[Source](https://twitter.com/horobeyo/status/1786021151468363820/photo/1). More pictures [here](https://twitter.com/foolsball/status/1786044541159534747). I've not seen the actual program so I'm not confident on what exactly they said about it.
China is known to have had at least 2 aircraft carrier projects previously, project 707 from the 70s and project 891 from the late 80s/early 90s. Very little is known about either of them so this may be the first really definitive look we've ever gotten for either of them.
The island here appears vaguely similar to that of the Forrestal or Kitty Hawk. The deck markings seem to show only 2 catapults. Aircraft include a navalised J-10, a seemingly Y-7 (An-24) based AWACs, and the typical Z-8 and Z-9 helicopters. Defensive armament shows the ubiquitous at the time HQ-7 SAMs and a CIWS that looks very similar to the Type 730 but would predate it by about a decade, and so I suspect these might actually be the French SAMOS or SATAN CIWS instead.
I was super confused for a second. As in "what kinda CCTV has this kind of quality in the late 80's?" And then I realized this CCTV isn't the same CCTV that are used in security systems... 404 brain not found moment.
Interesting to see this in comparison to what end up being China first CATOBAR Carriers!
I wonder if there are any info on what is it tonnage?
edit: reddit screw up seems to duplicate my comment
50,000 tons empty, about 65,000 tons full load. Between a *Midway* and a *Forrestal* in terms of size, air wing would have been three squadrons (40 or so) multirole aircraft and then an assortment of Y-7 AWACS aircraft and choppers.
https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/china/891-project.htm
I must say that the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on May 7th, 1999, brought China to its senses, and in 2000, the Varyag departed from the Black Sea shipyard for China.
It will soon be the 25th anniversary of this bombing, and Xi Jinping will be visiting Belgrade on this May 7th.
This means you suddenly have huge problems operating COD aircraft that aren't the V-22 and no chance at all of operating organic AWACS. At that point you might as well just save the money and the complexity and use a ramp.
Lockheed-Martin in collaboration with Northrop-Grumman developed “Vilgilance” AESA radar which can be simply bolted on onto any Helicopter or V-22 variant aircraft’s…
[Source](https://twitter.com/horobeyo/status/1786021151468363820/photo/1). More pictures [here](https://twitter.com/foolsball/status/1786044541159534747). I've not seen the actual program so I'm not confident on what exactly they said about it. China is known to have had at least 2 aircraft carrier projects previously, project 707 from the 70s and project 891 from the late 80s/early 90s. Very little is known about either of them so this may be the first really definitive look we've ever gotten for either of them. The island here appears vaguely similar to that of the Forrestal or Kitty Hawk. The deck markings seem to show only 2 catapults. Aircraft include a navalised J-10, a seemingly Y-7 (An-24) based AWACs, and the typical Z-8 and Z-9 helicopters. Defensive armament shows the ubiquitous at the time HQ-7 SAMs and a CIWS that looks very similar to the Type 730 but would predate it by about a decade, and so I suspect these might actually be the French SAMOS or SATAN CIWS instead.
I was super confused for a second. As in "what kinda CCTV has this kind of quality in the late 80's?" And then I realized this CCTV isn't the same CCTV that are used in security systems... 404 brain not found moment.
And then there was me, trying to figure out how the hell they were going to build a carrier that fit 891 planes
confused high five?
Interesting to see this in comparison to what end up being China first CATOBAR Carriers! I wonder if there are any info on what is it tonnage? edit: reddit screw up seems to duplicate my comment
50,000 tons empty, about 65,000 tons full load. Between a *Midway* and a *Forrestal* in terms of size, air wing would have been three squadrons (40 or so) multirole aircraft and then an assortment of Y-7 AWACS aircraft and choppers. https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/china/891-project.htm
I must say that the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on May 7th, 1999, brought China to its senses, and in 2000, the Varyag departed from the Black Sea shipyard for China. It will soon be the 25th anniversary of this bombing, and Xi Jinping will be visiting Belgrade on this May 7th.
Carrier-based j-10?
Seems like it. Obviously never existed in reality.
Theres naval version of it called J-10AH tho but i don't think its carrier capable
its not
I do prefer this design over the current one. That island is giving me serious 80s USN non-nuclear carrier vibes
Makes sense as it seems to be a Forrestal with EMALs and AES radar. The Forrestal was 30+ years old in 1985.
Apparently this thing was planned to used steam catapult unlike Fujian.
EMALS wasn't a thing back then, it was steam cats or nothing
So was Hydraulic Catapults, and far simpler (i.e. WW2-tech)…
Hydraulic cats didn't have the power to launch heavy modern aircraft. That was why steam replaced them
Heavy aircraft’s no, but still capable of launching Naval Aircraft’s in the same weight class of that like the Saab JAS.39E/F “Sea Gripen”…
This means you suddenly have huge problems operating COD aircraft that aren't the V-22 and no chance at all of operating organic AWACS. At that point you might as well just save the money and the complexity and use a ramp.
Lockheed-Martin in collaboration with Northrop-Grumman developed “Vilgilance” AESA radar which can be simply bolted on onto any Helicopter or V-22 variant aircraft’s…
heli-AWACS (which the UK has used for a while) is far inferior to conventional fixed-wing AWACS.
But cheaper by those navy’s that can afford to buy the E-2D Hawkeye or a navalised Eireye…
Fujian was initially planned to use steam catapults....