I think only a handful countries can afford a few starships with DE,
the rest will keep flying old fighters if operational cost allows it,
and replace with UCAV & GBAD.
Suffice to say i’m not thrilled.

What’s your investment recommendation? 😀

Could Japan support such a Large Warship?

The 19500t class destroyer (DDH) is a new helicopter carrier class being constructed for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). The ships of this class will be the largest surface combatants of the Japanese navy, taking over the mantle currently held by the Hyūga class helicopter destroyers.
Displacement: 19,500 tonnes empty, 27,000 tons full load

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19000t_class_destroyer

If they can manage that, which is half the CVF, why not the whole thing?
Also considering that this is about equivalent of the displacement of Yamato class BB.

Wanshan,

We are at risk of going around in circles on this. Based on the fuel spec you linked to, those engines are capable of burning the thickest, nastiest residual fuel oils, as you would expect from a marine diesel engine. Western navies use high quality distillate fuels because those are compatible with Western gas turbines. I’m not pretending to know what the standard Russian naval fuel is, but I wouldn’t expect it to be identical to F-76. Russia may use different grades in different engine types: distillate in GTs, residuals in diesels and steam turbine plants, as at least some Western navies did in the past.

Are Mistrals, off the shelf, as specified for France, compatible with standard Russian naval fuels: I’ve no idea, but the Russian deputy PM says not. Is that plausible: yes. Can the engines fitted to Mistrals be made to be compatible with standard Russian navy fuels: yes.

For example, if Russian practice is to use residual fuels, these require heating in the tanks to get the oil warm enough to flow. Mistrals are almost certainly not fitted with heated tanks as standard as it isn’t necessary when you are burning F-76.

Am I off on a silly tack here and you actually know what the standard Russian naval fuels are?

From what I read, Russian fuel quality is relatively poor and inconsistent. Western diesel engines may not tolerate this. But I would think that is a different issue from the effects of COLD (e.g. gelling, waxing). Apparently, fuel on a ship will not get colder than the water sorrounding the ship (regardless of air temp) and the water around a ship will rarely be below 0 deg C.

MDO (Marine diesel oil) – A blend of heavy gasoil that may contain very small amounts of black refinery feed stocks, but has a low viscosity up to 12 cSt so it need not be heated for use in internal combustion engines. Marine diesel oil contains some heavy fuel oil, unlike regular diesels. Also, marine fuel oils sometimes contain waste products. Mazut is a residual fuel oil often derived from Russian petroleum sources and is either blended with lighter petroleum fractions or burned directly in specialized boilers and furnaces.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_oil

Russia is cementing its status as Europe’s foremost diesel supplier as President Vladimir Putin seeks to shore up economic growth with record investment in the refining industry.Russia is improving fuels quality to safeguard its Western export market and take advantage of crude output that’s risen to a post-Soviet record.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-21/russia-invests-in-diesel-as-putin-s-oil-boom-peaks.html

The fuel oil originating from Eastern Europe in particular, Russia and Ukraine, is typically high sulphur bunker quality. Bunker fuel is technically any type of fuel oil used aboard ships.

http://www.enxsa.com/fueloil.html

“In addition, we are helped by the Company’s brand, which is now well known throughout the world,” Shirshov notes. “The quality of the LUKOIL fuel is confirmed by multiple testing by various foreign companies and is not doubted by anyone. And our clients know that we work with a single fuel supplier – LUKOIL’s own plants.”

This was the deciding factor behind the company’s refueling the Dutch frigate HMS Van Amstel during the St. Petersburg International Maritime Defense Show 2011 this summer. LUKOIL-BUNKER had previously, too, served international regattas and naval vessels entering the Neva and the Gulf of Finland. Here, however, the task was a more difficult one: it was not simply a matter of fuel quality; the fuel had to meet the specifications of a NATO naval vessel – Naval Distillate Fuel F-76. The characteristics (specifications) of LUKOIL fuel comply fully with the standards required by other countries. This first and most important formal barrier was overcome comparatively easily, but it was followed by other “bureaucratic” though quite natural barriers under the circumstances: refueling of foreign warships involves an additional series of legal, customs and immigration formalities. As a result, such operations consume a lot of time and labor.

Even so, Shirshov notes, the company is prepared to refuel foreign naval vessels in the future, too, as they periodically visit Russian ports to take part in various international events.

http://www.oilru.com/or/49/1040/

The original formation pic with the F-111s was (I am sure) taken at a Mildenhall air show some years ago – one of the local 135s always opens the show with a flypast and I think this was an EC-135C partnering the two F-111Fs.

Them apples?

http://fightercontrol.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=48053

Besides, the size of the F-111 doesn’t seem to match the one of the KC-135.

The KC-135 is above and abreast or behind the F111s, like in this pic:

I wonder what kind of ship sharing partnership is Ukraine looking for? They should make her as a rental cruiser? Then they could make ads like Rent a cruiser for two months and you get an extra month for free. That would be something. But seriously how would “joint use of a cruiser” work between multiple countries? I wonder what those other countries are?

There are some known instances of ships and boats being leased …

e.g. ex-Soviet Charlie class nuclear powered guided missile submarine on a 3-year lease to the Indian Navy, which commissioned the vessel as the INS Chakra. That submarine was manned by an Indian crew. Upon expiration of the lease term in 1991, the submarine was returned to Russia and joined the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy.

e.g. Brooke and Garcia class ships by US to Pakistan, on a five-year lease in 1988. A depot for repairs, USS Hector followed the lease of these ships in April 1989. The lease of the first Brooke class frigate expired in March 1993, the remaining in early 1994. Ships were returned to US custody.

The problem is, these are all finished, active ships, not an unfinished ship that has been laid up for 15 years.

By comparison, India paid US$2 billion for the completion of two Akula-II class submarines which were 40–60% completed. Three hundred Indian Navy personnel were trained in Russia for the operation of these submarines. India has finalised a deal with Russia, in which at the end of the lease of these submarines, it has an option to buy them. The first submarine is named INS Chakra and was handed over to India on 23 January 2012

So, even that problem could be overcome….

There are no Black Sea navies besides Russia that could support it. The only other navies I could think of are Chinese and Indian, both of which very unlikely candidates.

Certainly plausible enough — borrow an existing design and switch out some planned F-35As for Bs. As for how useful it will be — how useful is Brazil’s carrier? Carriers are about prestige and admission to The Club of Countries Wot Matter as much as anything else.

Europe is going to rue spurning Turkey in the decades ahead. Could’ve been a first-rate military and economic contributor to the EU, and a growing one unlike UK/FR/GR. Oh well.

It’s a good idea to be F35B compatible, even if not actually getting any (from the point of view of capability for crossdecking US, Spanish and Italian aviation assets)

Political reasons.

Remnants of WW2.

CHeck out preceeding Shirane and Hiruna classes, there is some credence to the ASW lineage (alrthough this is an entirely different ship)