| Type 003 aircraft carrier | |
|---|---|
| Class overview | |
| Builders: | Jiangnan Shipyard |
| Operators: |
 People's Liberation Army Navy |
| Preceded by: | Type 002 aircraft carrier |
| Succeeded by: | Type 004 aircraft carrier |
| Building: | 2[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Aircraft carrier |
| Displacement: | 85,000 tonnes[2] |
| Propulsion: | conventional with integrated electric propulsion |
| Aviation facilities: | Hangar deck |
The Type 003 aircraft carrier is a second-generation Chinese aircraft carrier design. The Type 003 will be the first Chinese carrier to feature an integrated electric propulsion system. This will allow the operation of electromagnetic launch catapults.[3][4] The Type 003 configuration would for the first time be catapult-assisted takeoff barrier arrested recovery (CATOBAR), while the first two carriers were short takeoff barrier arrested recovery (STOBAR).[5] Foxtrot Alpha has suggested that the aircraft carrier is designated the Type 003, rather than the Type 002 as currently thought.[6]
Development[]
Rear Admiral Yin Zhuo of the People's Liberation Army Navy said in 2013 that China's next aircraft carrier would be equipped with an electromagnetic aircraft launch system.[7] Multiple prototypes were spotted by media in 2012, and aircraft capable of electromagnetic launching were tested in Chinese Navy research facilities.[8]
Construction of the carrier began in the mid-2010s, although the precise date is unknown. The National Interest reported that construction began in March 2015,[9] while The Diplomat said that "initial work" had begun in February 2016, followed by a notice to proceed given to the Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard Group in March 2017.[10] In September 2018, Foxtrot Alpha reported that there were two ships being built in Jiangnan and Dalian Shipyards simultaneously.[6]
The construction of Type 003 aircraft carrier was reportedly delayed in June 2017 while the Navy tested electromagnetic and steam-powered catapult systems.[11] By November 2017, the Navy had reportedly developed a new means of powering electromagnetic catapults with conventional power sources instead of nuclear reactors, and further work on the Type 003 was due to begin imminently.[12][13][14] The design breakthrough is led by Rear Admiral Ma Weiming.
The ship is expected to be launched in 2020 and enter active service in 2023.[10] It is estimated to have an aircraft capacity of about 40 fighter aircraft, several propeller-powered transport and airborne early warning and control aircraft.[15]
On 7 May 2019, the Center for Strategic and International Studies identified overhead imagery of the hull under construction in satellite photographs. The images showed a bow section that appeared to end with a flat 30-metre (98-foot) front and a separate hull section 41 metres wide, suggesting that the vessel will be larger than the unbuilt 85,000-ton Soviet aircraft carrier Ulyanovsk but smaller than the 100,000-ton supercarriers of the United States Navy.[16][17] Its capabilities have also been suggested to be comparable to that of the Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier.[18]
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ "Inside China’s Plan to Build the Second-Biggest Aircraft Carrier Fleet in the World". Forecast International. September 2018. https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/inside-china-s-plan-to-build-the-second-biggest-aircraf-1828730033. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
- ↑ "China Reveals Launch Date of New Aircraft Carriers". Sputnik International. 13 February 2017. https://sputniknews.com/asia/201702131050622615-china-aircraft-carriers/.
- ↑ Minnie Chan (1 November 2017). "Breakthrough to power most advanced jet launch system on China's second home-grown aircraft carrier". South China Morning Post. http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2117947/breakthrough-power-most-advanced-jet-launch-system.
- ↑ http://www.janes.com/article/75396/china-claims-to-have-developed-conventionally-powered-electromagnetic-catapult
- ↑ "Aircraft Carrier Project - People's Liberation Army Navy". https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/china/cv-002.htm.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Mizokami, Kyle (7 September 2018). "Inside China's Plan to Build the Second-Biggest Aircraft Carrier Fleet in the World". Jalopnik. https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/inside-china-s-plan-to-build-the-second-biggest-aircraf-1828730033.
- ↑ "Chinese aircraft carrier should narrow the gap with its U.S. counterpart". People's Daily. 18 October 2013. http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90786/8429544.html. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
- ↑ "简氏:中国试飞改进型歼-15 或用于测试电磁弹射器_《参考消息》官方网站". http://www.cankaoxiaoxi.com/mil/20160923/1314163.shtml. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
- ↑ "China's Next Aircraft Carrier: Everything We Know (So Far)". The National Interest. 31 March 2017. http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/chinas-next-aircraft-carrier-everything-we-know-so-far-19965. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "China Kicks Off Construction of New Supercarrier". The Diplomat. 5 January 2018. https://thediplomat.com/2018/01/china-kicks-off-construction-of-new-supercarrier/. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- ↑ "China Explores Electromagnetic Carrier Launch System". 6 July 2017. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2017-07-06/china-explores-electromagnetic-carrier-launch-system.
- ↑ "Breakthrough to power most advanced jet launch system on China's second home-grown aircraft carrier". 1 November 2017. http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2117947/breakthrough-power-most-advanced-jet-launch-system.
- ↑ "China's New Aircraft Carrier to Use Advanced Jet Launch System". 1 November 2017. https://thediplomat.com/2017/11/chinas-new-aircraft-carrier-to-use-advanced-jet-launch-system/.
- ↑ "China claims to have developed conventionally powered electromagnetic catapult". 2 November 2017. http://www.janes.com/article/75396/china-claims-to-have-developed-conventionally-powered-electromagnetic-catapult.
- ↑ "China's Next Aircraft Carrier Will Be a Massive Leap Forward". Popular Mechanics. 19 January 2018. https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a15392390/chinas-next-aircraft-carrier-002/. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- ↑ Robert Farley (10 May 2019). "The Significance of China's Second Indigenous Aircraft Carrier". The Diplomat. https://thediplomat.com/2019/05/the-significance-of-chinas-second-indigenous-aircraft-carrier/. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
- ↑ "Exclusive: Analysts - Images show construction on China's third - and largest - aircraft carrier". Reuters. 6 May 2019. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-military-carrier-exclusive/exclusive-analysts-images-show-construction-on-chinas-third-and-largest-aircraft-carrier-idUSKCN1SD0CP?il=0. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
- ↑ Frank Chen (28 May 2019). "Third PLA carrier could be China's Kitty Hawk". Asia Times. https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/05/article/third-pla-carrier-could-be-chinas-kitty-hawk/. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
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