China’s recently launched aircraft carrier the Liaoning appears to be “merely symbolic and nothing more,” a study published this week by the US Naval Institute says.
“Currently, the People’s Liberation Army [PLA] relies heavily on a complex of missiles, mines and submarines to keep the US or other external parties at arm’s length in the event of war over Taiwan or other islands,” the study says.
“It is hard to see how a Chinese carrier force of any feasible size would contribute to this task, given its presumed vulnerability to submarines,” the study by retired US Navy captain Robert Rubel says.
The study could be interpreted as providing strong support for Taiwan’s efforts to acquire new diesel submarines to deter a Chinese attack.
Equipped with only 30 jets, the Liaoning could not generate a “sufficient pulse of power” to knock out a major target with one big strike, and with its ski-jump launch system the range and amount of weapons carried by the jets was “too restrictive,” the study says.
“Depending on the nature of the air campaign, at least two aircraft carriers would be needed to maintain continuous coverage at even a minimum level,” Rubel says.
“In terms of Chinese naval aviation, credible combat power will not be achieved until the PLAN [PLA Navy] is able to dispatch at least two carriers on a single mission, and this may not be enough, depending on the defenses they encounter,” Rubel says.
Improved air defenses, coastal-defense cruise missiles, quiet diesel submarines, new types of mines and other systems are making it impossible for aircraft carriers to fight near their target — precisely where the Liaoning would be forced to operate.
“Antisubmarine warfare is not one of the PLAN’s strong suits, so combat credibility even against weak neighbors such as Vietnam, who is reportedly purchasing six Kilo-class submarines from Russia, is potentially compromised,” the study says.
It says that given the serious constraints on the Liaoning’s offensive and defensive capabilities, an attack would only work if the opponent either could not or would not oppose the carrier with diesel subs or other modern anti-access systems.
The credible combat power of Chinese naval aviation is thus compromised until Beijing develops a new class of carrier with catapults and until it significantly strengthens its antisubmarine warfare defenses, the study says.
“Simply put, in a war with the US, Chinese carrier aviation would likely be doomed,” it says.
“In limited wars with regional powers close to home, the carriers might provide some utility, especially covering amphibious or special-forces operations, again assuming that a significant diesel-submarine threat does not materialize,” the study says.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
A white king snake that frightened passengers and caused a stir on a Taipei MRT train on Friday evening has been claimed by its owner, who would be fined, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. A person on Threads posted that he thought he was lucky to find an empty row of seats on Friday after boarding a train on the Bannan (Blue) Line, only to spot a white snake with black stripes after sitting down. Startled, he jumped up, he wrote, describing the encounter as “terrifying.” “Taipei’s rat control plan: Release snakes on the metro,” one person wrote in reply, referring
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
An inauguration ceremony was held yesterday for the Danjiang Bridge, the world’s longest single-mast asymmetric cable-stayed bridge, ahead of its official opening to traffic on Tuesday, marking a major milestone after nearly three decades of planning and construction. At the ceremony in New Taipei City attended by President William Lai (賴清德), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) and New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜), the bridge was hailed as both an engineering landmark and a long-awaited regional transport link connecting Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里)
RSS