The aircraft carrier Liaoning. The flagship of the PRC fleet

China acquired from Ukraine in 1998 an unfinished aircraft carrier of the former Soviet navy, the Varyag, and in 2002, finally received it. After substantial re-equipment at the shipyard in Dalian in the north of China, the ship was commissioned in September 2012 and renamed Liaoning in honor of the northeastern province. The main task of the ship is to serve as a training ground for the Chinese Navy to gain experience in the operation of a modern aircraft carrier, as well as to develop and improve the technologies to be used in the design and construction of ships of this class.

Decay product

Earlier, the aircraft carrier "Liaoning" was called the heavy aircraft carrying cruiser "Riga". It was the second ship of project 1143.5 (class "Admiral Kuznetsov") of the Soviet Navy. 67 500-ton vessel was laid at the Black Sea Shipyard in Mykolayiv, Ukraine, on 06.12.85 and launched on 04.12.88. It was renamed the Varyag in July 1990. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, ownership of it was transferred to Ukraine. Due to lack of funding in 1992, construction was stopped. By that time, 70% of the aircraft carrier was built. Structurally the ship was completed, but there was no armament, electronics and chassis.

China first showed interest in buying "Varyag" in 1992. Official representatives of China inspected the ship stationed at the quay of the Nikolayev Shipyard, but the talks were fruitless because of a dispute over the price. As a result, the unfinished "Varyag" remained in the dock unattended for 6 years. In the late 1990s, the ship was auctioned and bought by a Chinese company from Macao for $ 20 million to convert to a floating casino and amusement park. The contract with Ukraine forbade the buyer to use the ship for military purposes. Before the sale, all military on-board equipment was dismantled.

From the floating casino to the flagship of the Chinese Navy

In 1999, 11 years after the launch, the Varyag finally left the dock, driven by several powerful tugboats to the Far East. However, the vessel was refused to pass through the Bosporus Strait by the Turkish government on the grounds that the ship is de-energized and presents too great a risk for other vessels and objects in the strait. "Varyag" was near the strait for three years. After the Chinese government intervened and transferred $ 1 million to Turkey in 2001 as a guarantee, the ship was finally allowed to continue on its way.

November 4, "Varyag" got into a 10-point storm and fell off anchor near the Greek island of Skyros. After many unsuccessful attempts to regain control of the ship, the helicopter of the Greek Coast Guard evacuated 7 crew members. After the fall, when trying to attach the tow ropes, the sailor of the Haliva Champion tugboat died. The vessel was again taken under control on the same day.

After a troubled journey, the Varyag in March 2002 finally arrived at Dalian Shipyard in the north of China and was under strong protection. By that time, it became obvious that the boat to the amusement park would never be turned. Instead, it was transferred to the Chinese Navy for research and restoration. Together with the ship, China received drawings and design documentation. In 2005, the aircraft carrier was moved to the dry dock of the Dalian shipyard and painted gray in the Chinese navy.

Restoration work was completed in late 2006. Then in April 2009 the ship was moved to another dry dock for the installation of engines and other heavy equipment. Installation began in late 2010. By March 2011 the superstructure on the upper deck was almost completed, the painting was finished and the scaffolding was removed.

"Research vessel"

In June 2011, the head of the People's Liberation Army General Chen Bingde confirmed that China is building an aircraft carrier. This was the first official recognition of the existence of such a project. On July 27, the Ministry of National Defense of China announced that it had reequipped the vessel for "scientific research, experiments and training purposes." The first four-day sea trials of the ship took place in August, and then the second series of tests began in December, before it was returned to the plant for final refinement.

On September 25, 2012, the ship was officially commissioned under a new name "Liaoning" aircraft carrier (CV-16). In November, the Ministry of Defense confirmed that the Chinese J-15 fighter aircraft successfully landed on it with take-off and with an airfighter. PRC press suggests that the crew will be trained for 4-5 years, until the ship reaches its maximum potential.

Deck aviation

The flagship of the Chinese Navy aircraft carrier "Liaoning" has a short runway equipped with an aerofinish. The take-off is facilitated by the presence of a nasal springboard at an angle of 14 °. The deck is equipped with brake cables. Two lifts on the starboard side move the aircraft from the hangar to the flight deck.

The aircraft carrier Liaoning is capable of carrying 24 "flying sharks" - deck multi-purpose fighters Shenyang J-15, including their double version - training fighter J-15S. In addition, it transports several types of ship helicopters, including Chinese-made helicopters Changhe Z-18, Z-18J AEW and Z-18F ASW, Harbin Z-9, and Ka-31. The total number of transported aircraft is 36 units.

Armament

The Varyag was originally equipped with the anti-ship missile system Granit (SS-N-9 Shipwreck). The launcher was dismantled prior to the sale of the vessel to China, and the missile base - during the conversion, to increase the size of the aircraft hangar.

The Liaoning aircraft carrier is equipped with an air defense system of short range, which consists of 4 HQ-10 air defense missile systems (FL-3000N), each with an 18-missile launcher similar to the RIM-116 system used by the US Navy. Modification of the short-range air-to-air missile TY-90, HQ-10 is equipped with a dual passive radar, an infrared homing head and has a maximum range of 9000 m. Its improved version is equipped with an independent active infrared head and has a maximum range of 10,000 m.

In addition, the Liaoning aircraft carrier is equipped with two short-range weapons systems of type 1030, which are a 10-bar version of the 730 CIWS system. To the 10-barrel 30-mm cannon, 2 boxes with 500 ammunition are delivered. One shop, as a rule, is charged with armor-piercing detachable cartridges. Empty cartridges are thrown forward from the bottom of the system. The gun is controlled from the outside, with a maximum rate of fire of 3.5-6 thousand shots / min. The range of its shooting is limited to 3000 m, but the targets, as a rule, are struck at a distance of 1000-1500 m.

Communication and target detection systems

The aircraft carrier of the People's Republic of China "Liaoning" is equipped with such navigation devices:

• Radar detection station for aerial targets type 382 Eagle S / C (fixed at the top of the mast);
• Marine radar;
• Radar fire control HQ-10 SAM;
• The radar for detecting air targets type 346 with a set of four active antenna arrays with electronic scanning on the bridge;
• Radar of aircraft;
• Navigation radar;
• Communication antenna;
• Satellite communication antenna.

Power point

The aircraft carrier Liaoning is equipped with a standard power plant, similar to the installation of the Admiral Kuznetsov ship of the Russian Navy. It consists of 8 boilers and four steam turbines of 50,000 liters each. from. Each. The vessel is equipped with four shafts with fixed-pitch screws.

Aircraft carrier "Liaoning": Tartous

In September 2015, reports appeared that the flagship of the PRC fleet had passed the Suez Canal and was moving to the shores of Syria. The Israeli military intelligence website claimed that the Liaoning aircraft carrier arrived in Tartus, Syria, accompanied by a missile cruiser. The arrival of military aircraft and helicopters was expected by mid-November directly from China via Iran or with the help of Russian transport aircraft based on a ship and a Russian base near Latakia.

The Chinese military expert denied this information. He also assured that the PRC will not support any groups or individuals in Syria, adhering to a fair and objective approach to this issue. In addition, a Syrian military source reported that no Chinese warship had entered Syrian territorial waters.

South China Sea of tension

Where is the aircraft carrier Liaoning now? The ship is located near the territorial waters of China and serves to demonstrate the strength in the region, the tension in which has grown for decades, as well as for training the crew and naval aviation. After all, a second ship of this class will soon be built, but only of its own production. To start the aircraft, a springboard will again be used, which, although it allows the aircraft to carry more cargo, can not be compared with the power of electromagnetic catapults used on almost all the aircraft carriers of the US Navy.

With two ships of this class, China will become a member of an elite club - only Italy and India have such active ships. Stand alone is the US Navy with the ten largest warships in the world.