Brad Lendon, CNN
Korea, Seoul (CNN)Chinamade a big statement about the Navy's ambitions at the recent launch of the third and most advanced aircraft carrier.
Fujian, China's largest, most modern and most powerful aircraft carrier to date, has Beijing as the world's largest navy.
New combat systems, such as the Electromagnetic Catapult Assisted Launch System, show that China is catching up with the United States rapidly and will be able to launch more aircraft more quickly. , And with more ammunition.
Still, the launch of Fujian among many fanfares was clearly intended as a message to Beijing's rivals, but analysts are still careful not to swallow the hype too much. doing.
First, Fujian is likely to be out of service for the next three to four years, a former U.S. Navy Captain and a former Operations Director of the Joint Information Center at the U.S. Pacific Command. Karl Schuster said. And even when it's in operation, its size makes it an obvious target-for any enemy, sinking such an iconic ship is as morally damaging as China's military disaster. I am keenly aware of becoming.
Then, although impressive in appearance, the simple fact that aircraft carriers, including the collisions in the east and south, are not always optimal for what experts consider to be the most plausible conflict scenario in the near future. there is. Chinacy and Taiwan invasion.
In essence, Fujian may be China's largest ship, according to experts, but it's probably not the biggest problem in the minds of current US Navy commanders.
These are four types of ships that China is free to use, which are likely to pose a far greater threat to US naval rule.
Type 055 Destroyer
Launched in 2017, these 13,000 ton stealth guided missile destroyers are by many the most powerful surface in the world. It is considered a fighter.
Type 055, large enough to be considered a cruise ship by the NATO standard, has 112 vertical launch tubes that can be used to launch everything from anti-ship missiles to long range land attack missiles. It is equipped.
"This ship has achieved full operational capacity and is capable of stopping possible foreign military interference in the Taiwan Strait as the United States and Japan repeatedly provoke China on Taiwan's problems. Demonstrated. "Global Times Report.
"If the United States does not make a military provocation against China, including Taiwan's problems, there is no need to worry about missiles," he said.
Type 039 Submersibles
These former class submarines have features that U.S. military planners may find difficult to deal with. It is an almost quiet diesel electric power ship.
"Type 039SS provides a formidable" depth defense "in waters close to China," Schster said.
Submarines are equipped with air-independent propulsion (AIP). This means you can power your battery without having to surface frequently to get the air you need for diesel combustion.
China is pushing for the launch of an ultra-quiet submarine armed with anti-ship cruise missiles, a Pentagon report Says.
One of the powerful attack methods used in Type 039 is to fire a "wake homing" torpedo at or behind the target ship. The torpedo then tracks the subject ship in the wake before it explodes near the propulsion and steering systems.
Wake homing torpedoes are particularly difficult to defend because surface ships detect submarines and torpedoes with sound waves.
China's submarine advancement happens in the same way that the US Navy has problems with its anti-submarine capabilities.
Merchant Ferry
Merchant Ferry may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about deadly naval capabilities, but there It has that power.
Various analysts (and US government reports) have concluded that the Navy Fleet of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) cannot fulfill its mission.
But China has a large fleet of civilian ferries that can be quickly modified for military use, and some say it was designed for that very possibility. It could even be.
He added that private ferry companies operating in the Yellow and South China Seas are already organized into PLA auxiliary units.
Shugart said that calculating numbers was astounding. He estimated that the use of civilian vessels would give China an additional 1.1 million tonnes of travel. That number is more than three times the combined displacement tons of all amphibious attack ships in China. According to Sugart, if China uses Hong Kong's roll-on / roll-off vehicle carrier, it could provide an additional 370,000 tons of sea transport.
That's enough to force Taiwan.
It's hard to know. But Sugart said it answered one question.
"How many transports (ships) does the Chinese army have? Probably more than you think."
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Ferries are not the only civilian ships that military planners are likely to be on the radar.
Experts have also described China as creating a maritime militia consisting of more than 100 ships believed to be engaged in commercial fishing to carry out its wishes in the sea of conflict. I'm blaming you.
According to the Center for Strategic International Studies, the militia that even Beijing has denied are made up of at least 122 ships, perhaps 174.
"People's maritime troops do not fish." The star told CNN last year. "They are equipped with automatic weapons and strengthen their hulls, which makes them extremely dangerous at close range. They also have a maximum speed of about 18-22 knots, which is faster than 90% of the world's fishing boats.
There are two main parts of a militia, a professional militia ship and a real fishing ship. Chinese troops under subsidies, according to a November report from the Asian Maritime Transparency Initiative of the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS).
Experts are leading activities such as harassing foreign excavators and stopping foreign fisheries CSIS reports that boats and subsidized fishermen put pressure on numbers. I am.
And China, which has the largest fishing fleet in the world, is well prepared.
About that again Aircraft carrier
Still, I'm not saying that the inauguration of Fujian Province is not an important moment.
As in the United States, aircraft carriers will soon become central. Iritary is possible, according to Mr. Schuster, a symbol of the Navy of the People's Liberation Army-and modern China.
"The launch of Fujian should be seen not for its limited immediate impact, but for what it predicts," Schuster said.
"At a time when the U.S. Navy was having a hard time getting one new unit fully operational, China now launched three airlines and two fully operational. "He said.
Schuster mentioned USS Gerald Ford, a supercarrier that has been plagued by problems since the 2017 commissioning (already three years behind).
Supercarriers haven't had their first operational deployment yet, but are scheduled for this fall.
Meanwhile, China moves forward.
"They are building the Navy faster than the United States and all its allies," Schster said.
"Incomplete, but a good foundation."
