW Weapons: 2 modified RBU-6000 rocket launchers Radars: 4 Cross sword fire control, 3 Palm fond (navigation), 1 Plate steer (3-D air search), 4 Sky Watch (multi purpose), 2 Strut Pair air search. Sonar: Low frequency hull mounted {{cite book}}: line feed character in |quote= at position 138 (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  66. ^ Norman, Polmar (1991). The Naval Institute Guide to the Soviet Navy. Naval Institute Press,. p. 137. ISBN 9780870212413. Retrieved January 18, 2014. Also in 1990, the second ship, named RIGA for the capital of the Latvian SSR, was renamed VARYAG ("norseman"), a traditonal name of Russian and Soviet warships. At the time that name was carried by a Kynda-class cruiser.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  67. ^ Pavlov, Aleksandr Sergeevich; Friedman, Norman (1997). Warships of the USSR and Russia, 1945-1995. University of Michigan: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9781557506719. Retrieved January 19, 2014. Project 1143.5 and 1143.6*(OREL) Class name: KUZNETSOV {{cite book}}: line feed character in |quote= at position 33 (help)
  68. ^ Norman, Polmar (1991). The Naval Institute Guide to the Soviet Navy. Naval Institute Press,. p. 137. ISBN 9780870212413. Retrieved January 18, 2014. Classification: In an interview with Pravda on 19 October 1989, Admiral Chernavin continually referred to the warship as an: "Aircraft carrier"; on 22 Ocotber 1989 the newspaper Pravda report that through no fault of the author, the material contained a technical inaccuracy. [The ship] falls within the category of heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser and not within that of aircraft carriers, as said in the feature." The sensitivity on this subject appears to be caused by the perceived restrictions on the passage of aircraft carrier through the Turkish Straits as put forward in the Montreaux Convention of 1936.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  69. ^ a b c d e f Yu Runze (September 29, 2012). "Liaoning, China's century-old blue dream, comes true". English Sina. Retrieved January 17, 2014. They proposed to tow Varyag out of the Black Sea, through the Suez Canal and around southern Asia to Macau, where they would moor the ship and convert it into a floating hotel and gambling parlor. ... The Suez Canal does not permit passage of "dead" ships - those without their own on-board power source - so the hulk was towed through the Strait of Gibraltar, around the Cape of Good Hope, and through the Straits of Malacca. The tugs towing the hulk after the 15,200-nautical-mile (28,200 km) journey entered Chinese waters on February 20, 2002, ... The ship finally arrives March 3 at Dalian Shipyard in northeastern China.
  70. ^ Sakhuja, Vijay (2011). Asian Maritime Power in the 21st Century: Strategic Transactions : China, India and Southeast Asia. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. p. 77. ISBN 9789814311090. Retrieved January 18, 2014. The urge to possess and aircraft carrier is best demonstrated through an articulation by Admiral Liu Huaqing who was quoted as saying: "I'll die with an everlasting regret if China does not build an aircraft carrier.
  71. ^ Chang, Felix K. (October 2012). "MAKING WAVES: DEBATES BEHIND CHINA'S FIRST AIRCRAFT CARRIER" (PDF). fpri.org. Foreign Policy Research Institute. Retrieved 19 January 2014. Admiral Liu Huaqing, who commanded the Chinese navy—formally the People's Liberation Army Navy—from 1982 to 1988 and served as a vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission until 1997.
  72. ^ Wragg, David (2012). The World Sea Power Guide. Casemate Publishers. ISBN 9781783035588. Retrieved January 18, 2014. From 1985 onwards, China bought no fewer than four aircraft carriers, starting with HMS Melbourne from Australia, and followed by the ex-Russian Minsik and Kiev, both of which became tourist attractions, while the Admiral Kuznetsov-class Varyag was bought from the Ukraine, ostensibly to become a casino, but was refitted, including installing engines, and now has joined the fleet. Together, all four ships gave the Chinese an insight into carrier technology, and while attempts to purchase a carrier from Spain came to nothing, it is believed that some technology was transferred. There are reports, unconfirmed, that help in carrier operation of aircraft is being provided by Brazil in return for Chinese assistance in the construction of Brazil's first nuclear powered submarine.
  73. ^ Wragg, David (2012). The World Sea Power Guide. Casemate Publishers. ISBN 9781783035588. Retrieved January 18, 2014. The Kiev-class ships were retired early, while the Admiral Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier Varyag, was sold to Communist China, leaving just the Admiral Kuznetsov herself as the sole Russian aircraft carrier. Three-quarters of the former Soviet Naval Aviation's combat aircraft were withdrawn.
  74. ^ Nicholas D. Kristof (November, December 1993). "The Rise of China". 72 (5). Council on Foreign Relations: 59–74. Retrieved January 20, 2014. Perhaps the biggest symbol of China's new interest in projecting power is its desire to have an aircraft carrier. After browsing at a Ukranian carrier under construction, the Varyag, China decided apparently to look elsewhere—either to build its own or buy another. But last year then-President Yang Shankun confirmed in a secret speech to military officials that the leadership had already decided in principal to acquire an aircraft carrier. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  75. ^ Lee Jae-hyung (December 2002). "China's Expanding Maritime Ambitions in the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean". Contemporary Southeast Asia. 24 (3). Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS): 549–568. Retrieved January 20, 2014. China's desire to possess and aircraft carrier has been one of the most significant issues among Chinese leaders. China's "708 Institue" first began feasibility studies on aircraft carrier design in a 600-metre model pool in the early 1980s in Tai lake, Jiangsu province. In 1985 China purchase the retired Melbourn from Australia, and studied its design features. In November 1990, a model of China's first generation carrier was displayed in Beijing. The carrier was designed to have a displacement of 40,000–50,000 tonnes and twenty fixed wing aircraft on deck and another twenty in the hanger. China's aircraft carrier acquisition effort has, in the past few years, been furthered through the purchase of a number of decommissioned carriers from abroad. In March 1998, a Macao company bought an unfinished carrier Varyag from the Ukraine in an attempt to turn it into a floating amusement park. In August 2000, Tianma Shipbreaking of Tianjin paid the Russian navy US$8.4 million for the decommissioned Kiev for scrap. In September 2000, China bought the carrier Minsk from South Korea for US$5 million.
  76. ^ a b Horowitz, Michael C. (2010). The Diffusion of Military Power: Causes and Consequences for International Politics. Princeton University Press. pp. 94–95. ISBN 9781400835102. In 1998, a shell company owned by former Chinese navy officers purchased the Varyag, a partially completed former Soviet aircraft carrier from the Admiral Kuznetsov class. This purchase and subsequent Chinese statements about their desire to build aircraft carriers have triggered great consternation in some corners of the Western press and defence establishment. In 2005, after moving the Varyag into dry dock at Dalian, the ship emerged painted Chinese Navy grey.
  77. ^ Bishop, Chris; Chris, Chant (2004). Aircraft Carriers: The World's Greatest Naval Vessels and Their Aircraft. Zenith Imprint. p. 88. ISBN 9780760320051. Retrieved January 18, 2014. In 1998, the sale of the Varyag was announced to a Macau-based entertainment company. The unfinished hull was towed to the Far East where it was converted into an entertainment complex and cassino – though Russian media reports claim the company is front for the Chinese navy
  78. ^ "Unfinished cruiser Varyag making its way to China". Kyiv Post. June 17, 2000. Retrieved January 17, 2014. The Mykolaiv-based Chornomorsky shipyard dispatched the heavy-aircraft carrying cruiser Varyag to Agencia Turistika e Diversoes Chong Lot, a Chinese travel agency that almost two years ago won a tender to purchase the unfinished ship. ... Possibly, the ship may be headed for the Chinese port town of Dalian. Although there is no reliable information regarding future plans for use of the unfinished cruiser, the 1998 sales contract officially stated that the ship would become an entertainment attraction. ... After Russia rejected ownership, a tender was announced for the ship and the winning firm offered $20 million. Over the last two years the shipment has been delayed by red tape needed for delivery. During this period, several hundred thousands dollars were added to the original purchase price to provide for the ship's call and technical maintenance. This money was duly paid by the buyers.
  79. ^ a b "NARD sells hulk carrier". Kyiv Post. December 5, 1997. Retrieved January 17, 2014. Ukraine's National Agency for Reconstruction and Development (NARD) ... [T]he vessel has languished in a Mykolaiv dockyard since the breakup of the Soviet Union. ... [N]ARD said the decision to sell the Varyag had been taken because it was impossible for Ukraine to complete construction of the vessel itself. Cite error: The named reference "kyivpost-aug-16-2001" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  80. ^ Lloyd's List Maritime Asia. University of California: Lloyd's of London Press. 2001. Retrieved January 19, 2014. A Russian aircraft carrier, slated to become a Chinese casino, lies floundering in the Black Sea as Turkish authorities refuse to let it pass through the Bosporus Straits. She was built to be jewel... ...Now the 300m aircraft carrier Varyag, sold into ignominy to be used in China as a giant floating casino, languishes in the ... Newspapers suggest, however, that the casino idea is but a "legend"; that once the Varyag is through the Bosporus ... {{cite book}}: line feed character in |quote= at position 202 (help)
  81. ^ a b Saunders, Phillip Charles (2012). The Chinese Navy: Expanding Capabilities, Evolving Roles?. Smashbooks. pp. 150–151. Retrieved January 19, 2014. The 2007=2008 edition of Jane's Fighting Ships expected that China would return the Varyag to service in 2008, possibly under the name Shi Lang, and that the ship would become fully operational as an aviation training ship in 2010: ...Subsiquently the ship was bought by China, having been towed through the Bosporus on 2 November 2001, arrived in Dalian in March 2002. Since then there have been conflicting reports about the plans for the ship, but following its emergence form dock mid-2005 painted in military colours, it is likely that it is intended to bring the ship into operational service. Work in 2006 included the apparent application of a non-slip surface to the flight deck. Reports in December 2006 that China was negotiating to procure up to 50 Sukhoi Su-33 fighters was further indication of Chinese intentions... ...The ships unconfirmed pennant number [83] suggests that her initial status will be as a training ship... ...The ships name has also not been confirmed: Admiral Shi Lang was commander-in-chief of the Manchu fleets which conquered Taiwan in 1681. {{cite book}}: line feed character in |quote= at position 236 (help)
  82. ^ a b c Rubin, Jeff (2012). The End of Growth. Random House LLC. ISBN 9780307360915. Retrieved January 19, 2014. Originally project to cost $2.4 billion, the ship was put up for auction in 1998 for the bargain-basement price of $20 million. As part of the sale, the Ukraine stipulated that the Varyag couldn't be used for military purposes. That was the fine line with the buyer, a small Chinese tourism company, Chong Lot, which said it planned to turn the ship into a floating casino of the coast of Macao. The boat spent the next few years being towed around the Black Sea, as Chinese diplomats worked to get Turkey's permission to let the steel carcase through the narrow straits of the Bosporus. It took until 2001 but the Varyag eventually made it into the Mediterranean. Denied access to the Suez canal for safety reasons, the Varyag set out on the long haul through the strait of Gebraltar, around the Horn of Africa, and back up through the Indian Ocean to China, a trek that cost millions in fuel and labor and took more than a year and a half to complete. But the saga didn't end there. Instead of docking at Macao, the tugboats made for Dalian, a naval port on China's northeast coast. Once there the Varyag slipped of the radar. It remerged in 2005 painted the distinctive grey of the People's Liberation Army Navy. {{cite book}}: line feed character in |quote= at position 396 (help)
  83. ^ Chang, Felix K. (October 2012). "MAKING WAVES: DEBATES BEHIND CHINA'S FIRST AIRCRAFT CARRIER" (PDF). fpri.org. Foreign Policy Research Institute. Retrieved 19 January 2014. The Varyag‟s passage through the Bosphorous Strait added more frustration, when Turkey initially refused to allow the vessel to transit, due to its concerns about the safety of other shipping through the strait. After 16 months of negotiations between Ankara and Beijing, Turkish authorities opted to temporarily bar all maritime traffic in Bosphorous Strait in order to enable the Varyag to pass.
  84. ^ "Ukrainian aircraft carrier-turned-pleasure boat denied access through Bosporus". Kyiv Post. December 4, 2000. Retrieved January 17, 2014. Turkey denied passage to the 37,000-ton Varyag, tugged by boats, saying that its size and the fact that it has no engine made it a safety hazard, Mustafa Korcak, the head of the Maritime Undersecretariat, said. "It is technically impossible for the huge platform to navigate through the Bosporus' 12 sharp bends," Korcak said.
  85. ^ "Varyag completes towing Odyssey". Fairplay International Shipping Weekly. 344 (6155–6171). University of Michigan. 2002. Varyag completes towing Odyssey
    TSAVLIRIS Salvage Group has delivered the half-finished aircraft carrier Varyag to its new owners in China after a marathon towage operation lasting 110 days. ...dagerously close to the islands of Skyros and Eta. Following this incided the giant Tsavliris-operated tug was re-hired...     {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  86. ^ "Varyag will be reattached to tugboats to go to China". Hurriyet Daily News. November 7, 2001. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  87. ^ "Varyag emerges from storm". Kyiv Post. November 8, 2001. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  88. ^ "Ukrainians wash hands of carrier buyer[']s alleged army links". Kyiv Post. December 1, 1998. Retrieved January 17, 2014. Is the stripped, never-finished Ukrainian aircraft carrier headed for China this week really going to be rebuilt as a $1.6 billion floating fun palace, as its new owners from Macau claim? Or does it figure somehow in China's long-term strategy for military dominance in Asian waters, as Taiwanese and Korean military analysts contend? ... Ukraine's National Agency for Reconstruction and European Integration (NAREI) sold the unfinished Varyag (Varangian) aircraft carrier to Agencia Turistica e Diversoes Chong Lot of Macau in March on condition that it not be put to military use. Chong Lot reportedly paid $20 million for the 67,000-ton vessel, saying in its bid it planned to send the half-finished carrier to Macau and convert it into a floating hotel. ... The Chornomorsky shipyard in Mykolayiv... ...Protskiv was referring to a report in the Far Eastern Economic Review that said Chong Lot is a paper subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Chin Luck Holdings, a seven-year-old trading firm linked to China's Shandong province, where much of China's navy is based. 'All of the company's executives are from Shandong,' the report cited a Chin Luck staffer as saying. 'That's their base.' 'Chin Luck's chairman is a former military officer with the People's Liberation Army,' ABC News reported. ... The number of companies in China, Hong Kong and Macau controlled by current or former Chinese military officers numbers in the thousands, perhaps tens of thousands. Chinese diplomats in Kyiv said Beijing has no association with the Varyag's acquisition, stressing the buyers' Macau origin. 'We have no responsibility for the business activities of Macau citizens,' said Chen Tsingsyn, embassy press officer. ... Chong Lot officials have vigorously denied the alleged military connection. 'As for rumors that I bought this aircraft carrier for the PLA, there's no such thing,' Chong Lot Chairman Cheng Zhen Shu told a news conference in Hong Kong last month. 'We're a commercial entity.' ... In mid-March Macau city authorities rejected Chong Lot's application to tie up its newly acquired aircraft carrier at the city wharf, claiming the hulk would pose an environmental threat and hurt tourism. 'We can't take this application seriously,' a senior Macau official said. It's a joke.' ... It unveiled plans in early November for a $1.6 billion, 600-room floating hotel, with nightclubs, karaoke rooms, saunas, a convention center, a children's war-game playground and a war museum.
  89. ^ a b Sakhuja, Vijay (2011). Asian Maritime Power in the 21st Century: Strategic Transactions : China, India and Southeast Asia. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. p. 78. ISBN 9789814311090. Retrieved January 18, 2014. Chinse naval aviators have practised simulated fight take off and landing using catapult and arrestor wires on the copied flight deck of HMAS Melbourn (purchased as scrap form Australia) using J-8 II fighters. Besides HMAS Melbourn (20,000 tonnes) purchased in 1985, China acquired three decommissioned aircraft carriers, i.e. Minsk (40,500 tonnes) in 1998, Kiev (45,000 tonnes) in 2000, and Varyag (58,500 tonnes)... ...Varyag... ...purchased in 2001, has undergone three years of extensive repairs. The vessel is likely to have pennant number 83 and be named "Shi Lang" after Admiral Shi Lang, the Chinese Commander-in-chief of the Manchu fleets that conquered Taiwan in 1681. In 2006, the carrier was docked at Dalian shipyard and its flight deck had been given a new coat of non-skid deck paint and the vessel's exteriors were shipshape and painted in PLA Navy colours. {{cite book}}: line feed character in |quote= at position 418 (help)
  90. ^ Ren, Xiao; Carlson, Allen (2011). New Frontiers in China's Foreign Relations. Lexington Books. ISBN 9780739150276. China's aquisition of the ex-Soviet 6,000 ton "ski-jump" aircraft carrier Varyag in 2003, however, has to be considered. Now renamed the Shi Lang, the Varyag was unfinished when acquired by China and among other critical components, lacked engines.
  91. ^ Sakhuja, Vijay (2011). Asian Maritime Power in the 21st Century: Strategic Transactions : China, India and Southeast Asia. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. p. 78. ISBN 9789814311090. Retrieved January 18, 2014. In October 2006, Beijing signed a deal with Moscow to acquire up to 50 Su-33... ...The Chinese are also in advanced negotiations with the Russians for the possibility of purchasing the Ka-31 Helicopter for use as a AEW platform. {{cite book}}: line feed character in |quote= at position 81 (help)
  92. ^ Yushuo, Zheng; King-chi Chan, Chris (2012). China: A New Stage of Development for an Emerging Superpower. City University of HK Press. pp. 258, 259. ISBN 9789629371975. Confirming this scenario, recently China stepped up efforts to build its own carrier, while working on upgrading the Russian-built, medium-sized STOBAR Ukranian Varyag aircraft carrier it bought in 2006 and which is now undergoing renovation at the Dalian Shipyards. Nevertheless, China is not likely to have an operational carrier and associated ships before 2015, even, according to some recent estimations, 2011. China openly acknowledged for the first time its plans for domestically built carriers in December 2010, while the Varyag will be put into service as a training ship as early as 2012. Training for navy pilots is actually well on the way, even if the negotiations for acquiring SU-33 fighters stalled after the Chinese angered the Russians by reverse-engineering the planes. {{cite book}}: line feed character in |quote= at position 416 (help)
  93. ^ Michael Wines (August 10, 2011). "China Begins Sea Trials of Its First Aircraft Carrier". New York Times. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  94. ^ Liu (August 29, 2012). "China's aircraft carrier Varyag begins 10th trial". Xinhua. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  95. ^ "Watch "Type 001" aircraft carrier commissioning (直击"001型"航母入列)" (in Simplified Chinese). business.sohu.com. September 26, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  96. ^ "Chinese aircraft carrier captain ZHANG interview, fluent English" (in Simplified Chinese). CCTV News. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  97. ^ Bishop, Chris; Chris, Chant (2004). Aircraft Carriers: The World's Greatest Naval Vessels and Their Aircraft. Zenith Imprint. p. 88. ISBN 9780760320051. Retrieved January 18, 2014. Displacement: 46,600 tons standard, 59,400 tons full load Length: 304.5 m Beam: 667 m Draft: 11 m Hanger deck length: 183 m Propultion: 8 boilers powering four turbines delivering 149 MW (200,000 shp) to four shafts Speed: 29 knots Compliment: 2,626 including 626 air personnel and 40 flag staff. Aircraft: Designed to carry Mk-41 STOVL fighter and Mig-29K; Typical compliment of twelve Sukhoi Su-27K/33 plus 24 Kamov Ka-27/31 Helix for utility, ASW AEW and missile targeting; in future will carry Su-27KUB combat trainer and possible the Su-33UB multirole fighter. {{cite book}}: line feed character in |quote= at position 58 (help)
  98. ^ Kyodo News International (January 18, 2014). "China has started building its own aircraft carrier: official". Global Post. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  99. ^ Press Trust of India (January 18, 2014). "China begins building second aircraft carrier: reports". Business Standard. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  100. ^ x. p. 88. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)


External links[edit]


Category:Admiral Kuznetsov-class aircraft carriers of the People's Liberation Army Navy Category:Ships built in the Soviet Union Category:1988 ships Category:History of Dalian Category:History of Macau Category:Abandoned military projects of the Soviet Union Category:Aircraft carriers of the People's Liberation Army Navy Category:Aircraft carriers of Ukraine

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