Russia To Build New Aircraft in 2020

In a bid to give a major boost to the country’s ability to deploy air power abroad, Russia will begin building a new aircraft carriers after  2020, Navy Chief Viktor Chirkov said.

“At the moment, the construction bureau has received its assignment, the documents are being processed, and the money for the construction programme has been allocated,” Chirkov said.

If the plans reach fruition, it would be a major boon to the Russian Navy, which currently fields only one ageing aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov. The Kuznetsov, part of the navy’s Northern Fleet, was built in 1985 and has been scheduled to undergo a major overhaul.

Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov first announced a plan in November 2011 to construct new aircraft carriers, but also said at the time that the state had not provided enough financing. Another former Russian carrier, the Admiral Gorshkov, was sold to India in 2005, refitted and renamed the Vikramaditya. It is currently undergoing sea trials in the Barents Sea.

Russia is currently in the middle of a huge rearmament programme, with $659 billion to be spent on arms procurement by 2020, according to the defence ministry.

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Source: http://india.nydailynews.com

China’s first aircraft carrier, Jet-15 to be deployed in August

China’s first aircraft is likely to be commissioned on August 1 and deployed in the contended South China Sea, adding fighter jets for a series of scientific exploration and sea trials.

“The military authority plans to let the aircraft carrier be commissioned this year,” Deputy Commander of Chinese navy Xu Hongmeng said.

Shanghai Daily also quoted Xu saying that the unnamed carrier has already taken part in four sea trials in the Pacific since August last year.

Meanwhile, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman said in an interview that the carrier would be used mainly for scientific research and training pilots for future carriers.

Since 1985, China has acquired four used aircraft carriers for study – the Australian HMAS Melbourne and the ex-Soviet carriers Minsk, Kiev and Varyag. The said carrier is redeveloped from the previously unfinished Varyag and is believed to be the first of the three being eyed for acquisition by the Chinese navy. 

Sources says that China has conceived of deploying J-15 fighters which is said to be the variant of Russia’s Su-33 to operate from the carrier. Military experts regard J-15 as the most suitable aircraft for the carrier. The vessel is reported to be capable of carrying around 30 fighters and helicopters as well as a crew of around 2,000.

Experts believe that China’s early deployment in SCS could stir up more tensions in the region and to counter America’s strategy in global supremacy at the sea.

Source: http://www.brahmand.com