China Observer - China’s Shandong Aircraft Carrier Shamed: US Warplanes Approach Undetected,Already Gone When Spotted
The Shandong aircraft carrier of the Chinese Navy has been operational for five years but remains in its early stages of development. Despite state media's portrayal of it as a national treasure, the carrier has faced numerous operational challenges, including a lack of standardized processes and basic operating manuals. The carrier's main aircraft, the J-15, is criticized for being heavy and underpowered, relying on outdated Russian engines. The J-15's performance is compared unfavorably to US aircraft, highlighting its limitations in combat scenarios. The Shandong's operational inefficiencies are further exacerbated by outdated steam turbines and internal corruption, leading to fuel-saving measures that compromise readiness. The carrier's resupply operations are manual and labor-intensive, contrasting sharply with the US Navy's advanced systems. Overall, the Shandong's capabilities are limited, and it struggles to match the operational range and effectiveness of US carrier groups.
Key Points:
- The Shandong carrier is still in early development stages after five years, lacking standardized processes and manuals.
- The J-15 aircraft is heavy and underpowered, relying on outdated Russian engines, limiting its combat effectiveness.
- Operational inefficiencies are due to outdated technology and internal corruption, affecting readiness and performance.
- Resupply operations are manual and labor-intensive, unlike the US Navy's advanced automated systems.
- The Shandong struggles to match the operational range and effectiveness of US carrier groups.
Details:
1. 🚢 Tense Encounter: Chinese and US Carrier Groups
- In 2024, the Chinese aircraft carrier group Shandong inadvertently crossed paths with a US Carrier Group east of Taiwan, revealing critical operational insights.
- The Chinese group was initially unaware of the US presence until radar and communications were jammed, prompting the activation of their electronic warfare systems.
- Two Chinese J-15 fighter jets were launched to intercept US Super Hornets, which had already completed reconnaissance and left before interception.
- This encounter highlighted vulnerabilities in the Chinese carrier group's situational awareness and response time, suggesting potential weaknesses in real combat scenarios.
- The incident underscores the importance for Chinese forces to improve detection capabilities and response strategies to avoid future operational surprises.
2. 📣 Propaganda Spin: China's Media Response
- Chinese State media portrayed a failed incident as a successful repelling of US aircraft, using exaggerated language to cover up the reality.
- Despite being in service for 5 years by December 17th, 2024, the Shandong aircraft carrier was still in its early operational stages, indicating inefficiency.
- The process to develop a standardized operating manual for the carrier took five years, resulting only in a basic manual on generating combat effectiveness.
- The exaggerated media portrayal aims to boost national pride and distract from the carrier's operational shortcomings.
- International observers have noted the discrepancy between China's media reports and the actual operational status of the Shandong.
- The Shandong's prolonged development phase highlights significant challenges in China's naval expansion efforts.
3. ✈️ Shandong's Struggles: Aircraft and Operational Hurdles
3.1. Operational Challenges
3.2. Aircraft Challenges with J-15
4. 🛫 J15 Fighter Jet: Limitations and Comparisons
- The J15's large size necessitates discarding unused missiles or external fuel tanks before landing to avoid weight issues that could snap arresting cables on the carrier.
- Maximum landing weight for the Shandong's arresting cables is estimated between 20 and 22 tons, requiring the J15 to shed considerable payload when landing.
- Chinese media footage shows J15 engines remain active during landing, with pilots possibly prepared for go-arounds, unlike advanced systems used by US aircraft like the F/A-18.
- The J15 is often criticized by military analysts as the worst carrier-based aircraft in service, with inferior performance to other jets.
- Weighing approximately 25.2 tons with half fuel and armed weapons, the J15 has a climb rate of 228 meters/second, comparable to the outdated US F-4 Phantom.
- US Navy's Super Hornet outperforms with a climb rate of 260 meters/second, highlighting the J15's disadvantage in modern combat.
- The J15's performance is also inferior to lighter, more agile jets like the F-15 and F-16, further emphasizing its limitations.
5. 🔍 Operational Readiness: Challenges and Shortcomings
- The Chinese S30 Mkm aircraft, a derivative of the S33, was consistently outperformed by US Super Hornets during joint military exercises, highlighting a significant gap in combat capabilities.
- Despite being a carrier-based jet, the J15 adds little to combat power, with ongoing challenges in the Fujan carrier's electromagnetic catapult system suggesting setbacks in operational advancements.
- Chinese pilots flying J15s lack advanced avionics compared to their US counterparts, as evidenced by their reliance on physically turning heads to track missiles, unlike US pilots who use data links and helmet-mounted displays.
- Operational footage shows Chinese J15s with tripod-mounted cameras behind cockpits, indicating a lack of cutting-edge carrier operations.
- The Shandong aircraft carrier failed to detect a nearby US carrier due to not deploying early warning aircraft or activating electronic jamming systems, highlighting deficiencies in combat readiness.
- Shandong's outdated steam turbines burn heavy fuel, costing approximately 13 million yuan to fill, leading to internal corruption where officers save and resell fuel, compromising operational readiness and flight training.
- Dummy missiles are used on J15s during patrols due to weight issues, potentially leaving them defenseless in actual combat situations near Taiwan.
- The design of Shandong's ski jump deck limits operational capacity by preventing simultaneous take-offs and landings, acting as a bottleneck during operations.
6. ⛽ Resupply and Logistical Challenges
- The dual insurance concept of carrier group operations, where one carrier handles takeoffs while the other recovers aircraft, is flawed as the loss of one carrier in an attack leaves the other struggling to sustain operations alone.
- The U.S. carrier strike groups' anti-submarine and air defense systems form a comprehensive network with early detection capabilities, contrasting with China's limited range defense systems reliant on the Z18 early warning helicopter.
- China lacks experience in nuclear submarine escorts and efficient resupply systems, as evidenced by manual refueling processes and supply delivery methods that include dropping supplies into the sea.
- Chinese carrier Shandong's training intensity and operational deployments are limited, with the vessel typically sailing once or twice a year for 20 to 30 days, compared to the U.S. carriers' 150 annual sailing days.
- The Shandong's movements are closely monitored by multiple countries, including Japan, the U.S., the Philippines, and Taiwan, highlighting its limited operational range near the mainland.
- Chinese resupply operations are manual and labor-intensive, increasing risks of collision and inefficiency, especially in rough sea conditions, compared to the U.S. Navy's automated systems that operate at safer distances.
- China's resupply methods may result in equipment damage due to water exposure when supplies are dropped into the sea, unlike the U.S. Navy's advanced, mechanized resupply methods.
- The new J5T aircraft with AESA radar announced by China claims parity with U.S. systems, though technical challenges in radar miniaturization and undisclosed specifications question actual performance.
7. 📊 Technological Gaps: Radar and Systems
- Claims of the J15's radar capabilities may inflate perceptions of China's military strength, potentially impacting defense budgets and strategies.
- Real-world combat scenarios are essential to verify the J15's radar effectiveness, especially in long-range target detection, jamming resistance, and stable performance under high-intensity conditions.
- Without extensive testing, assertions about the radar's capabilities remain speculative.
- China's experience with AESA radars in carrier environments is limited compared to the US Navy's decades of refinement, highlighting a significant technological gap.
- China is perceived as needing decades of technological advancement and operational experience to match the US in carrier strike group capabilities.
- In July, commercial satellite images revealed the Shandong operating near the Philippines, with acknowledgment of China's advances but also its inexperience in full-scale carrier operations.
- Skepticism exists about China's ability to close the operational gap with only a few training missions annually, indicating a need for sustained efforts.
- Despite potential propaganda about new carriers, ongoing trial and error and addressing weaknesses are likely realities for China's naval advancements.