China Nears Launching of Its First Aircraft Carrier

China's ambitions of expanding its navy to include carrier aviation came one step closer to realization with the installation of air defenses aboard the Shi Lang. The carrier is docked at Dalian shipyard, where keen observers have spotted Chinese Type 730 30 mm Gatling cannons and the FL-3000N air defense missile system installed on the ship. The vessel may undergo sea trials later this year.

The Shi Lang began life as the Varyag, a Russian aircraft carrier of the Kuznetsov class. Construction on the Varyag was halted in 1992. The vessel was very nearly complete at that time, but was eventually stripped down to just the hull and sold at auction to the Chinese in the late 1990s. The future of the ship was in some doubt for years, but it was eventually put into a dry dock at Dalian in 2005 to begin an extensive retrofitting program.

The Shi Lang is a 55,000 ton ski-jump aircraft carrier, compared to the 104,000 ton American Nimitz class. The Admiral Kuznetsov, it's sister ship in Russian naval service, typically carries 17 fighters and 24 helicopters. It is believed the Chinese will deploy navalized J-11Bs (a copy of the Russian Su-27) and Ka-31 early warning helicopters, as well as other helicopters in the transport and anti-submarine roles. While dwarfed by American carriers, the Shi Lang is roughly equal to the medium aircraft carriers either in service or under development by other nations, such as the French Charles de Gaulle or the British Queen Elizabeth class.

The recently installed air defenses consist of the Chinese equivalent of the American Phalanx system and a navalized surface to air (SAM) version of the TY-90 air to air missile (AAM). The TY-90 is a short-ranged missile originally meant for service on helicopters, making both weapons systems part of a close-range, point-defense network.
Many experts view the Shi Lang in a primarily experimental light. If past Chinese models of military modernization are any indication, the ship will be used in an operational role, but the vessel's retrofitting and use will primarily serve as learning experiences. The information and skills used will then be applied to the development of a mostly or entirely Chinese-designed aircraft carrier. Therefore, the operational deployment of the Shi Lang is still more than a year in the future, and the construction and deployment of more Chinese carriers several years beyond that.