Expert: Carrier needs long time to possess combat capacity..

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China's very first aircraft carrier has
embarked on its maiden voyage for a sea trial. Wu Haojun tells us exactly
how long it will take to go from sea
trials to possessing real combat
capacity. China's first aircraft carrier will be used
for scientific research, training and
eventually combat. And according to
the expert, it will be a long process
before the carrier achieves full combat
capacity.
Personanel training vital for combat
capacity
Yin Zhuo, military expert said
"Personnel training is vital for building
combat capacity. Having the
equipment is the first step, but pilot
training is key. Generally the training
cycle lasts for 3 years. And then the pilot has to go through a three year
residency period on the aircraft carrier,
plus one more year of training on the
carrier before being permitted to fly
alone." Besides landing in complicated
weather conditions, night time flight
operations pose one of the toughest challenges for the pilot trainees. Yin Zhuo said "Some people are not
allowed to fly through the night
during their entire course of service.
Actually, those permitted for night
flight ops account for 60 to 70 percent
of all pilots, which leaves 30 to 40 precent who can never fly at night. It all depends on personal qualities,
that's why I said personnel training is the key." It takes time to build a well-
coordinated team
Operating a aircraft carrier is no easy
task. Maintenance staff have to learn to maneuver around limited space to
repair or refuel the aircraft. And for the
command staff, it is a tough task to
master the operations of all the aircraft on deck and it takes time to build a
well-coordinated team around the
carrier. Yin Zhuo said "After the carrier is up
and running, it still takes time to
develop cooperation between the
carrier and auxiliary ships, for
example during air defense, anti-
submarine, land and sea attack drills. Plus, there is also the issue of
communication such as friend or foe identification. After reviewing France's
experience, it will take about 10 years
to address all the issues I have
mentioned." According to the trial plan, the first sea trial will not take long. The carrier will return shortly after to continue
refitting and testing.

 

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CCTV insight: Importance of sea trial of aircraft carrier
Q1.For more details on China's
aircraft carrier's first sea trial, we
have our reporter Han Bin in the
studio. Han Bin, tell us how will it be
carried out and how important is
the sea trial?
Ans.Well, China’s aircraft carrier project
has been a long-kept secret. Two
weeks ago, the Chinese military
stressed that newly rebuilt aircraft
carrier, the Varyag, will mainly be used
for training and research. With regard to its first sea trial, the National Defense
has not released the date or how long
the trial will last. But a statement
posted on the web-site of the Liaoning
Maritime Safety Administration
publicized a notice restricting navigation in waters off the Dalian
coast. It says that “all vessels are
forbidden from travelling through an
area of sea 13.25 nautical miles wide
and 22 nautical miles long, in the
northern Yellow Sea and Liaodong Bay, from August 10th to 14th.” Military experts say the sea trial is seen
as the second important step towards
full operation. This means the carrier
will undergo further checkups for its
various systems in the sea. This will
include engines, aviation and navigation equipment, electronics,
fire-control, and life-saving and
maintenance operations. It usually
takes several days depending on the
actual testing. And once the second
stage is fully completed, the carrier will face its final stage, that is to test its
ship-born take off and landing
capabilities. And it may take several
years before the carrier is fully
operational.
Q2.There has been wide
speculation that though China's first
aircraft carrier has been built up, it
does not necessarily mean it is
shovel ready to work its duties.
From your talks with Chinese experts, what are their takes?
Ans. We know that rebuilding the
Varyag has mainly solved the
problems of how to build an aircraft
carrier and how to use carrier
operational groups. This will provide a
true training environment for China's naval forces performances in the deep
blue sea, and help the country
produce its home-made aircraft
carriers in the future. From external appearances, the
remodeled aircraft carrier looks like its
sister ship the Russian Kuzenetsov. It
has the key functions like fixed-wing
aircraft landing and offshore systems,
artillery and anti-ballistic missile systems and other functions. It's
believed the carrier will use China's
advanced J-15 fighters and Ka-28 and
31 multi-role ship-borne helicopters. It
will also follow the Russian take-off
system, provided by a ski-jump at the forward end of the flight deck. And all
these systems and pilots need
extensive training. So, it takes time to
say that the PLA has a carrier based
navy. From what I have learned, the Varyag
is based on the former Soviet military
operational thinking. It does not fully
comply with China's naval demands.
However, the refitting of this carrier, is
a major step towards China’s goal.