Tension has reached such a level between China and Taiwan that Beijing has decided to send one of its main warships, the Shandong, its second aircraft carrier (the first nationally manufactured) to the maneuvers carried out around the island, which participated in exercises together with at least five other military vessels. According to analysts quoted by the Taiwanese agency CNA, the Shandong presence in the exercises is aimed at “verifying that the Chinese forces can launch attacks from various points and blockade the island without having to use missiles.”
“The fact that the Shandong has sailed in eastern Taiwanese waters means that the Chinese military is also seeking to block the potential passage of US ships to support Taiwan,” said the expert, Lin Yingyou, from Tamkang University.
But how is this Chinese aircraft carrier? To give us an idea, it joined the communist Navy in 2019, it is 315 meters long (the Spanish LHD Juan Carlos I is 231, the Italian Cavour 244 or the French nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle 251.5) and displaces 70,000 tons, with a top speed of 31 knots. Therefore, as can be seen, it is larger than most of the European aircraft carriers and aircraft carriers, and its displacement is also much greater. It is capable of carrying 36 J-15 fighters.
It is the country’s second aircraft carrier after the completion of the Liaoning, and the first domestically built with its own military industry. The design is largely based on China’s first aircraft carrier, Liaoning, which was built from the partially complete hull of the Soviet Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier Varyag. It retains ski jump takeoff, limiting its air wing to Helicopters and Shenyang J-15,58 fighter jets and the ship is powered by conventional oil-fired boilers driving eight steam turbines derived from the Soviet design installed on the Liaoning.
However, it carries modifications and upgrades compared to the Liaoning. It has increased fuel and ammunition storage, with a larger capacity of 44 aircraft, eight more than Liaoning. It has a wider flight deck, while the island superstructure on the Type 002 is also shorter to give more space for aircraft movements. The island has also redesigned radars and a new bridge, while the fleet command and flight control tower are on separate floors for greater efficiency. It includes an active scanning radar system electronically scanned (AESA).
The Shandong reached operational capacity, obtaining the certificate to be able to carry out exercises where combat situations are simulated, as well as deployment on the high seas. Until now, the aircraft carrier had only been seen sailing in the China Sea, within the limits of the so-called “First Chain of Islands”.
Meanwhile, China is working on the manufacture of what will be its third aircraft carrier, which will be a high-tech work of 85,000 tons and with the capacity to carry 40 aircraft on deck, which will incorporate a electromagnetic propulsion system (EMALS)similar to the USS Ford of the United States Navy, which allows the launch of heavier aircraft, as well as more advanced aircraft such as the Shenyang J-31 or Chengdu J-20.
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