Chinese Supercarrier Fujian vs. USS Gerald Ford: Which New Warship Has a Greater Combat Potential?
Asia-Pacific , Naval
The commissioning of the first supercarrier into service in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy has for the first time in over 80 years provided a service outside the U.S. Navy with a peer level carrier capability, with the warship being a close competitor to the latest generation of American carriers the Gerald Ford class ships. A comparison of the capabilities of the Fujian, and the sole American next generation supercarrier in service the USS Gerald Ford, provides valuable insight into the current standing of the Chinese carrier program. The clearest difference between the two ships is that the Gerald Ford is approximately 17.5 percent larger, displacing 100,000 tons compared to the Fujian’s 85,000 tons, and having four catapult launch systems for aircraft where the Fujian has three, which allows the American ship to generation sorties approximately 33 percent faster.
A second clear difference is the ships’ propulsion systems, with the Gerald Ford using twin A1B nuclear reactors that generate electricity through steam-driven turbines, where the Fujian uses the world’s first Medium-Voltage Direct Current (MVDC) integrated power system ever integrated onto an aircraft carrier, which provides revolutionary improvements to efficiency. The use of nuclear propulsion systems provides the Gerald Ford with a significantly greater endurance, and is expected to allow it to sustain its maximum speeds for significantly longer. Nuclear propulsion nevertheless imposes very significant additional costs and maintenance requirements, and extends the servicing time for the ships considerably, meaning the Fujian is not only significantly less costly to produce and to operate, but will also likely be able to spend a much greater portion of its time in service at sea. The Fujian’s choice of power system appears well suited to the ship’s primary role of safeguarding Chinese interests in East Asia, where the Gerald Ford was designed to project power across the globe.
Comparing the two carrier programs, the Fujian’s development has been relatively smooth despite being China’s first ship of its kind, where the Gerald Ford has been hindered by many of the major cost overruns and performance shortcomings that have been typical of major American programs in the post-Cold War era. The program faced long delays in making the ship operational due to wide ranging performance issues with its subsystems, which have affected its weapons elevators, electromagnetic catapults, human waste management and sensors. A Project on Government Oversight report accordingly referred to the program as an example of “how not to build a ship,” with radars proving to be sufficient flawed that it was decided an entirely new sensor suite would need to be developed for future Gerald Ford class ships. As a result of these issues, the Ford was able to begin its first deployment only in March 2022, five years after it had been commissioned into service. The Fujian, by contrast, is expected to be able to begin its first deployment in 2026 just a year after being commissioned.
Th Fujian’s most significant combat advantages are provided by its air wing, which deploys J-15T fighters, J-15DT electronic attack attack jets, and J-35 stealth fighters supported by KJ-600 airborne early warning and control aircraft. The Gerald Ford has yet to integrate its own stealth fighter type, the F-35C, with its catapult launch system due to major delays with the program. The J-15 and J-35 both benefit form significantly longer ranges and higher weapons carrying capacities than the F-18E/F and F-35C, carry much larger radars, and have superior flight performances with much higher thrust-weight ratios. Looking to the futures of both aircraft carriers, the Fujian is expected to gain a distinct advantage as a result of the deep cuts being made to the U.S. Navy’s F/A-XX carrier based sixth generation fighter program, which is expected to leave fighters in American carrier air wings a generation behind. China appears poised to lead the United States by several years in fielding the world’s first sixth generation fighter aircraft, and appears set to lead by over a decade in fielding such aircraft from its aircraft carriers.
Comparing costs, major cost overruns have resulted in a cost of over $17.5 billion for the USS Gerald Ford, compared to an estimated $6 billion cost for the Fujian, which reflects both the greater efficiency of China’s much larger shipbuilding industry, and the tremendous cost of nuclear propulsion systems. In terms of capabilities, however, the Fujian and Gerald Ford are currently well matched, with the Gerald Ford’s fourth catapult launch system and nuclear propulsion system being primary advantages, while the Fujian’s much lower maintenance needs, lack of comparable design flaws, and the potency of the aircraft in its air wing, provide it with its own advantages. This may change in the mid-2030s, however, as sixth generation fighters are poised the Fujian’s air wing with a particularly significantly more overwhelming advantage.
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Wankees have one more advantage, that of using carriers in actual warfare since WWII (including the Korean War and Vietnam War).
A stupid "analysis" from Russia, who have the credit for Admiral Kuznetsov, the current crown for the "worst aircraft carrier in the world"
ReplyDelete& what's yr 2cents worth of fart?
DeleteWakakakaka… still high within that mighty yankee wet dream.
Ooop… don't wake up. Reality is very cruel to know-nothing mfer!