Skip to main content

China’s 2nd Aircraft Carrier heads for trials, India 2nd carrier not far behind


China’s second sea-borne aircraft carrier on Monday started a fresh round of trials at sea. The 50,000-tonne warship headed out from its base at the Dalian.

The warship will undergo a series of tests before it is commissioned, possibly in 2019.

China, like India, operates one carrier — the Liaoning. A carrier can launch fighter jets from its deck and extend the arc of operations of these jets.

India has one operational carrier — the INS Vikramaditya — and has more than 50 years of experience in operating such warships that require complex technologies. China started operating one just four years ago.

Beijing’s upcoming aircraft carrier means it will soon have a two-carrier Navy. Both countries are literally racing to have, by 2020, at least two carriers in their respective fleets.

China’s second carrier will rival the INS Vikrant (also known as the IAC-1), which will be New Delhi’s second carrier. Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba had in December 2017 announced that the INS Vikrant would be ready for induction by 2020.

The project has been delayed by years — it should have been commissioned by 2017 even by an extended deadline. The delivery of the INS Vikrant will almost coincide with China’s commissioning of its own-built carrier, so far known as “001A” though the Chinese media calls it the “Shandong”.

A report of the US Department of Defence, “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China, 2018”, says “China’s first domestic aircraft carrier will likely join the fleet by 2019”.

Pictures and videos of the Chinese warship moving out of its base have been doing the rounds over the Internet since Sunday afternoon.


Race for dominance ::
- China, like India, operates one carrier — the Liaoning. The ‘Shandong’ will rival INS Vikrant, to be New Delhi’s second carrier after INS Vikramaditya
- The delivery of INS Vikrant is likely to coincide with China’s commissioning of ‘Shandong’ that is in 2020
- ‘Shandong’ will be able to carry J-15 fighter jets, besides rotary wing aircraft, including Changshe Z-18, Ka-31, or Harbin Z-9 helicopters


Source Link: http://www.defencenews.in/article/China%E2%80%99s-2nd-Aircraft-Carrier-heads-for-trials,-India-2nd-carrier-not-far-behind-570260

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Top 10 Best Sainik Schools In India as per NDA Selection

In this article you will get to know about Best Sainik Schools in India, Best Sainik School of India and top 10 Sainik schools in India When India became independent, most of the officers in the defense at that time used to come from elite families. To rectify the regional and class imbalance amongst the Officer cadre of the India Military, V.K Krishna Menon came up with the idea of Sainik Schools. The idea was to prepare students for Entry in the NDA. In Sainik Schools, deserving students can get high-quality education irrespective of their income or class background. The mission of Sainik schools is to prepare the cadets academically, physically, and mentally to enter the portals of the NDA. Today there are 33 Sainik schools running and proposed for future covering all the states of the country. But it has always been a topic of discussion that which of these is the best Sainik School school in India. Why do children take admission in Sainik Schools?  So that they can become offi...

Explained: What is Army Aviation Corps, the youngest Corps of the Indian Army

A look at the Army Aviation Corps’ history and its relevance in modern day battlefields, including in Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism (CI-CT) operations. Representative Image The Army Aviation Corps (AAC), the youngest Corps of the Indian Army, celebrated its 35th Corps Day on November 1. We take a look at the arm that adds an air dimension to the Army’s capabilities, its history, and its relevance in modern day battlefields, including Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism (CI-CT) operations. The roots of Army Aviation Corps The origin of the AAC can be traced back to the raising of the Army Aviation wing of the Royal Air Force in India in 1942, and the subsequent formation of the first Indian Air Observation Post in August 1947. The Air Observation Post units primarily acted as artillery spotters – which are the elements that help the artillery in directing the fire and also giving air support to ground forces. In the wars of 1965 and 1971, the Air Observation Post helicop...

That time when India took half of Pakistan to make it pay for a motorcycle

In 1947, British officer Yahya Khan offered his colleague 1,000 rupees for his spiffy red motorcycle. His colleague, Sam Manekshaw, agreed. But before Khan could pay, he was off to what was going to become Pakistan. The British split its Indian colony, and things on the subcontinent have been pretty tense ever since. To top it all off, Yahya Khan didn't pay for the motorbike. But he would, even if it took almost 25 years. The Partition of India was much more than the splitting of the British Raj into two independent states. It was a catastrophic split that tore apart the country and created millions of refugees, cost millions of lives, and split the armed forces of the country in two, all based on religion. Violence erupted almost immediately between the two groups on such a large scale that much of it has never been forgotten or forgiven. Animosity continued between both sides for decades, and the two have fought war after war because of the myriad issues left unaddressed. By 1970...