China doesnt have aircraft carriers?!

[JEDI]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/25/world/asia/china-aircraft-carrier-landing/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

"China announced a first on Sunday. It landed a fighter jet on the deck of an aircraft carrier built using an abandoned Soviet hull, though it may be years before the ship is fully operational. "

woah.. never knew that. Wonder why they never built one? they certainly have the $ if they're wasting it building Ghost Towns

 

[JohnOfSheffield]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/25/world/asia/china-aircraft-carrier-landing/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

"China announced a first on Sunday. It landed a fighter jet on the deck of an aircraft carrier built using an abandoned Soviet hull, though it may be years before the ship is fully operational. "

woah.. never knew that. Wonder why they never built one? they certainly have the $ if they're wasting it building Ghost Towns

Mainly because the main purpose of an aircraft carrier is projection of power and China has been focusing on a defensive military strategy for as long as they have had an airforce.

 

[nehalem256]

Even the USSR never built a true aircraft carrier

The closest being http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admiral_Kuznetsov_class_aircraft_carrier

which was not even complete until 1990

 

[Brainonska511]

Wonder why they never built one?

Numerous reasons: Expense, lack of institutional knowledge, lack of technology to build one, lack of technology for the aircraft, the lack of a need to project power at great distances...

 

[irishScott]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/25/world/asia/china-aircraft-carrier-landing/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

"China announced a first on Sunday. It landed a fighter jet on the deck of an aircraft carrier built using an abandoned Soviet hull, though it may be years before the ship is fully operational. "

woah.. never knew that. Wonder why they never built one? they certainly have the $ if they're wasting it building Ghost Towns

Technical knowledge. It takes a lot to build an aircraft carrier and China is sorely lacking.

 

[EagleKeeper]

With a carrier comes the headaches of supporting it with logistics and a battle group.

China has not had a need for a blue water fleet in a long time.

Now they are being challenged in the South China Sea and by Japan for resources.
The carrier provides a show of force if it actually sails with a battle group.

However, true sea trials and exercises in rough seas may demonstrate an interesting story.

 

[rudder]

An aircraft carrier is useless anyway... unless you have a complete battle group surrounding and protecting the carrier. The Chinese are at least one to two decades away from that... by then newer technologies will render carriers not so much obsolete... but less of a power projection than they are now.

 

[techs]

China succeeded in taking off and landing a plane from an aircraft carrier? That puts them about 100 years behind us.

 

[mikeymikec]

Technical knowledge. It takes a lot to build an aircraft carrier and China is sorely lacking.

It strikes me as odd that they spend time building some of their own fighters, which requires technical knowledge, but not an aircraft carrier. I think someone else's suggestion about an aircraft carrier being an offensive military stance rather than a defensive one makes more sense though.

China succeeded in taking off and landing a plane from an aircraft carrier? That puts them about 100 years behind us.

That sort of thinking leads to a Pearl Harbour scenario. Historically some countries had a particularly strong part of their military strength, like say the British or Spanish naval capabilities in centuries past. A great big country which is part of a great big continent perhaps doesn't need to consider the naval option quite as much as an island.

I wonder what China's submarine strength is like, because that would make more sense IMHO than a strong traditional naval fleet in their position. <goes off to google a bit>

 

[Olikan]

so?

you americans fear a war with china?

 

[Agent11]

No we just enjoy pointing and laughing. Especially when it is a regional bully like China.

 

[tweaker2]

The only thing that bothers me about all of this is that carrier is being built using capitalist imperialist expansionist hegemonic yankee $$$, or whatever the Chinese gov't used to call us (or still do?).

 

[irishScott]

It strikes me as odd that they spend time building some of their own fighters, which requires technical knowledge, but not an aircraft carrier. I think someone else's suggestion about an aircraft carrier being an offensive military stance rather than a defensive one makes more sense though.

Yeah, a couple tons of aircraft seating 1-2 people vs hundred-thousand ton supercarrier with specific roles for thousands of individuals. There are multiple reasons, but to compare the complexity of developing a fighter to the complexity of developing an effective supercarrier... yeah don't even try.

China is lacking in technical knowledge across much of the board. Most of their military designs (for anything) are rip-offs of other nations and they're still years and/or decades behind the US military technologically.

Going even more general, name the last original invention to come out of China and significantly change the world.

 

[Jimzz]

so?

you americans fear a war with china?

I don't but Defense contractors and other nut's like to keep a “big evil enemy” in the news so we can keep over giving to defense contractors billions every year for stuff we and even in many cases DoD do not even want/need.


We waste so much on defense contractors military waste yet parents and loved ones have to send soldiers “care packages” as they don't have enough socks, pillows, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, etc... and other basic supplies.

 

[Perknose]

Numerous reasons: Expense, lack of institutional knowledge, lack of technology to build one, lack of technology for the aircraft, the lack of a need to project power at great distances...

^^^ All this.

An aircraft carrier is useless anyway... unless you have a complete battle group surrounding and protecting the carrier. The Chinese are at least one to two decades away from that... by then newer technologies will render carriers not so much obsolete... but less of a power projection than they are now.

^^^ And this.

 

[nageov3t]

learning from the US's mistakes and using their money to project power instead of their military?

 

[OCGuy]

Did OP just wake up?

 

[OCGuy]

learning from the US's mistakes and using their money to project power instead of their military?

Technically they are using their own money now. This is the cycle:


China lends money to US

US gives money to low-income people

Low income people give money to Walmart in exchange for goods

Walmart gives money to China in exchange for goods

 

[spacejamz]

From a few months ago...

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2272809

 

[Greenman]

Going even more general, name the last original invention to come out of China and significantly change the world.

Fireworks.

 

[DrPizza]

China is lacking in technical knowledge across much of the board. Most of their military designs (for anything) are rip-offs of other nations and they're still years and/or decades behind the US military technologically.

Going even more general, name the last original invention to come out of China and significantly change the world.

Interesting that you asked, and what this thread is about. The Chinese invented the Anti-ship ballistic missile. I'd imagine the Chinese are thinking "stupid Americans." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-ship_ballistic_missile

 

[Vic Vega]

so?

you americans fear a war with china?

Americans don't fear war with anyone, I think that would be apparent by now.

 

[irishScott]

Americans don't fear war with anyone, I think that would be apparent by now.

Unless the other side is willing to nuke us, why should we? Our problem is the failed idea of nation building (well, failed unless we commit for multiple decades and trillions of dollars). In terms of conventional war, we could crush must singular nations in months at the longest. Our Navy alone would be decisive.

 

[irishScott]

Interesting that you asked, and what this thread is about. The Chinese invented the Anti-ship ballistic missile. I'd imagine the Chinese are thinking "stupid Americans." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-ship_ballistic_missile

Well good for them. They've invented a very impractical and untested weapon that our military is already able to respond to. Hardly a "stupid Americans" moment.

 

[randomrogue]

The Chinese were able to copy US fighter jets but not an Aircraft carrier. Maybe. I think the Chinese J20 is expected to be operational in about 5 years.

Instead they bought an old soviet one and retrofitted it.