Know Your Enemy – Chinese Aircraft Carrier Liaoning

Hello defence lovers, today we are going to start with the first iteration of the "Know Your Enemy" series. In fact, as a disclaimer, I will point out that it's more about "Near-Peer Adversary" rather than "Enemy". For, in geopolitics, there is no permanent "Friend" or "Enemy", only permanent interests. And, given how things are going, India and China, unfortunately, will have conflicting interests in Indo-Pacific. This article will dive into China's first aircraft carrier, Liaoning. China operates two aircraft carriers. The Liaoning was launched in 2012, and the Shandong followed in 2019. Liaoning is a Chinese aircraft carrier of the Type 001 class. She was the first aircraft carrier commissioned into the People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force. She was initially to be used as a training ship. The main aim was to allow the Navy to experiment, train, and become acquainted with aircraft carrier operations. In late 2018, Chinese state media informed that the vessel would transition to a combat role in 2019. Type 001 "Liaoning" aircraft carrier of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) (Source: CGTN) Initially designed for the Soviet Navy as the Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier Riga in 1985, she was launched on December 4, 1988. It was later renamed Varyag in 1990. Construction was halted after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, and the ship was put up for sale by Ukraine. "Sale" of Liaoning to China Before and after images of Liaoning (Credits: Popular Mechanics) Ukraine initially approached China, India, and Russia as potential buyers for the ship. China had sent a high-level delegation in 1992, which reported that the ship was in good condition and recommended purchase. Interestingly, the Chinese government declined to purchase the ship because of the international diplomatic situation. Unable to find a buyer, the ship was left to deteriorate. In 1998, the rusting ship was sold at auction for $20 million. It was purchased by Agencia Turistica E Diversoes Chong Lot Limitada, a company from Macau. Chong Lot towed Varyag to Macau, where the ship was to be converted into a floating hotel and casino worth nearly $200 million. Western observers were highly suspicious since Chong Lot had no listed telephone number. It was not located at its listed address and was run by former officers of the Chinese Navy. Chong Lot's application to operate a casino was denied by officials in Macau. However, analysts concluded that Varyag had deteriorated too much to be used as an operational warship. It was also pointed out that the Chinese Navy was concentrating more on submarines. The Soviet carriers Kiev and Minsk had also been sold to China as tourist attractions. The Scam Involved In The Purchase of Liaoning The story of how China got that ship in the first place may also be a comedy. The carrier was actually a rogue acquisition for the Chinese military. They went against the wishes of the government in Beijing. However, it was a very clever way to get the ship at a dirt cheap rate. In January 2015, shocking details came to light in an interview with Hong Kong-based Xu Zengping by the South China Morning Post. Xu, a former military basketball player, reported that he had been commissioned by the PLAN to purchase the vessel on its behalf. The floating hotel and casino was a cover story. He was told that the Chinese Navy did not have the budget to buy the ship. The Chinese government was not supporting the purchase. Xu borrowed some HK$230 million from a Hong Kong business friend. He then spent HK$6 million to create Chong Lot as a Macau shell corporation. He described about harrowing negotiation in Kyiv, lubricated by bribery and liquor, which helped to arrange victory at the auction. As a precaution, he had shipped 40 tonnes of the carrier's blueprints to China overland in eight trucks. Also Read, Chinese Supercarrier Fujian: A Threat To The Indian Waters? Design of Liaoning Ex-Varyag under tow in Istanbul in 2001. (Credits: N328KF via Wikipedia) The Soviet Navy originally referred to the Kuznetsov-class ships as "heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers." The ships were designed to be equipped` with P-700 Granit anti-ship cruise missiles. They are also the main armament of the Kirov-class battle cruisers. Because of their multirole capability, the ships were not classified as aircraft carriers. It allows them to transit the Turkish Straits between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The Montreux Convention prohibits aircraft carriers weighing more than 15,000 tonnes from crossing the Straits. However, there is no displacement limit for other types of capital ships from the Black Sea powers. Type 001 is based on the partially completed hull of the Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier Varyag. The Chinese Type 001 ships, unlike the Soviet Kuznetsov, are purely aircraft carriers. The cruise missile launchers were never put in place. The launcher base was removed as part of the refit to make way for a larger hangar bay. FL-3000N surface-to-air missiles and the Type 1130 CIWS comprise the air-defence system. Liaoning's Airwing Liaoning with a Z-18 helicopter and J-15 fighters visible on the flight deck. (Credits: US Naval Institute) Liaoning carries 36 aircraft, according to the Chinese-language Shanghai Morning Post. It includes 24 Shenyang J-15 fighters and six Changhe Z-18F anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters. Four airborne early warning helicopters Changhe Z-18J and two Harbin rescue helicopters, Harbin Z-9C, are also present. The inventory of the Chinese carrier aircraft is similar to the Soviet aircraft carriers' balanced combat and support aircraft approach. It also supported nuclear submarines, large surface combatants, and land-based strike bombers performing anti-access roles. There are some limitations to the Soviet Liaoning. Because the air wing lacks long-range radar and anti-submarine fixed-wing aircraft, it relies on shore-based aircraft such as the Tupolev Tu-154 ASW and Shaanxi Y-8 AWACS. As a result of the limitations due to the ski-jump takeoff system, J-15s will have less armament and range when operating from the carrier. The absence of a carrier-based delivery aircraft, such as the US Navy's (USN) Grumman C-2 Greyhound, also limits logistics capabilities. Liaoning would require extensive land-based support to counter a USN carrier strike group. However, it would be formidable against the Vietnam People's Navy and the Philippine Navy. Future aircraft carriers are to be larger, with conventional takeoff decks and catapult launching for heavier fighters, as well as fixed-wing radar and anti-submarine patrol aircraft. Upkeep and Repair Liaoning at Dalian, China (Credits: Uwe Aranas, via Wikipedia) In 1998, the hulk was purchased and towed to the Dalian naval shipyard in northeast China. On September 25, 2012, the ship was refurbished and commissioned into the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) as Liaoning. Type 001 is its Chinese ship class designation. The People's Liberation Army Navy regards Liaoning as an aircraft carrier. The ship was finished as an aircraft carrier, with no cruise missiles installed. Liaoning is only with air defence weapons and must rely on its aircraft for surface attacks. In August 2018, the South China Morning Post had reported that the Liaoning was berthed in Dalian. It underwent its first refit since its commissioning. The radar above the bridge and the air traffic control at the back of the island superstructure was removed, as was scaffolding around the command centre. The renovation took about six months and was complete by January 2019. The ship's superstructure was improved, and the flight deck was demolished. Training and Aircraft Operation Liaoning with Shenyang J-15 fighters. (Credit: Military today) The People's Liberation Army's website reported on November 4, 2012, that Shenyang J-15s had completed carrier touch-and-go training. On November 25, 2012, China announced that five J-15s had successfully arrested landings on Liaoning. The second round of flight tests began in June 2013, with personnel from the Brazilian Navy's fleet air arm providing carrier training support to the People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force, which operates the J-15s. Based on an article in Chinese state media, Western news outlets reported in August 2014 that two pilots were killed while testing jets slated to operate from CNS Liaoning. Chinese military officials stated that such reports were false and that the deaths were unrelated to tests on the carrier. The aircraft carrier Liaoning and a supply ship were spotted between Okinawa and Miyako Island on April 5, 2021. The Liaoning carrier group was active in the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and Western Pacific in December 2021. The Liaoning and its carrier group conducted drills in the East China Sea in May 2022, and the JMSDF spotted them near Miyako Island. According to Japanese analysts, the Liaoning has a very high operational tempo, indicating China's growing confidence and maturity in aircraft carrier operations. Conclusion China's first aircraft carrier, the 'Liaoning,' is a refit of a Soviet-era ship. It was followed by the indigenously built second aircraft carrier, the Shandong. The names of two Chinese provinces are Liaoning and Shandong. China intends to have five aircraft carriers. "Fujian" had a "brief but festive" commissioning ceremony. We will discuss about them in the upcoming articles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx67TSDRseQ