Military of China, force comment.
Military of China, force comment.

basic weapons carrier Varyag has been in place.

ship as an integrated test of the “Varyag” aircraft is equipped with what kind of weapons systems, especially for air, sea weapons systems worth attention. It embodies the Chinese Navy aircraft carrier design. According to the new issue of “Chinese Defense Review” magazine reported that, in the “Varyag” careful analysis of carrier-based weapons, and found the Chinese navy in the design, the use of aircraft in a number of new ideas.

According to reports, the “Varyag” aircraft radar, weapons and basic installation completed in May this year, there were two first-order only air defense weapon system, they are mounted to 20-FL3000N to-air missiles and “X30 type” short-range air defense artillery systems. Zhuhai Air Show in the former exhibited many times, while other weapons testing the ship also tested, “Varyag” on the deployment of 4, which cover around the bow end of a range of 6,000 meters, may be induced by using combined methods ( infrared imaging, etc.), shot high of 4,500 meters, which is typical of point air defense missile, with a vertical launch capabilities, it is mainly to strengthen the on-ship missile interception. Finally, a layer of air defense forces on the “730″ short-range Artillery. It is reported that the short-range Artillery is not installed on the 054A, 052C/B and other large ships, destroyers, frigates, is “730″ model, deployed in the “Varyag” was on the short-range Artillery System is the result of a re-design , artillery battalion seems to be 10 instead of “730″ in 7. Then the “Varyag” short-range Artillery equipment should be improved, “1030″? Or “X30″?

“X30″ will greatly increase the rate of fire, a simple calculation assumes that “X30″ is “730″ improvement, then the “730″ to 4200 rounds/min rate of fire, each tube rate of fire 600 rounds/min. Therefore, if “X30″ is 10, then the overall rate of fire will reach 6,000 rounds/min. In addition, did not find other missile systems. Even found no ship missile launchers.

should be said, too many weapons equipped, taking up more valuable space, so that the “Varyag” prototype full load displacement of 60,000 tons, but only have 18 carrier-based aircraft Su-33, four Su-25UTG, 15 Ka-card -31 -28,2 AWACS aircraft. Therefore, the “Varyag” called “heavy anti-submarine cruiser” is also a grain of truth, its main task is still anti-submarine, 18 Su-33 attack on the sea, air superiority capability is only about one-third of American aircraft carrier one of the fighting, Nimitz-class aircraft carrier deployed 12 +36 F-18C/E/F and four EA-6B electronic aircraft, four E2C early warning aircraft. If the “Varyag” not to deploy a dedicated e-fighters means that the implementation of the attack when the “Varyag” operational capability is very fragile, early warning aircraft, the situation is the same.

American aircraft carrier concept is the platform of the other air defense, anti-submarine, ship strikes are the entire fleet of Aegis cruisers, destroyers of the mission. Therefore, only American carrier to bring the most necessary underlying anti-aircraft missiles, including 2-4 seat six 20 mm PhalanxMkl5 short-range Artillery. “Varyag” that is installed on FL3000N resembles the shape of the missile in the U.S.. Nimitz-class aircraft carrier also installed two RIM-7 type “Sea Sparrow” anti-aircraft missiles with a range of 14.6 km. However, this missile is outdated, the U.S. plans for the future dress-ship missile with the ability to intercept the ESSM medium-range air defense missiles. See also United States aircraft carrier to deploy a short-range anti-aircraft missiles that are necessary.

Thus, without installing ship missiles, air defense is only responsible for the most basic task of the underlying concept, improved “Varyag” completely similar to the American aircraft carrier, rather than the original Soviet-style. This has the following two advantages:

First, under the concept design of the aircraft carriers, eliminating the space-ship missiles, the ability to optimize the damage control, once the shot, do not The occurrence of similar Russian aircraft carrier as the second explosion. Second, the hangar also may expand the volume, even in the domestic carrier with the “Varyag” at the same level, the aircraft’s carrying amount may increase. One theory is that at least can carry 36 F-15, but at the moment of conclusion seems premature.

in the “Kuznetsov” aircraft carrier of the transformation process, there is no sea red -16 to deploy a similar kind of short-range anti-aircraft missiles found no guidance radar antenna, as the future of China will deploy an aircraft carrier kinds of short-range surface-to-know. If the “Varyag” test ship is not installed, then it means that the future possibility of the deployment of aircraft carriers is relatively low. Because “comprehensive test ship” aims not only to test the aircraft taking off and landing, including a variety of radar test how compatible is the main purpose of this is “Varyag” will need to install all the weapons, the main radar system. Another possibility is that a new generation of vertical launch short-range ship-to-air missiles are being tested, the test is completed, will be installed in the “Varyag”, otherwise the use of active phased array radar is largely meaningless.