The transformation of the derelict Soviet carrier Varyag into the Liaoning showcased China’s growing shipbuilding expertise—and its determination to build indigenous naval capabilities.
With news out of Japan that China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier group has sailed beyond their easternmost island to conduct landing and takeoff exercises with the ship’s onboard detachment of warplanes, it is important to understand the ship itself.
While the Liaoning represents a significant leap forward for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) as its first-ever aircraft carrier, it is by no means the most advanced carrier in either the Chinese fleet or in Japan’s fleet. Bear in mind that the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force does not classify its Izumo-class helicopter-carrier as an aircraft carrier due to political sensitivities. But given the presence of VTOL-capable F-35 Lightning IIs onboard, that is precisely what it is.
The Liaoning: From Soviet Waste to Chinese Pride
Commissioned in 2012, the Liaoning began its life not as a Chinese vessel but as the Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag, an incomplete Kuznetsov-class carrier laid down in 1985 at the Nikolayev Shipyard in what is now Ukraine. Designed to carry fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, Varyag was intended to bolster the Soviet Union’s naval aviation capabilities. The collapse of the USSR, however, left the great ship unfinished, with construction halted at approximately 68 percent completion.
Stripped of her engines, electronics, and weapons systems, Varyag languished in Ukrainian docks until 1998, when a Chinese company purchased the hulk for $20 million. Incredibly, the ship was ostensibly purchased for use as a floating hotel. As soon as the hulk arrived in China, though, the PLA abandoned the ruse.
The acquisition of Varyag was a strategic move by China, which then towed the ship to the Dalian Shipyard in northeastern China. Over the next decade, Chinese engineers and naval architects undertook an extensive refit, equipping the vessel with modern propulsion systems, radar, sensors, and weaponry. Renamed Liaoning after the Chinese province, the carrier was commissioned into the PLAN on September 25, 2012. The transformation of Varyag into the Liaoning showcased China’s growing shipbuilding expertise and its determination to build indigenous naval capabilities.
The Liaoning’s Specifications
The Liaoning is a conventionally powered aircraft carrier with a displacement of approximately 60,000 tons when fully loaded. It features a short takeoff but arrested recovery (STOBAR) system, which uses a ski-jump ramp to launch aircraft and arrestor wires to recover them. This configuration, while less advanced than the catapult-assisted takeoff systems found on US carriers, is far less onerous to maintain and allows the Liaoning to operate a modest airwing.
The carrier’s primary aircraft is the Shenyang J-15, a Chinese derivative of the Soviet Su-33, capable of conducting air superiority, strike, and reconnaissance missions. Liaoning can carry around 24 J-15 fighters, supplemented by a mix of helicopters, including the Changhe Z-18 for transport and anti-submarine warfare and the Harbin Z-9 for search and rescue. Liaoning’s air wing, while smaller than those of either US or French carriers, provides the PLAN with a credible power-projection capability.
This boat comes equipped with a suite of defensive systems, including the Type 1130 close-in weapon system (CIWS) for anti-missile defense and the HQ-10 surface-to-air missile system. Its radar and sensor arrays enable it to detect and track threats across air, surface, and subsurface domains.
The carrier is powered by steam turbines. It has a maximum speed of around 20 knots (23 miles per hour), with a range of around 8,000 miles, allowing it to operate in regional and, to a limited extent, extra-regional waters.
How Does Deploying Beyond Japan Help China?
It is interesting to see the Chinese deploy their oldest and least advanced carrier beyond Japan’s easternmost island. Should war occur, that carrier would be the least likely to survive an initial engagement with Japanese—or American—forces that far out. Chinese military strategy has called for the copious use of anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) systems to deprive the Americans of their ability to deploy aircraft carriers and other surface vessels within range of any potential Chinese invasion force headed for Taiwan.
The handful of carriers China has are meant to operate beneath the protective umbrella of those expansive A2/AD systems arrayed across the First Island Chain. While the deployment of the Liaoning to the far east of Japan is simply a training cruise, the fact of the matter is that the Liaoning is the least equipped to operate in a contested environment at the outermost edge of China’s protective A2/AD network.
Still, the carrier’s presence near the Philippines is a significant escalation for China, which is clearly seeking to assert its regional dominance. While not the most advanced carrier of any major nation’s fleet, it gives China’s PLAN considerable capabilities that it would otherwise lack. And, as a training vessel, it is well-suited. China is currently ramping up its carrier program—with two operational carriers, one undergoing sea trials, and a fourth under construction—and each new iteration is more advanced than the last. All that is needed are trained crews to man these increasing numbers of Chinese carriers. The Liaoning aids in that mission.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a contributor at Popular Mechanics, who consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
