How many aircraft carriers does China need? One analyst says at least 6
- Commentary says the country will need two for each of its existing three fleets with possibly another for future operations in the Indian Ocean
- Last month the country’s third, and most advanced, carrier was launched and another is thought to be in the pipeline
China needs six or seven aircraft carriers to watch over the South China Sea and possibly the Indian Ocean, according to a Chinese defence analyst.
New aircraft carrier seen to give PLA an edge in Taiwan Strait
But the Chinese military has been ambiguous about its future plans and said any further carriers would be considered “based on the demands of national security and the development of equipment technology”.
Wang Hongliang, associate researcher at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s National Strategic Research Centre, suggested in an article published last week that, assuming the country could afford it, each of the navy’s three fleets would need two aircraft carriers, and maybe one more for a future Indian Ocean fleet.
“If we are bold enough in predicting it, is it possible to maintain a permanent naval force in the Indian Ocean in the future to more effectively protect China’s most important trade route? Then this fleet, far from home ports, may need an aircraft carrier as well,” he wrote in The Paper.cn, a Shanghai-based news website.
Besides the Fujian, the PLA Navy has the Liaoning, a former Soviet Kuznetzov-class carrier bought from Ukraine, and the Shandong, a home-built hull modelled on the Liaoning with many modifications.
01:19
Chinese navy practises aerial combat as it prepares its newest aircraft carrier for operations
The navy is divided into three fleets – the North Sea Fleet, covering the Yellow Sea and Korean peninsula; the East Sea Fleet, responsible for an area that includes Taiwan; and the South Sea Fleet.
The Liaoning, officially referred to as a “training platform”, is based at the North Sea Fleet’s home port, while the Shandong is assigned to the South Sea Fleet.
Beijing has built bases on some of the islands and artificial islands in the area, but he believes that is not enough because “the risk of US military involvement is real”.
He wrote: “The complex security situation in the South China Sea and the far distance from the mainland coastline both require floating airport fortresses that can be deployed to the relevant sea area at any time.
“Equipping the South Sea Fleet with aircraft carriers will fill the last remaining loopholes of the island defence system in the South China Sea.”
Say it with aircraft carriers: why countries send in the big ships
He said eventually six or seven carriers would be needed to allow the navy to “multitask” and carry out “high-intensity” missions.
He said the Fujian, which is equipped with advanced electromagnetic catapults, will serve as a foundation for the construction of at least two more carriers. But predicted these will probably have significant upgrades, such as replacing the power system with nuclear reactors and adding another launch catapult and one or two elevators for plane operations.
Wang also said the country’s Type 075 amphibious assault ships, which currently act as helicopter landing docks, could be transformed into light carriers for fixed wing planes by fitting catapults.
01:29
What is known about the Fujian, China’s first home-designed aircraft carrier
He also warned that at the current pace of construction, the country will not get its sixth carrier until 2037 at the earliest, by which time the Liaoning would be 49 years old and facing retirement.
“For any country, a strategic project like aircraft carrier construction does not only need to take into consideration its industrial capacity, technical level and operational needs, but also is directly related to what the country can afford and willingness to make administrative decisions,” he wrote.
