Liaoning (Varyag) - Chinese Aircraft Carrier

SexyChineseLady

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Liaoning just celebrated her 10th year in service to PLAN.

But her history is much older even with China. Launch in 1988, she was bought by China in 1998 and spent three years being towed around the Black Sea before Turkey allowed it to leave through the Bosphorus Strait.

This was what she looked like back then:
E99F1C24-E0EB-4B6E-9D6C-6EC7FECD4019.jpeg


It was literally a rusting hulk headed to the break-up yards.

China took four years to study the vessel before moving it to a drydock at the Dalian Shipyard in 2005. The shipyard reported that the planning and work needed to make the Varyag into the Liaoning was equivalent to building 10 new destroyers!

In 2011, Liaoning began sea trials and in September of 2012 it was commissioned with the first launch and recovery of the J-15 coming soon after in November of 2012. (The J-15 itself first flew just in 2009.)
 

SexyChineseLady

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The Liaoning has conducted over 70 operational tours so far in its lifetime, training hundreds of pilots for China's new carrier arm. It was certified for combat in 2018.

It is probably the most heavily used carrier anywhere in the world since US maintenance cycles means its carriers are deployed once every 18 to 24 months to save on wear and tear.

Also Liaoning's training is perhaps unique in that the ship and the aircraft it launches are always in the shadow of US, Japan and ROC vessels and planes. So training would take on operational intercepts of potential opponents!



 

SexyChineseLady

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Because of constant interaction with the US Navy and allies, Liaoning and its aircraft implement Code for Unplanned Encounters:


Imagine encountering possible opponents in the middle of the night!
 

SexyChineseLady

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According to accounts, the standbye safety and SAR helos lift off first to take positions around the carrier and then the J-15s are conveyed to the two launch positions ahead of the blast shields in steady streams. This would be the full deck launch of 24 J-15s -- this is deemed to be the ideal maximum number for a launch package before crowding creates a danger to deck operations.
 

Hari Sud

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As far as most information available, this A/c (Liaoning) which China purchased from Russia during Russian dark days was upgraded by the Chinese. All its upgrades failed, hence it became a white elephant. Hence Chinese use it to parade it along the coast. The subsequent copies are copies by China and are not any better. It’s naval fighters are worst of the whole lot.
 

Love Charger

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It's amazing the way you are maintaining it
Truly commendable
With such short carrier operating duration u have achieved a lot just imagine after 10-15 years
Ours is still in dry dock
Bhai kitna jhukoge? Aur?
India 1960s se carrier operate karta aya hai , aur ladai me use bhi .
 

jai jaganath

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Bhai kitna jhukoge? Aur?
India 1960s se carrier operate karta aya hai , aur ladai me use bhi .
Par fir bhi kickbacks ke chalte vikramaditya ko procure kia........ experienced navy
Uske itne Bure halat hai ki Sala jyada time toh dock pe kata raha hai......... experienced navy
It's nothing but a white elephant....... for experienced navy
 

SexyChineseLady

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As far as most information available, this A/c (Liaoning) which China purchased from Russia during Russian dark days was upgraded by the Chinese. All its upgrades failed, hence it became a white elephant. Hence Chinese use it to parade it along the coast. The subsequent copies are copies by China and are not any better. It’s naval fighters are worst of the whole lot.
Well, the Liaoning (and the Shandong) is very heavily used and this has been tracked by China's foes ;)


Also, the J-15s are good enough to supply two carriers with lots of launches!


If they are white elephants then I hope the Indian carriers are doing more than 7 cruises a year and launching 100s of sorties in front of Pakistan's navy like the Liaoning is doing in front of US, Japanese and Taiwanese forces!
 

Love Charger

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The day you bomb you bomb your foes using a aircraft carrier then talk , dosent matter how many you built .
We have already bombed Pakistanis using a aircraft carrier, once .and won that war .
Operation trident , just saying
Well, the Liaoning (and the Shandong) is very heavily used and this has been tracked by China's foes ;)


Also, the J-15s are good enough to supply two carriers with lots of launches!


If they are white elephants then I hope the Indian carriers are doing more than 7 cruises a year and launching 100s of sorties in front of Pakistan's navy like the Liaoning is doing in front of US, Japanese and Taiwanese forces!
 

SexyChineseLady

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The day you bomb you bomb your foes using a aircraft carrier , dosent matter how many you built .
We have already bombed Pakistanis using a aircraft carrier, once .and won that war .
Operation trident , just saying
I hope China never bombs anyone. In the 40 plus years that China had not gone to war, it went from a very poor country to the world's second largest economy. The trade off is a military with no experience. But any Chinese would make that trade.

To overcome that inexperience, you need to build lots of stuff so people hesitate to start a war with you in the first place. Also, you train very hard. The Liaoning is the most heavily used carrier in the world. It goes out to on more cruises every year than any other carrier. Every 12 months, it would do 7 or more cruises. (An American carrier does a tour every 18 to 24 months.)

Being able to stuff 24 J-15s on the deck of Liaoning and operate that way off Japan and off Okiniwa with its large US bases is a very large advancement from just 2012 when China began to operate carriers :)

Other than the US, France and maybe the UK, nobody else is able to operate with that many jets off a carrier today. That alone is pretty amazing for a new carrier arm.
 

SexyChineseLady

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It's amazing the way you are maintaining it
Truly commendable
With such short carrier operating duration u have achieved a lot just imagine after 10-15 years
Ours is still in dry dock
I read that because the Liaoning was already old when the carrier came to China, it was better to use it more which created a condition where original parts are constantly worn out and replaced.

Because China is new to the carrier experience, they actually push machine and people to see where breaking points are. Operations on Liaoning and Shandong are literally 24-hour operations. Night time usage is very heavy because that taxes people and machines most.
 

SexyChineseLady

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JMSDF imagery from a CV16 led task force transiting the Miyako Straits:


2 Type 055s a Type 52D, a Type 054A and a replenishment vessel.
December 16, as we speak! So much work from this older lady :)

And the J-15s too! They are used at the Naval Aviation University for training as well. Unless there are more than the 65 or so J-15s most experts assume there are then these air frames are flogged very hard between two carriers going on constant cruises and training. Very reliable to say the least!
 

SexyChineseLady

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Really nice photos of an operational configuration on a Chinese carrier taken by an opponent aircraft. Looks like two Z-9s, two Z-8s and 9 J-15s. No planes at the launch positions so perhaps two or three were already launched and in the air?

BC428B11-2DCD-43D6-A5E5-09A5153ADB21.jpeg


FBAE766B-F01D-4B7B-9C9B-FD0BE9EBA40C.jpeg
 

J20!

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Really nice photos of an operational configuration on a Chinese carrier taken by an opponent aircraft. Looks like two Z-9s, two Z-8s and 9 J-15s. No planes at the launch positions so perhaps two or three were already launched and in the air?

View attachment 186267

View attachment 186268
I count 8 J15s.

As these were taken while transiting Miyako, I don't believe any air operations were in effect at the time.

Note the SAR Z9Ds are both on the flight deck. At least one is prepositioned at a takeoff point but none is in the air. One would be airborne if any J15 take off and landing operations were ongoing.
 

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