Some Thoughts on the Launching of Aircraft Carrier 003
Posted on: 2022-06-18
On June 17, 2022, the domestic aircraft carrier 003 was launched at Jiangnan Shipyard and named Fujian Ship.
This is the second aircraft carrier built by our country by itself. The official nominal displacement is 80,000 tons. I think this ship has the following characteristics:
A: Power System
The integrated power system of the ship integrates the power system and the power generation system, which is smaller in size and can have more space for other things. Unlike the traditional steam turbine, the integrated power system also supports the work of the electromagnetic ejection system. Electromagnetic ejection is very energy-consuming. If the power generation system is arranged separately, the space will be wasted a lot. The integrated power system also has a central intelligent control system that accurately distributes electric energy to all parts of the ship, just like the power supply of a computer motherboard. In addition, this power system is a huge improvement compared to 002, and the shaft power is not less than 260,000 horsepower (002 is more than 200,000). The horsepower/tonnage ratio is also comparable to that of the Ford-class. As for why it is not nuclear-powered, I think it still needs to take it slowly. The reactor required for a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is miniaturized and has a high power. If a nuclear reactor is installed under immature technology, I am afraid it will be similar to the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and cannot run. Looking forward to the day when our country's nuclear reactor miniaturization is on board.
B: Ejection System
This time, the bow of 003 has obviously become flat, and we have also transitioned from ski-jump takeoff to ejection takeoff. And the ejection takeoff is divided into two types: steam ejection and electromagnetic ejection. 003 uses electromagnetic ejection. Compared with the ski-jump takeoff of 001 and 002 before, the advantage of the ejection takeoff is that: 1. It allows the carrier-based aircraft to take off with full fuel and ammunition, and 2. More types of carrier-based aircraft can take off, such as early warning aircraft. The above can significantly improve the combat range of the aircraft carrier battle group. Compared with steam ejection, electromagnetic ejection has a smaller size, greater power, and adjustable power, which is simply great in general. There is a piece of history to tell about the boarding of the ejection system. The original design of 003 was steam ejection, and the construction was also arranged according to steam ejection. Later, the team led by Academician Ma Weiming successfully developed the electromagnetic ejection, and in the ground verification experiment, it won an absolute advantage over the steam ejection. And there is no technical inheritance between electromagnetic ejection and steam ejection. We directly modified the electromagnetic ejection on the original version of the steam ejection, so there was a delay of about one year, but it was worth it.
C: Carrier-based Aircraft System
The J-15 Flying Shark fighter carried by the previous 001 and 002 models was improved based on the Su-33 carrier-based fighter. From the "introduction" in 2009 to the finalization in 2011, the time was not sufficient. Moreover, due to the characteristics of the ski-jump takeoff of the previous two aircraft carriers, the J-15 cannot take off with full fuel and ammunition, and the combat radius is seriously limited. Another important point that cannot be ignored is that the J-15 is a third-generation fighter, and no matter how it is modified, it cannot be modified into a fourth-generation sea fighter. However, our neighboring "friendly country" Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force is purchasing the F-35C fourth-generation carrier-based fighter from the United States during the modification of its quasi-aircraft carriers Izumo and Hyuga, which has stealth capabilities and can conduct beyond-visual-range combat. However, it is worth noting that our fourth-generation sea fighter will be on board in the near future, temporarily called the J-35. The J-35 is improved based on the FC-31, with radar stealth characteristics, similar to the J-20. Compared with the FC-31, the J-35 pays more attention to the low-altitude and low-speed performance during landing, and the engine is also changed from the Russian-made engine of the FC-31 to our independently developed WS-19 with a single thrust of more than 10 tons and a thrust-to-weight ratio exceeding that of the F-35C. Even with the fourth-generation sea fighter, the J-15 will still be retained, but it also needs to be improved to the ejection type to be on board. More than a year ago, at the lecture of Teacher Fu Qianshao, I had the honor to ask a question about the ejection type of the J-15 and got a positive answer from Teacher Fu. Combined with many public materials, we can be sure that the J-15 will be greatly modified. The engine will be replaced with the WS-10 Taihang, the tail will be added with a arresting hook, and the radar will also be replaced with a more advanced active phased array radar. We do have the fourth-generation sea fighter now, but we cannot ignore the application of the third-generation fighter. The fourth-generation fighter is like the FBI (fog) kicking open the door and tearing a hole, and then the third-generation fighter conducts saturation attacks. This is also applicable to the Air Force and the Naval Aviation. The J-20 is paired with the J-16 and the J-10, and the J-35 is paired with the J-15.
D: Personal Opinion
From the Varyag to the Fujian Ship today, what we see is the modernization development of the Chinese Navy. From the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 that woke up the Chinese dream to the completion of the modernization of the navy today, we are always looking forward. On June 17, 1967, China's first hydrogen bomb exploded successfully. On June 17, 2021, the Shenzhou 12 was launched successfully. On June 17, 2022, the Fujian Ship was launched. Looking back, the string number 17 of 002 is still floating in the deep blue...
Why is it called the Fujian Ship?
I personally think that across the strait, there are enemies.
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