Flattop faceoff: China's pride vs. America's arrogance
Date
3/16/2016 12:07:19 AM
(MENAFN- Asia Times) Chinese carrier Liaoning
The prevailing Pentagon opinion is not wrong at least when viewed through the keyhole of tactics and short-term thinking. The Liaoning is indeed a refurbished Soviet carrier originally launched in 1988 that the Chinese picked up for a rusting song from Ukraine in 1998.
The Liaoning is also a bit undersized. Its deck is just shy of 100 feet shorter than an American supercarrier like the Nimitz.
On top of that the Liaoning has little in the way of advanced electronics or weaponry so that taken as a whole it is clear that the Liaoning poses no direct competition to any American aircraft carrier strike groups patrolling in the East or South China Seas. Nor does the Liaoning pose a viable threat to any American forward bases in the regiontactical or otherwise.
These limitations of the Liaoning notwithstanding there is also this stark reality: In an era of a rapidly shrinking American fleet the Liaoning and its picket ships and air wing pose a growing threat to many of China's neighbors in the South China Sea particularly the Philippines and Vietnam. Read more
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.