The USS Enterprise Is Being Shut Down

It's the beginning of the end for the USS Enterprise. After 50 years of service, the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is going dark at the same shipyard where it was first built.

 

Around 600 sailors and 1,200 employees at the Newport News shipyard in Virginia have been tasked with completing the "inactivation."

 

The Navy has never permanently shut down a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. A big part of the job — removing spent fuel from the ship's nuclear reactors — is nothing new. Newport News has accomplished several mid-life carrier overhauls, which involve defueling followed by refueling. That's part of getting the ship back in the fight, as the Navy likes to put it.

 

But the Enterprise has no more fighting days left, and shipyard workers now face a sad reality: The ship is literally going dark before their eyes.

 

"We've got probably half the ship or more that is uninhabited," said Dave Long, program director. "It's dark — no electricity, no ventilation. And we've actually sectioned it off with certain barriers and locks, very safely, so people can't get lost."

 

Long tells the story about a small group of Newport News workers who would hop on a plane to make repair calls to a different part of the globe. That's the kind of loyalty the Enterprise inspires, he said.

 

Today, some employees simply want to walk onto the ship one last time. Long is already fielding requests from employees to "ride" the ship for a few hundred yards when, in January, it will transfer from Pier 2 to Dry Dock 11.

 

The Enterprise will remain in Newport News until 2016. Eventually, it will be towed from Hampton Roads around the tip of South America to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Bremerton, Wash.

 

There it will be dismantled and recycled.

 

"If you didn't serve on Enterprise, you really haven't lived," said Rear Admiral Thomas More.

 

Trivia Note: The USS Enterprise was on deployment during the filming of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, so the USS Ranger served as the stand-in "nuclear wessel

China continues building ‘fixed aircraft carrier’ inside PH territory

Amid Philippine government’s call for construction freeze within the disputed territories in South China Sea including West Philippine Sea, China openly rejected the proposal.

 

“China opposed it immediately. They should study it before they reject it. If they reject it without studying it, then it looks like China does not recognize that the developments in the South China Sea are creating problems for everyone,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said after attending the regional Ministers’ Meeting over the weekend.

 

According to del Rosario, China is like saying “What tensions? What problem? There is no problem.” The Philippine top diplomat said problems can’t be solved if it is not recognized.

 

Instead of listening to international community’s call to freeze construction, China is busy building its ‘fixed aircraft carrier’ inside Philippine exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea.

According to Filipino fishermen operating in West Philippine Sea, China is creating concrete sea barriers in Mabini reef. They also attested that there is an increased Chinese coast guard presence in the territory.

 

“The artificial island at Fiery Cross Reef will be an unreplaceable military base with great strategic significance due to its location and size. Such a base will realize the value of the South China Sea for China and ensure China’s status in South East Asia,” a Chinese news provider said.

 

“It can threaten all our vital economic installations and this is the most awesome, our vital military installations including what would be the installations we can make available at the EDCA (Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement),” Former National Security Adviser Roilo Golez told Submariners World.

US Navy Launches Massive Ford-Class Carrier Test

The U.S. Navy is starting a 26-month test and technology integration phase for the recently christened USS Gerald R. Ford, the first in a series of next-generation Ford-class aircraft carriers slated for commissioning in 2016.

 

 

The testing plans for the 77,000-ton USS Ford are prolonged and more labor intensive because the first-in-class ship includes a wide range of new systems and technologies, said Rear Adm. Tom Moore, Program Executive Officer, Carriers.

 

 

"We're in the infancy stages of the 26-month test program. The test program is a little bit longer than it was for Nimitz-class carriers because of the number of new developmental systems on board. The early returns are that the program is going well," Moore said.

 

 

The Ford program has been the subject of scrutiny and criticism by lawmakers, analysts and watchdog groups for cost growth and reliability issues of some of its technologies. Navy officials point out that at least $3.3 billion of the Ford's $12.8 billion cost are part of what's called non-recurring engineering costs to design and produce a first-in-class ship with new technologies.

 

 

The Ford-class carriers are slated to replace the existing Nimitz-class carriers on a one-for-one basis in coming years as the Nimitz carriers come to the end of their service life. Since carriers have a life span of up to 50-years of service, Ford-class carriers are slated to remain in service until the year 2110, Moore said.  

 

 

With this future in mind, the Ford-class carriers are being built with three times the electrical power generating capacity compared to Nimitz-class carriers, Moore said. The USS Ford will have four 26-megawatt generators bringing a total of 104 megawatts to the ship. This helps support the ship's developing systems such as its Electro-Magnetic Aircraft Launch System, or EMALS, and provides power for future systems such as lasers, and rail-guns, Moore added.

 

 

The ships are engineered with a redesigned island, slightly larger deck space and new weapons elevators in order to achieve a 33-percent increase in sortie-generation rate. The new platforms are built to launch more aircraft and more seamlessly support a high-op tempo.

 

 

The new weapons elevators allow for a much more efficient path to move and re-arm weapons systems for aircraft. The elevators can take weapons directly from their magazines to just below the flight deck, therefore greatly improving the sortie-generation rate by making it easier and faster to re-arm planes, Moore said.

 

 

He added that a decision was made to delay the launch by about four months in order to allow the shipbuilders -- Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries -- extra time to get more integration work done on the dry dock before putting the ship into the water.

 

 

"We've got four of the nine 1,100-ton air conditioning plants. We have 29 of 33 fire pumps up and running and we have tested the electric plant. We're doing diesel engine testing. We've turned over about 100 compartments to the ship's force who is now working on board the ship," Moore explained.

 

 

The USS Ford's EMALS, or electro-magnetic catapult system is being tested and built for the ship. Unlike previous Nimitiz-class carriers which use a steam-catapult, EMALS uses an electro-magnetic field and a series of cascading magnets to propel and then launch aircraft, Moore explained.

 

 

"By having this electrical pulse come down, you are pulling the aircraft down to the catapult to launch it. You can dial in the precise weight of the aircraft. As you accelerate the aircraft down the catapult, you can accelerate it to the precise speed it needs to launch," Moore said.

 

 

Unlike steam catapults which use pressurized steam, a launch valve and a piston to catapult aircraft, EMALS uses a precisely determined amount of electrical energy. As a result, EMALS is designed to more smoothly launch aircraft while reducing stress and wear and tear on the airframes themselves, he added.

 

 

"By the time the aircraft gets to the catapult it is at the right speed. Minimizing stress on the airframe, over time, reduces maintenance," Moore added.

 

 

On the ship, EMALS will be engineered such that any of the ship's four catapults will be able to draw power from any one of three energy storage groups on the ship, he said.

 

 

Although the catapult troughs for the USS Ford's EMALS system are now being built and integrated with the overall system, the technology has been in the process of extensive testing at a Naval Air Warfare Center facility in Lakehurst, N.J. 
 

The EMALS catapults there have launched 200 aircraft flights from their system, including launches of an F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-35.  In addition, the catapults there have launched more than 1,500 dead loads where they put a weight on a sled and shoot that off with the system.

 

 

Meanwhile, on the ship, the below-deck EMALS equipment has been installed. This consists of a series of transformers and rectifiers designed to convert and store electrical power through a series of motor generators before brining power to the launch motors on the catapults, Moore explained.

The USS Ford is able to generate 13,800 volts of electrical power, more than three times the 4,160 volts that a Nimitz-class carrier generates, Moore said.

 

 

The EMALS system is also engineered to work in tandem with the USS Ford's new Advanced Arresting Gear, or AAG. Unlike the existing hydraulic system used on current aircraft carriers, AAG is a mechanical electrical system with a cable that spins a water twister, Moore explained.

 

 

Similar to EMALS, the AAG is also designed to reduce stress on the airframe during the landing process.

 

 

"The idea is to provide a smoother run out and slow down in a more constant manner. What AAG will do is allow you to have a reduction in the force on the airframe as you arrest the plane," Moore said.

 

 

Once this 26-month test phase is complete, the USS Ford is scheduled to go through what's called builder trials and acceptance trials designed to make sure everything works before the ship enters service. The acceptance trials involve an independent inspection and survey of the ship, Moore said.

 

 

Once that takes place, the Navy will take the ship for a six to eight month post-shakedown period and certify the flight deck.

 

 

Moore said he expects the USS Ford to be ready to deploy as part of a battle group by late 2018 or early 2019.

 

Thales IFF equipment selected for French Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier and Horizon frigates

As part of contracts awarded by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA), DCNS has selected Thales to equip the French Navy's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier and the two French Horizon-class frigates with latest-generation IFF[1] identification systems. The installation of these new systems, part of Thales's BlueGate product family, will overcome the limitations of the systems currently in service and provide the vessels with an effective Mode 5 / Mode S capability. The upgrade to the latest NATO IFF standard will enable the warships to perform military missions with the highest levels of security, dependability and integrity (Mode 5), and better identify civil aircraft (Mode S).

 

 

The BlueGate IFF system was tested and validated during the international Bold Quest exercise in June 2013 in the United States. The exercise was a key milestone for Thales, providing an opportunity to demonstrate BlueGate's interoperability with allied systems, the guaranteed levels of IFF security it offers, and the fully certifiable compliance of the BlueGate family of IFF products.

 

 

BlueGate IFF systems from Thales are already installed on the French Navy's Jean-Bart anti-aircraft frigate and successfully passed Sea Acceptance Tests (SATs) in October 2013. The Jean-Bart was the first French Navy vessel with an operational Mode 5 capability, soon to be followed by the Cassard anti-aircraft frigate.

 

 

As one of the global market leaders in IFF identification, Thales provides a complete range of IFF solutions to meet the current and future needs

 

 

Of the armed forces. More than 17,000 Thales IFF products have been installed to date on 100 types of aircraft, land-based platforms and naval vessels around the world.

 

China plans to build 4 carriers, including nuclear

China plans to build four aircraft carriers in total to boost its naval power and exert its maritime claims, according to a Russian media report.

 

 

Official reports in January said that the PLA plans to have at least two aircraft carriers by 2015 or 2016 and said the country's second aircraft carrier is indeed under construction as previous unofficial reports had claimed. The country plans to build four aircraft carriers in total, the state newswire Xinhua citing a Russian weekly newspaper as reporting.

 

 

China commissioned the Liaoning, a refitted Soviet-era carrier purchased from Ukraine, in 2012. Future carriers are expected to be built domestically and take the Liaoning as their blueprint, at least initially.

 

 

The report further said construction appears to be behind schedule, but Beijing has mapped out a clear plan for its development. China's aircraft carrier program is set to be implemented in two phases, the report said, the aim being to build two carriers to establish carrier battle fleets to operate while two more advanced carriers are developed.

The report said the first two planned conventionally powered aircraft carriers may have a displacement of between 50,000 to 55,000 tonnes. The second phase may see the construction of two nuclear-powered carriers with an electromagnetic catapult system and displacement of 65,000 tonnes. These could possibly enter service by the late 2020s.

 

 

In order to carry out the second phase, the government approved a plan in February to build vessels that use nuclear power, the report said.

 

 

However, the Ministry of National Defense denied claims that it has plans to build more aircraft carriers at present.

 

 

The Communist Party secretary of Liaoning province, Wang Min, had said in January that an aircraft carrier was being built in Dalian, the port city where the Liaoning carrier was refitted. But reports related to Wang's remarks were promptly deleted from the internet for unknown reasons

 

China's carrier-borne jet pilots receive certification

China's first group of five pilots and landing signal officers received their certifications in the latest sea trials of the Liaoning, the country's first aircraft carrier.

The Liaoning finished its 25-day test and training mission on Wednesday and returned to a navy port in the east China city of Qingdao. During the training, pilots executed several continuous take-off and landing exercises, making China one of the few countries in the world that can train its own carrier-borne jet pilots.

Using the J-15, China's first-generation multi-purpose carrier-borne fighter jet, pilots finished China's first training mission stationed aboard the carrier as well as the first 105-meter short-distance ski-jump takeoff exercises, an important breakthrough in the sea trials.

Pilots and landing signal officers were tested on a range of skills. They passed the certification process following expert reviews and a flight data assessment.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy also performed exercises related to the carrier's operations, system guarantees and logistics. Based on the smooth operation of staff, jet fighters and the carrier, as well as the sound cooperation between fighters and the carrier, the Liaoning is now considered capable of carrying carrier-borne jet fighters.

Zhang Yongyi, deputy commander of the PLA Navy and commander-in-chief of the aircraft carrier tests and sea trials, said these results show that China has fully mastered the skills needed for taking off from, and landing on, the aircraft carrier and that it has successfully established a training system for carrier-borne jet pilots.

Control tower lowered on to UK's biggest aircraft carrier

The UK's biggest aircraft carrier has moved a step closer to completion after its 750-tonne control tower was lowered on to the deck.

The aft island of HMS Queen Elizabeth was built in a yard on the River Clyde in Glasgow and sailed on a barge to Rosyth, Fife, last week to join the other parts of the ship.

It took workers in Scotstoun nearly two years to build the section which will serve as the centre of on-board flight operations.

A huge crane lifted it into place, and it was then lowered on to the deck yesterday in a ceremony with representatives from the armed forces in attendance.

A plaque with the badges of the Royal Navy, the Army and the RAF was placed under the aft island before it was lowered the final few feet into position.

Part of the plaque will remain visible and reads: "Embedded within are the emblems of the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force and the British Army, the three services which together protect the United Kingdom, her overseas territories and crown dependencies across the globe."

Two apprentices, Gordon Currie and Chris McArthur, sounded airhorns to signal the start of the lowering.

HMS Queen Elizabeth and another aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, are the largest warships ever constructed for the Royal Navy. The first is due to be launched in 2016. They are being built by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, a partnership of BAE Systems, Babcock, Thales and the Ministry of Defence.

Captain Simon Petitt, senior naval officer, HMS Queen Elizabeth, said: "This is a very significant moment in the making of the ship, particularly as it's an aircraft carrier, because the guys working in the aft island will be operating and controlling all of the aviation activity on this flight deck.

"It's a massive UK project, it's going to be the most automated and advanced aircraft carrier in the world and it's being built in this country and all of those involved should be rightly proud."

Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carrier section completed

The final section of the Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carrier was completed at BAE Systems in Scotstoun in Glasgow yesterday. 

The Aft Island section of the carrier will be loaded onto a barge before being transported to Rosyth where the rest of the ship is being constructed. 

Six UK shipyards are involved in building various parts of the ship. The vessel will not be finished until 2016 at the earliest, and may not be ready for active service until 2020, when it will be based in Portsmouth.

The navy is expected to have no aircraft carriers between 2014, when HMS Illustrious is taken out of service, and 2016, when HMS Queen Elizabeth is completed. The government decided to retire the HMS Ark Royal and its fleet of Harrier jump jets in 2011, five years early.

Constructed by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, the Queen Elizabeth will be the Royal Navy’s largest ever warship.

Several countries interested in buying ex-Spanish Navy Aircraft Carrier Principe de Asturias

According to rumors that emerged recently in the Spanish press, the Philippines as well as several Arab countries have expressed interest in purchasing the former Spanish Navy Aircraft Carrier Principe de Asturias.

In case of a sale, the contract would include refit and upgrading of the vessel by Spanish shipyard Navantia.

It is reported that Indonesia already expressed interest in the vessel earlier this year. Following an official visit by TNI AL (Indonesian Navy) delegation to the El Ferrol naval base however, Indonesia decided not to purchase the aircraft carrier.

Indigenous aircraft carrier to be launched in August

Indian Navy's indigenously-built aircraft carrier would be launched on August 12 this year, while INS Vikramaditya (purchased from Russia) will arrive before the end of 2013, Union Defence Minister A K Antony said here today.

"INS Vikramaditya is going to be a reality, as promised the ship would be delivered before the end of this year," Antony told reporters after the commissioning of fighter aircraft MiG29K into Navy at INS Hansa here.

"While on one side Vikramaditya is coming this year, on August 12 we are going to launch indigenous aircraft carrier at Cochin," he said, without elaborating further.

Asserting that the country was giving a thrust to modernisation of defence forces, Antony said, "Navy modernisation is one area where we are going fast-paced now.

"Almost all the navies of important countries want close cooperation with the Indian Navy," he said, adding that "Indian Navy is well-prepared, most modern and (one of) the most capable navies of the world.

"(Over) Last many years, there has been well-planned induction wherein we are replacing old platforms and adding new ones," he said.

U.S. flattop arrives in S. Korea for joint naval drills

The U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz arrived in South Korea Saturday to participate in joint naval drills as part of routine training, the Combined Forces Command (CFC) said.

   The 97,000-ton Nimitz, one of the world's largest warships, made a port call at the southeastern port city of Busan for a three-day stay to participate in joint military drills over the weekend in southern and eastern waters of the Korean Peninsula.

USS Nimitz is part of the Nimitz Strike Group, which is composed of guided-missile destroyers USS Momsen, USS Preble and guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton, according to the U.S. Navy's Web site.

   The naval drill involving the Nimitz warship, which follows a five-day anti-submarine drill in the Yellow Sea that concluded Friday, is aimed at enhancing military readiness and interoperability between the allies, the CFC said.

   During a guided tour of the ship, Rear Admiral Michael White, commander of the Nimitz Strike Group, told reporters that the two navies perform 15 to 16 exercises a year and that this port call is part of routine training between the two militaries.

   Last week, North Korea condemned the military exercises and warned that it would mercilessly avenge any breach of its territorial sovereignty with rocket forces. Pyongyang called on Seoul to stop "hostile acts and military provocations" if it wants to normalize the suspended Kaesong Industrial Zone.

   About 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice agreement, not a peace treaty.

INS Vikramaditya poised to meet latest deadline

The INS Vikramaditya has undergone a complex operation at Russia’s Sevmash shipyard ahead of the final stage of trials and delivery to the Indian Navy later this year. 

With 10 weeks still left until July 3, 2013, when the final sea trials are due to begin, tug boats carefully manoeuvred the giant ship to a drainable pool. There the Vikramaditya will once again be put on a frame. Once the water has been drained, engineers will inspect the hull of the ship and all its outboard parts and components.

According to the head of the commissioning team, Igor Leonov, all the procedures in the dry dock - which are compulsory for a ship after repairs - will take two months. So far, the project remains strictly on the latest schedule.The April 25 deadline for putting the ship in the dock has been met, Leonov said.

Ekaterina Pilikina, spokeswoman for the Sevmash shipyard, gave the media details of the elaborate operation. The main complication was that there were only a few centimetres to spare between the hull of the enormous ship and the sluice gate. To make matters worse, the team worked in strong winds and had only an hour at the peak of the high tide to complete their task.

The operation was observed by senior Sevmash executives; the head of the White Sea naval base, Vladimir Vorobyev; the captain of the Indian crew of the Vikramaditya, Suraj Berry and the head of the Indian observation team, Kudaravalli Srinivas. Both Indian representatives were impressed with what they saw.

Srinivas said this was the second time he saw such an operation. The first was back in 2008, when the ship was being taken out of the drainable pool after repairs. “Now Sevmash specialists have once again demonstrated their professionalism,” the Indian representative said. “They have coped very well with their task.”

The chief executive of the shipyard, Mikhail Budnichenko, expressed confidence that all the remaining work in the dock “will be done well and on schedule.” Sergey Novoselov, head of defence export projects at Sevmash, explained the nature of that work: “In accordance with the contract, we must inspect the state of the hull, the propeller-rudder system, and the sea valves. We will also restore the paintwork below the waterline, if necessary.”

Novoselov added that most of the problems identified during the sea trials have already been fixed. 

The ongoing refurbishment of the main boilers involves specialists of the companies which designed and manufactured them. The refurbishment is scheduled for completion in May. All the interim results of the project are inspected by the Indian customer and by the Russian MoD

Before the Vikramaditya can take to the sea once again, the Sevmash quality assurance specialists will be asked to present their findings on 435 separate items covering almost the entire ship, including tens of thousands of individual parts and components. In addition, much of the interior finish has yet to be completed.

 “There are more than 2,500 compartments in the ship,” Novoselov says. “That includes combat stations, bays, cabins, engine and boiler rooms, power plant compartments, and a 120 metre-long hangar, which is about the same length as a football pitch. We must paint all these compartments, install the hardware, properly insulate all the piping and frame elements, and present the whole thing for the customer's inspection. In addition to the engineers setting up the main equipment, we also have painters, joiners, fitters, insulation technicians and other specialists working on the Vikramaditya.”

In the autumn of 2012, the Vikramaditya was forced to return to Sevmash, where it had previously been repaired and refitted, to replace the fire-resistant insulation of the boilers, which began to deteriorate during trials in the Barents Sea. This and several other problems with the hardware had forced Russia to postpone the delivery of the Vikramaditya to the Indian Navy, which was previously scheduled for 2012.

The new delivery deadline is November 2013. Eight boilers must be refurbished before the end of May if that deadline is to be met. The ship is scheduled to take to the sea once again on July 3, so there will be a month left to test all the boilers of the main power plant, including operation at the maximum load. The next stage of the trials, which involves the planes and helicopters based on the Vikramaditya, is scheduled for August 3.

In mid-October the ship will return to Sevmash, where specialists will spend another month preparing it for the voyage to India.

Trials schedule: Every day counts

Sergey Novoselov, Head of defence export projects at Sevmash

“On July 2013 the aircraft carrier will begin sea trials in the White Sea; we will spend a month testing all the boilers of the main power plant under various loads. The next stage of the trials will commence on August 3 in the Barents Sea, and end on September 30. It will involve the planes and helicopters based on the carrier; the aim is to test the operation of the entire carrier-aircraft complex. 

One of the critical parts of the trials is aircraft landings on the deck of the Vikramaditya during night-time. These flights will begin in late August or early September, once the midnight sun period north of the Polar Circle is over.

 Then the ship is scheduled to return to Sevmash in early October to begin preparations for the voyage to India. November 15 is the deadline for the aircraft to be delivered to the customer and (for the ship to) set sail for its new home in India. Incidentally, we are planning a shorter route for that journey, via the Suez Canal rather than around Africa. In accordance with the terms of the contract, Sevmash engineers will perform repairs and maintenance during the initial 12-month warranty period, and then provide their services for another 20 years once the warranty has expired."

China builds second aircraft carrier

Navy has a single carrier, the Russian-built Liaoning, and says another larger vessel is under construction

China will build a second, larger aircraft carrier capable of carrying more fighter jets, the official Xinhua news service has reported, quoting a senior officer with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy.

The report comes after Chinese officials denied foreign media reports in September 2012 that China was building a second carrier in Shanghai. 

"China will have more than one aircraft carrier ... The next aircraft carrier we need will be larger and carry more fighters," Xinhua quoted Song Xue, deputy chief of staff of the PLA Navy, as saying at a ceremony with foreign military attaches. 

Song said foreign media reports saying the carrier was being built in Shanghai were inaccurate but did not elaborate, according to the report. 

China currently has one aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, which it bought from the Russians and refitted. Considered by military experts to be decades behind US carrier technology, it was officially said to have been bought to serve as a floating casino but was turned to military use.

China is also building up other forms of military hardware, including a stealth fighter jet believed to be capable of landing on a carrier, drone aircraft and nuclear submarines. 

China is alone among the original nuclear weapons states to be expanding its nuclear forces, according to a report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. 

Song said the PLA Navy was building a naval aviation force for the Liaoning and there would be at least two aviation regiments on one carrier, including fighters, reconnaissance aircraft, anti-submarine aircraft, electronic countermeasure (ECM) planes and rotary-wing aircraft, the report said.

Chinese officials have said the Liaoning will be used primarily for training purposes.

China Forms Its First Carrier Escort Group

The escort group for China’s first aircraft carrier (the Liaoning) is being formed. It currently consists of two Type 051C destroyers and two Type 054A frigates plus a supply ship. It is similar to what the U.S. has long used, which is currently 3-4 destroyers, 1-2 frigates, an SSN (nuclear submarine) and a supply ship. Chinese SSNs are few and not very good, which is why China probably has not assigned one to their escort group.

 

The Type 51C is a 7,100 ton destroyer optimized for anti-aircraft defense. It carries 48 Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missiles (range 150 kilometers) in vertical launch tubes plus eight C-803 anti-ship missiles (range 300 kilometers), one 100mm gun, two 30mm anti-missile autocannon, six torpedo tubes and a helicopter. It has a crew of 290 and a top speed of 48 kilometers an hour. 

 

The Type 54A frigate is a 4,300 ton ship with a top speed of 49 kilometers an hour. The crew of 165 operates a 76mm cannon, two 30mm multi-barrel anti-missile autocannon, eight C-803 anti-ship missiles, six anti-submarine torpedoes, 12 240mm anti-submarine rockets, 32 vertical launch cells containing anti-aircraft or anti-submarine missiles, and a helicopter. For both ships the radars, sonar, and electronics are all Chinese made. 

 

As Japanese and South Korea have done, China appears to be following the American lead in destroyer design.. The principal American destroyer is currently the Burke class. This is a design that is the culmination of over half a century of World War II and Cold War destroyer design experience. Even after the Burke was designed, in the 1980s, the design evolved. The first Burkes were 8,300 ton ships, while the latest ones, laden with more gear, and smaller crews, are 10,000 ton ships (what heavy cruisers weighed in World War II). With a top speed of nearly 50 kilometers an hour, their main armament is 90 vertical launch tubes flush with the deck, that can contain anti-aircraft, anti-ship, anti-missile or cruise missiles. There is also a 127mm (5 inch) gun, two 20mm anti-missile autocannon, six torpedo tubes and two helicopters. The Burkes were well thought out, sturdy and they got the job done. They became irreplaceable, and thus this class of warships will last more than half a century.

 

China is using its new Type 903 replenishment ships for its most important missions. The first of these 23,000 tons tanker/cargo ships appeared in 2004. The replenishment ship provides fuel, water, food, and other supplies to the task force it supports. The replenishment ship would go to local ports to restock its depleted stores of fuel, water, food, and other necessities.

 

The Type 903 is similar to the twelve American T-AKE replenishment ships in service. These 40,000 ton ships service a much larger fleet than the four Chinese Type 903s and are part of a larger number of replenishment ships the United States uses. China needs more replenishment ships now because it is more frequently sending warships long distances, not just to the Somali coast but also far into the Pacific.

 

The Liaoning is a 65,000 ton ship that had spent over a year on sea trials and began operating jets from its flight deck six months ago. China has stated that the Liaoning will primarily be a training carrier. The Chinese apparently plan to station up to 24 jet fighters and 26 helicopters on the Liaoning and use the ship to train pilots and other specialists for four or more additional carriers that are to be built. The new escort group will enable escort ships to practice operating with a carrier.

INS Viraat can continue for another 3 years

The navy’s sole aircraft carrier INS Viraat can continue its service for another three years, the Lok Sabha was informed on Monday.

In a written reply, Defence Minister A K Antony said adequate safeguards are in place to ensure that navy’s operational capabilities are not compromised during the time a ship is under refit and repairs. He was asked whether the country does not have an aircraft carrier prowling the high seas.

“No. One aircraft carrier is currently in commission ... (INS) Viraat can soldier on for another three years,” he said.

Antony also said that repairs and refits are planned activities and a normal feature in the life of a ship. “Adequate safeguards are in place to ensure that the operational capabilities of the navy are not compromised during the time a ship is under refit. After completion of refit, the life of a ship gets extended depending on the nature of refit,” he said.

In reply to another question, he said a contract has been signed with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for supply of 42 Su-30 MKI aircraft at a total cost of Rs 16,147.28 crore. He also said the aircraft are planned to be delivered by 2016-17.

Replying to a query on establishment of a strike corps, Antony denied that the government has shelved the proposal to raise and maintain such a corps.

On proposals to export indigenously developed helicopters, Minister of State for Defence Jitendra Singh said, “Seven Advance Light Helicopters (ALH) Dhruv have already been supplied to the Ecuador.” 

Jitendra Singh added that orders have come for supply of three Chetak and equal number of Cheetal helicopters to Suriname and Afghanistan, respectively.

Replying to a question on list of defence equipment bought under Life Cycle Cost method, Antony said, “So far only one contract i.e. supply of Basic Trainer Aircraft, has been concluded using the total cost of acquisition model under the LCC approach.” 

Ready to induct MiG squadron in may, India awaits carrier

The Admiral Gorshkov warship will be put on trial on Barents Sea between May and July and commissioned by Sevmash shipyard on White Sea in November 2013.

Government sources said the 2012 “boiler furnace brickwork” problem, encountered in seven of the eight boilers, had been rectified and the Naval Headquarters believes that the ship — modification and refitting of which would cost around $2.3 billion — will be on India’s western seaboard by November-December this year.

With India’s sole aircraft carrier — the 54-year-old INS Viraat — undergoing an overhaul and scheduled to join active duty by mid-2013, there is urgency in the acquisition of Vikramaditya as the Chinese PLA Navy will put its aircraft carrier Liaoning on high sea trial this year.

Acquired as junk named Varyag from Ukraine, Liaoning— refurbished at the Dalian shipyard — is expected to acquire combat capability within two years.

As a first step towards formally acquiring Vikramaditya, 16 aircraft of Russian MiG-29 K fighters will be commissioned into the Indian Navy in Goa on May 11.

While this squadron of multi-role fighters will be christened 303 squadron, the navy will acquire another 29 aircraft for its second squadron.

The new aircraft carrier will be based at Karwar in Karnataka under the Western Naval Command and will give India the much needed long legs in the Indian Ocean region.

“The delivery of INS Vikramaditya figured in summit meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Delhi on December 24, 2012. We hope that high sea aviation and speed trials of INS Vikramaditya would be smooth,” said a defence ministry official.

With the first squadron of carrier-based fly-by-wire MiG-29 K fighters to be formally inducted into the navy next month, India is now keeping its fingers crossed on Russia delivering the 45,000-tonne INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier by 2013 end, after a delay of over five years.

Indian aircraft carrier: More costly, already delayed

The Defence Ministry will soon move the Union Cabinet for an additional Rs. 2000 crore to meet the cost overrun for completing the first phase of Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) being constructed at the Cochin Shipyard - on India's western seaboard.

The IAC, which is likely to be named INS Vikrant - after India's first and now decommissioned aircraft carrier - is delayed by at least five years and is expected to be with the Indian Navy only after 2018 as against the scheduled date of delivery of 2014, Defence Minister AK Antony had earlier told Parliament. For the Indian Navy the delay and the cost overrun of the indigenously made aircraft carrier is almost a double whammy as the Russian built Aircraft Carrier Admiral Gorshkov, renamed as INS Vikramaditya, is also delayed.

Sources told NDTV that the first phase of the construction of the aircraft carrier, which in 2003 was budget to cost about Rs. 3200 crore, has escalated because of delays. In the first stage of the project the shipyard was expected to piece together some 18,000 tonnes of the hull, however, only 14,000 tonnes have been constructed. The ship is likely to be about 40,000 tonnes and is biggest ship that India has ever built. Till now only USA, Russia, the UK and France have produced such warships. China has re-fitted an old aircraft carrier purchased from Ukraine after the USSR broke up. The construction of the ship has been delayed due several reasons primarily because India was unable to procure special steel from Russia and also because gear boxes produced by a Gujarat-based firm in collaboration with the German partner had been found to be faulty.

Public sector giant, Steel Authority of India (SAIL) has come to rescue of the Indian Navy by producing the special quality steel. The first of the two remade gear boxes have reached Kochi a few days ago.

The total cost of the aircraft carrier alone - without its aircraft component - is likely to be between Rs. 14000-to Rs. 18000 crore.

Mr Antony who reviewed the progress of the construction of the ship today directed Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma to constantly monitor the progress of the construction and formed empowered apex committee. Defence Minister Antony has asked Cochin ship yard to come with a "firm date of delivery". Sources said that Mr Antony has also told the shipyard that "we cannot go on hearing excuses. Everybody has to be accountable for the warship which is a national project and responsibilities in case of further slippages will have to be fixed."

The aircraft carrier is critical to India's ambition to emerge as a dominant player in the Indian Ocean region. Although India needs at least two, if not three, aircraft carriers, however, to ensure that it has at least one carrier available at all times, at present it is still pushing the 50 year old British made war horse INS Viraat. The warship has served the Navy for 25 years and should have been decommissioned in 2002. Naval experts say rarely do any Navy use ships which are 50 years old.

With the USA likely to reduce its presence in the Persian Gulf, the Indian Navy desperately needs major assets like Aircraft Carriers to maintain its presence and also shape the developments in the volatile gulf region. "It is because we're uncertain about when we are likely to get the next carrier we have been keeping INS Viraat in the best shape possible," a senior Naval officer told NDTV. INS Viraat which has gone through over a dozen major and minor refits is currently undergoing another refit is likely to be in the docks and out of action till March 2013.

China - 'We are ready to build more carriers'

Firm that equipped the Liaoning is set for wave of new orders

The company that played a key role in equipping China's first aircraft carrier is ready to build more "seagoing airbases", its chairman said.

"China is the only one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council not to have an aircraft carrier wholly developed by itself," said Hu Wenming, chairman of China State Shipbuilding Corp.

The company is a major designer and maker of the aeronautical support system for the Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier, which was refitted from the Soviet Union's Varyag warship.

The Liaoning was commissioned on Sept 25.

"We must enhance our independent weapons and equipment research and production capacity to match the country's clout, and independently build our own aircraft carriers," Hu told China Daily during the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China this month.

In his political report to the congress, President Hu Jintao said that it was a key strategy to build a strong national defense commensurate with China's international standing and to meet the needs of its security and development interests.

Hu Wenming, a congress delegate, took the helm of the world's second-largest shipbuilder in July. Hyundai Heavy Industries is the world's largest shipbuilder. He said his company had the responsibility and the capability to provide modern weaponry and equipment to the navy.

The 55-year-old declined to say when and how many carriers his company will build. "That hinges on the central authorities," he said.

But he suggested the country develop carriers using what he called catapult stroke technology on the flight deck. Planes on the Liaoning utilize a ski-jump takeoff, according to earlier reports by the Liberation Army Daily.

"It is very difficult for fixed-wing Air Early Warning aircraft to use a ski-jump takeoff, and on such a carrier you can only use helicopters for early warning, which actually compromises early warning," he said.

The Liaoning is more than 300 meters long and over 70 meters wide. Flight coordination at sea obviously differs fundamentally from land-based runways, Hu said.

He declined to say how many people were involved in the project to equip the carrier, but said a whole research and development institute under his company was engaged in it, and its workforce had doubled in the process.

It took about six years for researchers to develop and install sophisticated technology and key infrastructure needed for the flight deck, such as those to command the launch and recovery operations of carrier-borne aircraft, he added.

Both the software and hardware the company provided have passed simulation tests, and Hu said he is confident they will work in tandem with the aircraft and the carrier. 

Hu also said his company is ready to build the vessels for the carrier formation "at any time". Such a formation is generally made up of the carrier itself, destroyers, escorts, supply vessels and submarines, he said.

He revealed that China has recently embarked on its 13th patrol mission in the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters. His company has built 95 percent of the vessels used for such missions over the past few years. The CEO said he believed the purpose of weapons and equipment development is to preserve international peace so that the country can secure economic and social growth.

China has developed satellites, nuclear and hydrogen bombs to safeguard national security, Hu said.

"Likewise, developing aircraft carriers and other new-generation armament for the navy is tailored for the country's defense and the need to protect marine rights and interests."

In building vessels for civilian use, amid a global downturn in shipbuilding, Hu said his company is changing course, focusing on the higher-end, value-added vessels and marine engineering facilities.

This currently accounts for only 35 percent of the company's turnover, while those of lower-end contribute to 65 percent.

Hu pledged to complete structural optimization and reverse the proportions by 2015, when his company is expected to become the world's largest shipbuilder.

MiG-29K carrier trials for India completed

RAC MiG has completed sea trials of its MiG-29K/KUB combat aircraft involving the Indian navy's future aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, with deliveries under New Delhi's 2010 contract on track to start late this year.

"All tests on the ship have been completed successfully, and the customer signed the respective protocol. We no longer need a carrier [for trials]," says RAC MiG general director Sergei Korotkov. The Indian navy has already received 16 K-model fighters and KUB-variant trainers from a previous order, and "these aircraft are being successfully operated", he adds.

RAC MiG

Meanwhile, a first batch of six Indian air force MiG-29s to be upgraded to an improved UPG standard have been completed at the Russian company's Lukhovitsy plant to the south of Moscow. Introducing a new avionics suite harmonised with that of the MiG-29K, the work is being performed under a March 2008 contract, with 90% of the aircraft to be modified in India under Russian supervision.

Speaking at the Lukhovitsy site on 25 October, Korotkov said RAC MiG has "a considerable backlog of orders from the local customer and foreign countries, which gives us a high workload through to 2017". This represents business worth more than $6 billion, he added.

In addition to building new deck-based fighters for the Indian and Russian navies, the company is also on schedule to hand over its first MiG-35s to the Russian air force next year. Korotkov says he expects the Russian defence ministry to order more of the latter type in 2013-14.

Risk Management In The Chinese Navy

China’s new aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, is getting the high-powered publicity treatment by the navy and state-controlled media. This has included some bold moves. The navy, for example, allowed 19 year old quadruplet brothers, who entered the navy together two years ago, to join the Liaoning crew, and pictures of the four Sun brothers (Changyu, Changfeng, Changling and Changtao) are all over the media. Any stories about the new carrier are popular in China and personal interest ones even more so.

Some Chinese are concerned about the wisdom of putting the Sun brothers on the new ship. For one thing, “four” is an unlucky number for Chinese (because it sounds similar to “death” when spoken) and then there is the American experience with the five Sullivan brothers during World War II. While not quadruplets, the Sullivan brothers all joined the navy and ended up serving together on the cruiser Juneau. During a fierce night battle off Guadalcanal Island in November 1942, the Juneau sank, and only 25 of the 698 man crew survived. All five Sullivan brothers were lost. Shortly after the loss of the Juneau, the Navy separated other siblings who had been serving together and forbade stationing siblings serving on warships together. 

In reality, the Chinese Navy leadership is neither superstitious nor inclined to take risks. The Liaoning is one of two Kuznetsov class Russian carriers built near the end of the Cold War. While the original Kuznetsov is in Russian service, the second ship, the Varyag, was launched but not completed and work stopped in 1992. The Chinese bought the unfinished carrier in 1998, towed it to China and spent over a decade completing it as the Liaoning. This conversion was very deliberate, and so is the process of developing fighter pilots able to take off and land on a carrier. This is a tricky business but Chinese pilots have already spent several years practicing on an airfield in Central China built to the same specifications of the Liaoning flight deck.

Not only have pilots trained on this land-based “carrier” but so have the deck crews that will have to carry out the quick and complex procedures needed to assist aircraft landing and taking off. China knows that the Liaoning has to carry out landings and takeoffs at sea, where anyone can witness and photograph any accidents. So their policy is to minimize the risk of embarrassing accidents as much as possible.

The Liaoning is not only the newest Chinese warship but also the largest and first aircraft carrier. Losing this ship to an accident to weather would be a great catastrophe, and the fact that the four Sun brothers were aboard would be a very small part of that. For now the Chinese are accentuating the positive and energetically striving to reduce the many risks they know they will encounter as they create an aircraft carrier capability.