Sentence | Light rain
Utopia on the clouds
Preface
Sources: All of the information stated in this article is based on reliable sources, which are summarized in the middle of the article
The mainland's 003 aircraft carrier "Fujian" successfully tested the sea for the first time, which attracted the cheers of the people of the whole country, and at the same time, also caused an international uproar.
When the United States heard the news of the success of the 003 aircraft carrier "Fujian" in its first sea test, even the United States could not help but feel nervous, but this country did not "take our success seriously."
As for India, they believe that although China has independently developed the 003 aircraft carrier and has even put it into service, it is still lagging behind India as a whole.
So, is India really powerful, or is it super conceited?
India is far ahead in building aircraft carriers?
In August 2022, India's first domestically produced aircraft carrier INS Vikrant was launched, with a displacement of 37,500 tons and a total of 36 fighters.
As soon as this news came out, the whole country of India cheered, and they believed that the successful launch at sea seemed to give India a ticket to enter the "aircraft carrier independent research and development power".
A spokesman for the Indian Navy described the success of the sea trial of the aircraft carrier Vikrant as a milestone for the "construction" of the Indian aircraft carrier.
It even said that the aircraft carrier "Vikrant" is a full manifestation of India's "independent research and development and self-reliance" in the process of building aircraft carriers.
Information source: Xinhuanet - On August 7, 2021, the first sea trial of an Indian aircraft carrier "blow" US media said that it was slapped in the face instantly
So, is it really what he says?
In fact, India does have many years of experience with aircraft carriers, which is undeniable.
You must know that the aircraft carrier is a symbol of the country's ocean-going combat strength, and India is very clear about this, but India's research and development of aircraft carriers can be described as twists and turns.
Around 1960, India did not have the technology and capability to independently develop aircraft carriers, so India purchased two second-hand aircraft carriers from Britain, namely "Vikrant" and "Virat".
After purchasing aircraft carriers, India has also been painstakingly researching aircraft carrier technology, but due to the backwardness of the country's overall development and weak comprehensive national strength, the progress of aircraft carrier construction and research and development is also very slow.
In 2000, after the two aircraft carriers were decommissioned, India bought the aircraft carrier "Vikramaditya" from Russia.
And during the construction of aircraft carriers, India has also been unsettled and rising again.
Around 1990, India proposed a plan to build an aircraft carrier, but the plan was cancelled for a series of reasons, and it was not until 10 years later that the whole plan was re-proposed and named "Blue Sky Guardian" and began to be put into practice.
Source: People's Daily - 2018-05-21, you may not believe it when you say it, India is really an aircraft carrier power
In 2004, in honor of India's first aircraft carrier (purchased from the United Kingdom), India renamed the Blue Sky Guardian INS Vikrant.
However, the construction of aircraft carriers is not an easy task, and due to the lack of technology and the lack of experience in aircraft carrier construction, the actual pace of aircraft carrier construction is far behind the plan.
It was not until 2021 that the "Vikrant" entered the sea trial stage, and it was not until August of the following year that it officially entered service.
So far, the Indian Navy has commissioned two aircraft carriers, INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya, which was purchased from Russia in 2013.
However, India has a "three-aircraft carrier dream," which is more difficult for India to realize.
Judging by the time of construction, India's first domestically built aircraft carrier program took about 20 years from its re-proposal to its entry into service.
Because it is based from scratch, its so-called first "domestic" aircraft carrier was actually designed with the participation of Russia.
As for the parts and equipment inside the aircraft carrier, most of them were also purchased from Western countries by import, and finally this so-called "domestic" aircraft carrier was formed through assembly.
Although the process of building the "Vikrant" aircraft carrier in India is very slow, the ability to build an aircraft carrier also shows to a certain extent that India's industrial system is constantly improving, and the construction technology of aircraft carriers is not just at the zero stage.
However, relying entirely on India's local manufacturing, it is not easy for India to realize the "three aircraft carriers", and unless India continues to buy second-hand aircraft carriers from other countries, it will be difficult to achieve the strategic goal of "three aircraft carriers."
Source: China Youth Daily - December 07, 2023, India's "Three Aircraft Carrier Dream"
But on the other hand, China, for the construction of aircraft carriers, it can be said that little by little groping and in the end to achieve independent manufacturing, the 003 aircraft carrier "Fujian" is a typical example, what qualifications does India have to judge the mainland behind it?
Independent research and development strength of hard core
With the successful voyage of the Fujian and the completion of a number of tasks, China has officially entered the "three-aircraft carrier era", which is significantly ahead of the world's naval powers.
However, behind such a strong hard power is also a difficult and challenging history of naval development.
As early as the nineties of the last century, the mainland has noticed the importance of aircraft carriers on the future military battlefield and hopes to have its own aircraft carriers.
However, during this period, China was very backward in the research and development of advanced naval technology, so we managed to introduce the first large aircraft carrier "Varyag" from Russia, and on this basis, we carried out all-round improvements, and finally gave birth to the mainland's first independent aircraft carrier - Liaoning.
However, the mainland navy did not stop at the goal of "owning ships", but chose a more difficult and challenging road, and we must independently develop and manufacture our own aircraft carriers!
As a result, shortly after the Liaoning began service, the Shandong ship was built at the Dalian Shipyard, and it took only four years to successfully complete the launch and sea trials, and it began to officially enter service in 2019.
Information source: Temperature News - On June 17, 2022, the third aircraft carrier in the mainland was launched, named the Fujian ship, and it was completely independently designed and built!
The Shandong ship is similar in appearance to the Liaoning, but there is a very significant difference, the Liaoning itself is more inclined to an offensive ship, and its capacity for carrier-based aircraft and take-off and landing capabilities are limited.
The Shandong ship was independently designed by the mainland, and adopted a single-ship island design with higher deck utilization, which not only greatly improved the naval and air combat capability in offshore military operations, but also further enhanced the survivability of the aircraft carrier.
From improving aircraft carriers in other countries to completely independent research and development, it took us less than a decade to solve thousands of world-class military problems, and became the fifth naval power in the world with the ability to manufacture aircraft carriers independently.
However, we did not stop after the launch of the Shandong ship, but quickly started the design and construction plan of the No. 003 aircraft carrier, that is, the Fujian ship, after the completion of the Shandong ship.
The Fujian is the world's first aircraft carrier to combine electromagnetic systems with conventional power, which not only breaks the existing conventional aircraft carrier research and development pattern and can complete military operations in the far sea, but also has an electromagnetic system that interferes with enemy reconnaissance, communications, network intrusion, and other means.
In addition, another thing that shocked the world was the electromagnetic catapult system equipped with by the Fujian ship.
Source: Guangming Network - 2022-05-02, hello, 18 ships! Welcome, Fujian ship!
The electromagnetic catapult system carried by the Fujian ship refers to the carrier-based aircraft catapult system, which is completely different from the steam catapult carried by the conventional aircraft carrier, which uses electromagnetic force to accelerate at a constant speed.
The advantage of this system compared with the traditional model is that it accelerates at a constant speed rather than suddenly ejects during its operation, which significantly reduces both the wear and tear of the aircraft and the physical fitness of the pilot.
After the use of electromagnetic catapult, the performance and endurance of the aircraft carrier in military operations have been significantly enhanced. It is no exaggeration to say that the current Fujian ship has several times the combat effectiveness of the Shandong ship, the Liaoning ship, and even the American "Kitty Hawk" class aircraft carrier, which can be called the country's heavy weapon!
The first sea test of the Fujian also marks a historic moment in the mainland's research and development of aircraft carriers.
Source: China News Network - On May 1, 2024, China's third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, conducted its first sea trials
In addition, the Fujian ship also has a number of leading technologies such as an integrated mast and a fifth-generation stealth fighter, realizing a milestone leap in the mainland's independent research and development of aircraft carriers.
In 2024, the Fujian ship successfully completed the sea trial mission, although it still uses conventional power, but the various new core technologies it carries once equaled or even led the United States.
Generally speaking, the mainland's rapidly growing military and scientific and technological strength is constantly emerging, and it will certainly have a decisive voice in the international military in the future!
Chinese aircraft carriers are constantly evolving
In the face of such a situation, if we want to stand tall in the world for a long time and steadily, we must have a strong comprehensive national strength to support and grasp the initiative in development.
As we all know, aircraft carriers, as one of the strategic tools for safeguarding national maritime interests, not only symbolize a country's comprehensive national strength, but also represent the ocean-going combat capability of maritime deterrence.
To a certain extent, the construction and sea trials of India's domestic aircraft carriers also remind us that China's construction and research and development of aircraft carriers can never stand still, and that strategically important aircraft carriers play a pivotal role in Asia and even the world.
Compared with Japan, the relationship between China and India is relatively mild, and at the same time, many people are harsh, how can India, as a poor and backward country, dare to compare with China.
Source: Phoenix.com - 2013-08-13, China's domestic aircraft carriers are relatively backward Even India is ahead, which is very revealing
However, India's development of military and aircraft carriers is far beyond the imagination of ordinary people, and for China, the plan to independently develop aircraft carriers still needs to be accelerated.
This is not for the purpose of waging war, but for the sake of having a stronger self-defense and protection capability and comprehensive national strength, and India's actions and behaviors just remind us once again of the strategic significance of developing aircraft carriers in the international arena.
epilogue
In any case, the successful completion of the first flight test of the 003 aircraft carrier "Fujian" is an exciting and historic moment for the whole of China.
In the new era, the mainland's comprehensive national strength continues to grow, and China has also contributed its own strength to world peace in the process of its own development.
China's independent research and development of aircraft carriers will not stop, and the "Fujian ship" has also become a brand-new business card for China's position in the world.