As per the statements from governments in
the region and satellite imagery, China has sent an aircraft carrier battle group to the
East and South China Seas. The maneuvers come at a time of increasing
tension in the South China Sea and a denouncement of China’s recent sinking of a Vietnamese
fishing vessel by members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. China’s naval exercise with the Liaoning
aircraft carrier was first reported by Japan’s military. The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force said
the Liaoning was accompanied by battle group of two destroyers, two frigates, and a support
vessel passed through the Miyako Strait, between Okinawa and the Miyako Islands. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said
the Liaoning battle group was observed moving off the island of Taiwan’s eastern coast
down to its southern coast. A Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy
spokesperson later confirmed the Liaoning and its battle group was engaged in a naval
exercise at the Miyako Strait, the Bashi Channel south of Taiwan, and in the South China Sea. But in the vicinity - Yokosuka Naval Base,
Japan, U.S has USS Ronald Reagan supercarrier. In this video, Defense Updates analyzes why
China deploying Liaoning aircraft carrier off the coast of Taiwan is useless as it faces
USS Ronald Reagan? So, let us get started. This video is sponsored by War Thunder, the
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bonus tank or aircraft or ship and three days of premium account. Liaoning is actually built from Soviet-era
Kuznetsov-class carrier hull. The Kuznetsov-class aircraft carriers were
the last class of aircraft carriers designed for the Soviet Navy. Two hulls were laid down in the Ukrainia before
the Soviet Union collapsed. Kuznetsov serves today in the Russian Navy. The other hulk was purchased in 1998 by the
People's Republic of China and towed to Dalian shipyard in northeast China. After being completely rebuilt and undergoing
sea trials, the ship was commissioned into the People's Liberation Army Navy. It has a displacement of around 60,000 tonnes
and is conventionally powered. USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) is the 9th Nimitz-class
aircraft supercarrier. The Nimitz-class aircraft carriers were designed
to be improvements on previous U.S. aircraft carriers, in particular the Enterprise and
Forrestal-class. All ten Nimitz-class aircraft carriers were
constructed between 1968 and 2006 at Newport News Shipbuilding Company, Virginia, in the
largest dry-dock in the western hemisphere. It has a displacement of 100,000 tonnes and
is nuclear powered. Being much larger USS Ronald Reagan can carry
more than 80 aircraft whereas Liaoning can accommodate only about 40 aircraft. It can be easily inferred that Nimitz has
a distinct advantage over the Liaoning. Liaoning carries Shenyang J-15. The Shenyang J-15 also known as Flying Shark
is a 4th generation, twin-jet, all-weather, carrier-based fighter aircraft developed by
the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation and the 601 Institute for the Chinese People's Liberation
Army Navy's aircraft carriers. J-15 which is basically an unethical copy
of Russian Su-33 uses indigenous Shenyang Liming WS-10H engines which are underpowered. It is thought to have a low maximum launch
weight. With this weight limitation, a J-15 carrier
fighter cannot carry a full load of fuel and weapons. So, it neither has a good range or an effective
weapons package. China’s own media has come down heavily
on it. Beijing-based Sina Military Network (SMN)
criticized the capabilities of the J-15 as nothing more than a "flopping fish" incapable
of flying from the Liaoning with heavy weapons, “effectively crippling its attack range
and firepower. USS Ronald Reagan's strike fighters are primarily
F/A18 Hornets and F/A 18 Super Hornets. These are twin-engine carrier-capable 4th
generation multirole fighter aircraft. They have a payload of 7700 kg or 17000 lbs
which can be used to carry ground attack weapons as well as air-to-air missiles. The versatility of the aircraft can be gauged
from the fact that on the first day of Operation Desert Storm, two F 18, each carrying four
2,000 lb. bombs, shot down 2 Iraqi Migs and then proceeded to deliver their bombs on target. Liaoning uses ski ramp to assist aircraft
takeoffs. The U.S. Navy uses a more efficient steam-powered
catapult system to launch aircraft. Ski-jump aircraft carriers have limitations,
regarding how much ordnance can be loaded. The weight restriction issue is caused by
a minimum airspeed requirement for a flight from an aircraft carrier. Ski-jump aircraft carriers generate their
airspeed from the run-up distance on the deck of the aircraft carrier and an assist from
the ski-jump. Catapult aircraft carriers use a steam piston
system that accelerates a shuttle attached to the aircraft to produce a much higher end
speed. Because the weight of the aircraft impacts
the end speed, the higher the weight of the aircraft the less end speed can be generated. For example, the J-15, when launched from
the Liaoning, can only carry 4000 pounds of ordnance before it reaches its minimum airspeed
requirement, conversely, the F 18 Super Hornet can carry over 12000 pounds of ordnance on
a catapult aircraft carrier. The large differences between the two aircraft
carriers will certainly have impacts on tactical considerations for mission planning and sortie
generation rates. So, USS Ronald Reagan is well ahead of when
it comes to the quality of the aircraft and how there are operated from the carrier. Apart from the strike package USS Ronald Reagan
has E-2C Hawkeye & EA-18G Growler. Northrop Grumman’s E-2C Hawkeye is a carrier-capable
AWACS aircraft. It is designed to give long-range warning
of incoming aerial threats. Secondary roles include command and control,
land and maritime surveillance, as well as communication relay. It has a 360-degree long-range radar that
is effective over open seas, shorelines and land. These provide excellent situational awareness
to the USS Ronald Reagan supercarrier. The EA-18G Growler is an airborne electronic
attack (AEA) aircraft. The Growler is a derivative of the combat-proven
two-seat F/A-18 Hornet, the US Navy’s maritime strike aircraft. The aircraft's missions are mainly electronic
attack (EA) and Suppression of Enemy Air Defence (SEAD), particularly at the start and on-going
early stages of hostilities. The Growler is equipped with the APG-79 multi-mode
radar with passive detection mode and active radar suppression. The radar is capable of jamming enemy radars
by flooding it with its own radar signals. Liaoning doesn’t have these kinds of specialized
aircraft which is a vital deficiency. China’s muscle-flexing at a time when it
is being held responsible for the current world crisis is brazen to say that least. Time and again it has shown utter disregard
to international laws and norms and threatens its neighbors. Liaoning is an impressive first attempt by
China. But as evident from the comparison, USS Ronald
Reagan Nimitz class is far ahead of Liaoning in terms of inbuilt technology as well as
the overall ecosystem. In a confrontation, Liaoning will find it
very hard to hold on against the much more well equipped USS Ronald Reagan supercarrier. American fighters assisted by excellent supporting
aircraft will quickly overwhelm the Liaoning. The fight may not even last an hour as the
USS Ronald Reagan will gain air dominance quickly. So, tactically speaking deploying Liaoning
will not be much use if a conflict breaks out and it has to confront USS Ronald Reagan.
