Chinese carrier Liaoning/Varyag delivered

[SayethWhaaaa 245]

http://www.defensenews.com/article/20120923/DEFREG03/309230001/China-Navy-Takes-Delivery-1st-Aircraft-Carrier-Report?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

 

The Carrier Liaoning was finally delivered to the PLAN yesterday, though it's technically not yet in service...

[+WhiteBoySamurai 1,092]

And in just four more years they'll finally have some aircraft to make it useful.

[JediMaster 451]

There's a reason India went the MiG-29K route, and that Russia itself is as well instead of pursuing updated Su-33s.

 

We'll see if China learns that sooner rather than later.

[SayethWhaaaa 245]

Technology's advanced a lot since the original flyoff between the Su27K and the Mig-29K. I understand the new Mig-29K has a much lower landing speed compared to it's original incarnation. Maybe China wanted to show the world they respect international copyright by not producing a PLAN Mig-29... Hahahaha!

 

 

in all seriousness, I'd be interested to see if they introduce a navalised J-10.

[+ghostrider883 526]

The reason why the Indian Navy chose the Naval Fulcrum instead of the Naval Flanker was largely because of space constraints on the Vikramaditya. Russian Navy is going with the Fulcrums now because the Indian decision proved how the smaller Naval Fulcrum could be configured to be as potent as the Flanker. Most of the Indian Navy Fulcrums pilots got fighter time on IAF MiG-29s before they went to carrier ops training course in the US.

 

The Indian Naval Fulcrums purchase is doing to the Naval Fulcrums what the MKI purchase did to the Flanker exports (Su-30s specifically). The Indian Navy Carrier INS Vikramaditya was due for induction on Indian Navy Day(December 4), but failure of seven of eight boilers during trails has put of induction date by atleast seven months :-(

[JediMaster 451]

7/8??? That's ridiculous. I mean, those are boilers, hardly bleeding-edge technology.

 

Let me guess, they're all originals that were "refurbished" after sitting and rusting for over a decade? They should've put new ones in if so. I mean, you don't buy a new fighter and stick the engines from the old ones in it.

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

The 25 Sept. Nightwatch has interesting comments on this...

 

~> http://www.kforcegov.com/Services/IS/NightWatch/NightWatch_12000184.aspx

 

I suppose, it will be a decade or more before China has a carrier capability, but then it took everybody else who has it, or once had it (Japan), the same time span.

[+ghostrider883 526]

7/8??? That's ridiculous. I mean, those are boilers, hardly bleeding-edge technology.

 

Let me guess, they're all originals that were "refurbished" after sitting and rusting for over a decade? They should've put new ones in if so. I mean, you don't buy a new fighter and stick the engines from the old ones in it.

 

This is the apparent reason for the break down of boliers:

“The Russians are claiming that it was the Indian Navy that insisted on bricks insulation for the boilers rather than the traditional asbestos coating and would therefore claim more in the name of dry dock maintenance,” added the sources.

 

Dyachkov announced that the repair will be completed in May 2013, and the deadline ship, according to preliminary data, will move to nine months. Official data on the cost of repairs were not called.

 

"The boilers were manufactured at the request of the Indian side in the Russian Navy used boilers, which are used as fuel oil. Indian side has made a request to use boilers that run on diesel fuel," - said Dyachkov meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, dedicated situation with the aircraft carrier.

 

According Djachkov work Boiler Design Bureau was conducted in the Russian Federation, and the boilers were manufactured at the Baltic Shipyard. "During the trial in the vessel wall boilers are not technically able to develop full speed. They were tested for a maximum capacity of 40%. When first entering the large capacity of up to 100% was observed partial collapse of refractory masonry in boiler furnaces," - he said.

 

Responding to a question Rogozin, which used materials Dyachkov said that it was "fire clay bricks made in China." "Unfortunately, the Russian production of this material has been lost," - declared the president of USC.

 

INS Vikramaditya has failed sea trials and its delivery to the Indian Navy may be again delayed by almost a year, Russian media reported citing defence and industry sources.

Seven out of the aircraft carrier’s eight steam boilers broke down when they were run at maximum power to enable the ship develop its top rated speed of 30 knots, an unnamed official of the state arms exporter Rosoboronexport told the Kommersant daily.

 

The official explained that the firebrick insulation of the boilers crumbled under impact of high temperatures.

 

Sources in the shipbuilding industry told the Kommersant that the boilers will have to be removed for inspection or replacement through cuts to be made in the Vikramaditya’s hull. Replacing the boilers will cost Russian shipbuilders more than one billion roubles (over $30 million), the sources said.

 

The propulsion system failure will push back the ship’s delivery from December this year to October next year “at the earliest,” according to Russian sources, as repairs can only start next spring because of harsh winter conditions in the Arctic seaport of Severodvinsk, where the ship has been retrofitted.

 

However, a designer of the boilers rubbished the report. He said the repairs would take three-four months because was no need either to replace the boilers or to take them out.

 

“All that needs to be done is to replace the firebricks without dismantling the boilers,” Vasily Kukin, deputy head of a specialised boiler design bureau, told the Interfax wire.

 

The designer explained that the Indian side had objected to the use of asbestos in the insulation of the boilers because of feared health hazards and the manufacturer used other material which turned out to be sub-quality.

 

The mishap comes as is a major embarrassment for President Vladimir Putin as he prepares to pay an official visit to India next month.

 

Under the 2004 original contract for the remodelling of the heavy aviation cruiser Admiral Gorshkov into a light aircraft carrier the Vikramaditya was to be handed over to the Indian Navy in 2008, but the delivery has been delayed as the vessel’s conditions turned out to be much worse than expected and the cost of refurbishment escalated from just over $600 million to more than $2 billion.

 

 

 

More trouble...

 

There are a number of mechanisms that are out of service, including set by NATO. This three chillers, nitrogen generators and a whole range of equipment. These suppliers offered the Indian side," - said Dyachkov meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin on the situation of the aircraft carrier.

 

 

As noted later Rogozin in his microblog on Twitter, defective units supplying Poland and Britain. "Installation of foreign production units are manufactured to the customer's request - specifically the Indian Navy," - he wrote, adding: "But the flight tests are successful."

 

But, on the bright side.....

Routine command aircraft carrier "Vikramaditya", consisting of specialists from Sevmash generally pleased with the results the test ship at sea, despite the shortcomings in its power plant. This was announced today by ITAR-TASS responsible deliverer carrier Igor Leonov.

 

"Last Friday was 100 days from the moment an aircraft carrier at sea trials. Still no ship created or upgraded by Russia's largest shipbuilding company, so long did not go to trial in the sea," - said Leonov.

 

He stressed that "despite technical defects in the boiler room of the ship power installation, commissioning team of Sevmash positive about the outcome of the tests."

 

"We believe - said Leone - that the most difficult components of the test program are successful ship." "The main purpose of the aircraft carrier, - he said, - provision of deployment and use of carrier-based aircraft. Recognized that the most tricky part of the test - this test aircraft and hardware ship. As part of these tests the aircraft carrier" Vikramaditya "was made about 100 successful flights by Russian pilots. All flights have been highly appreciated and our Navy, and Indian experts. "

 

Told deliverer ship, "simultaneously with working all the equipment and systems to ensure safety / performance brake machines and restraints / were optimized transport and refueling aircraft, flight dispatch support in various flight conditions, at different times, with different flight loads." "In fact, during these tests, we studied the organization vibrant communities carriers" - said its executive deliverer.

 

"The second objective of the tests - he said - is working out real operation of dozens of modern electronic weapons systems." "This problem has also been successfully implemented in full" - summed Leonov.

 

Against this background, he said, "identified in the tests and independent shipbuilders shortcomings in a number of boilers - this is annoying, but a technical problem, the elimination of which is not complicated or technical, or in terms of organization."

[JediMaster 451]

Of course, each side blames the other for the shortcomings. Nothing new there. Interesting that there are conflicting reports of whether the boilers must be replaced or if new insulation can simply be installed. Obviously a simple repair would be cheaper and faster than removal, but I guess without knowing the actual condition of the boilers some people are guessing.