It’s the Rosoboronexport promotion video, shot aboard Neustrashimiy.

Thanks Neptune, much apprecated. A mate of mine loved the video as it gave him a great idea of how it worked, he is building a Talwar class frigate in 1:72.

Cheers

Unicorn

Have a quick request.

Could anyone identify the ship class that this Kashtan video was shot aboard?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3zKG0JBBwo

Many thanks

Unicorn

Hard to go past this one

Unicorn

Many years ago I was on board a US carrier, I believe it was the Constellation (or perhaps the Independance) and the CAG was telling me they had suffered a wire snap incident a few days out of port.

The wire had snapped close to the port end, and had whiplashed across the flight deck, injuring a significant number of deck crew with numerous broken bones, two crewmen had lost limbs and two had died from being struck in the chest or head.

You can see why the US Navy is over-cautious with the arrestor cable, that said however, 100 seems a very low number, barely a few days operations.

Unicorn

Unfortunately dear chap, the military and politicians rarely bother to trouble themselves with history, hence they are doomed to repeat it.

Unicorn

They did,

Saddam’s mines, 1 aegis cruiser crippled and one large amphibious ship damaged.

It will happen again, the only question is where. My bet is off Korea.

Unicorn

It is a mistake to underestimate China. China’s shipbuilding industry dominates the world. India’s shipbuilding industry is miniscule in comparison.

We all know that India has been talking very loudly about an indigenous carrier for years, but we wont see the ADS at sea for perhaps another decade.

On the other hand, China doesn’t seem to announce its military shipbuilding intentions until the ship is actually fitting out. I don’t know what is planned for Varyag, but it is easy to believe that if the Chinese leadership want aircraft carriers, the Chinese leadership will get aircraft carriers.

Where exactly did I denigrate or underestimate the PLAN?

I stated facts.

Fact: The PLAN does not operate carriers nor have they stated an unambiguous intention to operate carriers in the near term.

Fact: The PLAN has shown a reluctance to undertake night helicopter operations at sea unless a definite overiding operational requirement is there.

Fact: Anyone who currently operates fixed wing CTOL or VSTOL aircraft at sea is ahead of the PLAN, who operate neither at sea, in this area of maritime operations.

The PLAN is undertaking a steady rate of growth, exploring new options and capabilities through short construction runs of two or three ships, each of which seems to incorporate incremental or medium level advances in capability.

When the PLAN reaches a technological level of sophistication which their leadership is happy with, I am sure they will swap from short runs to longer production runs of standard designs as we have seen with the USN’s Perry / Spruance / Tico and Burke classes, the UK’s Type 23 and 45, the French Navy’s Lafayette’s / the RAN’s Anzacs and the Canadian Navy’s City’s.

Longer production runs of standard classes are more efficient for a technologically mature navy. The PLAN is not yet at the same level and is still developing that capability, when they do their shipbuilding program will change dramatically.

As for carriers, well Varyag may or may not ever go to sea (we shall have to wait and see) but when the PLAN wants to develop a carrier capability I am sure they will go about it in the same way.

The timing will be determined by the Chinese political leadership, above all else the decision to embark on the road to fixed wing carrier operations is political, not military.

Only if the political leadership of China makes the decision that the downside from developing carrier operations is outweighed by the positives will the PLAN receive the green light to commence construction of an indigenous fixed wing carrier capability.

Unicorn