Folks,

In this whole debate everyone is forgetting that old saying: Amatures discuss weapons; experts logistics. Does anyone believe that the PLAN or the IN can substain a carrier task force at sea for long? Refuel and Re-Arm it and protect the tankers and supply ships from home port to the CV location? Many consider only two navy really capable of that over the long haul in blue oceans: ie the US Navy and the Japanese Navy. Remember when the Russians sent their one carrier into the Med during the Kosovo Crisis the US Navy had to help them with fixing their fresh water plant and teaching them carrier landing skills. It is a culture. India has some great warships, but does it have the culture to operate ships for long periods at long distances? No one today says that about China. At least as far as I know or have read.

Jack E. Hammond

And why do you suppose PLAN is incapable of substain a carrier task force?

AFAIK, PLAN by far have more support/auxilliary assets, larger vessels than JMSDF.

Just to name a few you’d get the idea the difference in displacement and the availability or lack of support assets in JMSDF

JMSDF
AOE “Sagami” Class 421 Displacement : 5,000t
AOE “Towada” Class Displacement : 8,100t

PLAN
Nancang replenishment ship Displacement: 37,000 tons full load
Taikang (‘Fuqing’) class fleet oilers : Displacement: 21,740 tons full load
Qiandaohu class fleet replenishment shipDisplacement: 20,000+ tonnes

Aside from the relative lower experience operating in fleet formation, PLAN support structure are both more abundant advanced than JMSDF.
PLAN also have auxillary support branches since PLAN do not share naval support assets with PLA or PLAAF and these branches operate seperate systems of naval support.