Chinese state media claims the nations first aircraft carrier is now ‘combat ready’.
The Liaoning, previously described by Chinese media as a surface platform for tests and training, now has “a real combat capacity” according to the state-run Global Times.
The report cites Li Dongyou, a government official, as saying that the carrier is “constantly prepared for war.”
“As a military force, we are always prepared for war and our combat capacity also needs to be tested by war.
At this moment, we are doing our best to promote our strength and use it to prevent war, and are prepared for actual combat at any time.”
Liaoning is the first aircraft carrier commissioned into the People’s Liberation Army Navy Surface Force. It was classified as a training ship, intended to allow the Navy to practice with carrier usage.
Originally laid down as the Admiral Kuznetsov class multirole aircraft carrier Riga for the Soviet Navy, she was launched on December 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 northeast China. After being completely rebuilt and undergoing sea trials, the ship was commissioned into the People’s Liberation Army Navy as Liaoning with the class name Type 001 in September 2012.
Unlike the Russian aircraft carrier Kuznetsov, which carries surface-attack cruise missiles that are usually found on cruisers, Liaoning is equipped only with air defence weapons and must use its aircraft for surface attack.
Well, we knew it was coming and equipped with defensive capability to at probably less than the £3B per carrier we have paid.
i predict China will build 3 more
If the carrier is having to directly defend itself with it’s own CIWS things have gone horribl wrong.
No point trying to compare costs, china can make probably 10 for the cost of one of ours, considering the cost of the labor both pre and over the course of its production.
The Chinese are currently building 2 additional carriers. They’re ‘acquired’ designs but built to their own specifications and the program cost is somewhere in the region of $9bn. The cost is somewhat similar to our own carriers although the Chinese will have catapults and arresters which will increase their operational capability.
I seriously believe that things are becoming more unstable in Asia , Russia is sabre rattling, China has practically modernised it’s military equipment while island hopping and India and Pakistan are getting irritated with each other again.
We need to press on with our Ship building, arms remodification and supporting our armed forces personnel. We might have to call on their services sooner than we expect.