China promotes the deployment of stealth fighters for aircraft carriers

Recent satellite images reveal that China is pushing to perfect the ability to operate the FC-31 5th generation stealth fighter to equip aircraft carriers, which contains the risk of instability for aircraft carriers. East Sea.

Revealed through satellite images

On May 1, the sheet South China Morning Post The image taken from satellite recently shows that the FC-31 5th generation stealth fighter is deployed at the aircraft carrier flight training area at a naval base of Vietnam. China. The image is sourced from Maxar Company (USA) – specializing in providing images taken from satellites.

Shandong is China’s second aircraft carrier CCTV7

According to the image above, two FC-31 fighters have dark gray paint, located between four J-15 fighters. These aircraft are parked at the runway area with a runway that simulates a runway similar to the “snub nose” part of the Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carriers that China owns. Therefore, observers say that China is promoting the training of FC-31 pilots to deploy to aircraft carriers. At the end of last year, Global Times quoted Mr. Sun Thong, chief engineer of China’s J-15 fighter line and FC-31 series, as saying that the country will soon announce a new line of aircraft for for aircraft carriers.

Reply Youth On May 2, Dr James Holmes (Marine Strategist – US Naval War College) assessed: “When China can arrange the launch, recovery and repair of conventional fixed-wing fighters, then incorporating stealth aircraft will not be a big challenge. Of course, the challenge here is that the aircraft carrier must be equipped with specialized facilities for the maintenance of stealth fighters, whose coating material requires a more rigorous maintenance regime. conventional aircraft, especially in salt-water conditions. Therefore, due to their smaller size than US aircraft carriers, China’s aircraft carriers can only carry a smaller number of fighter aircraft.

Regarding the progress of China’s deployment of FC-31 fighters for aircraft carriers, Dr James Holmes said: “For a long time, China has not announced failures and difficulties when operating aircraft carriers, so it is difficult to predict. How accurate is the country’s carrier deployment. But with what they show on the outside, perhaps the process is going quite well. So when China can deploy stealth fighters for aircraft carriers depends on the progress of this country’s military mastering the process of operating the aircraft. technology invisible”.

A recent photo of a Chinese naval base Maxar

China’s aircraft carrier ambition

However, it is not clear the FC-31 . fighter The above will be fitted to the current aircraft carrier or the aircraft carriers that China is about to complete. Up to now, both the Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carriers that this country owns use the take-off slide but are not equipped with catapults like US aircraft carriers. According to some information military newsChina’s third aircraft carrier still has the same design as the previous two ships.

Regarding China’s 3rd aircraft carrier, sheet South China Morning Post On April 30, it was reported that the process of building this battleship has just resumed after a period of stagnation due to blockade orders to fight the epidemic. Covid-19. This is also the second Chinese-built aircraft carrier – after the Shandong. Also according to the sheet South China Morning Post, China had intended to introduce a third aircraft carrier on the occasion of the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the country’s navy on April 23, but failed because of the above delay. Now, Beijing plans to introduce a third aircraft carrier in the midst of a major political event this year.

China is said to be accelerating its aircraft carrier ambitions and some information indicates that it is expected to have four aircraft carrier battle groups by 2030, becoming the second largest aircraft carrier power. world, just behind the US. Therefore, in recent years, Beijing has been accelerating its aircraft carrier program to increase both the number of aircraft carriers and combat capabilities with this type of warship. According to international experts, China is determined to build an aircraft carrier force to ensure what Beijing calls “its interests abroad”. More specifically, an important factor for China to accelerate its aircraft carrier force is still to strengthen its military power in the Pacific region to serve Beijing’s ambitions in the region. Therefore, as China strengthens its aircraft carrier power, the South China Sea faces new risks of tension.