India
A paradoxical situation has developed in this country, there is a very significant number of modern aircraft for basing on aircraft carriers, in the absence of the latter. The Indian Navy is in service with 15 carrier-based fighters MiG-29K / KUBpurchased in 2004.
These aircraft will be assigned to the Vikramaditya aircraft carrier (formerly Admiral Gorshkov). In 2010, India purchased an additional batch of 29 MiG-29Ks from Russia for $ 1.5 billion.
In anticipation of a postscript to the Vikramaditya aircraft carrier (formerly Admiral Gorshkov), all aircraft received by India are based at the Goa airbase.
However, when the Indian fleet receives its long-awaited aircraft carrier, which is undergoing re-equipment and modernization in Russia, no one can say for certain, the terms are constantly shifting for various reasons.
A light aircraft carrier is serving its life in the Navy " Viraat"- light aircraft carrier of the" Sentor "class.
Before joining the Indian Navy, "Viraat" served in the Royal Navy of Great Britain under the name "HMS" Hermes. The ship was laid down during World War II in 1944, but they could not complete it, and she stood for 9 years on the stocks of the English It was launched in 1953 and entered service in 1959. In 1971 it underwent modernization and was retrained as an amphibious helicopter carrier. During the war for the Falkland Islands, the Hermes was the flagship of the British ship grouping.
In 1986, after modernization, the ship was transferred to the Indian Navy.
In 1995, the aircraft carrier underwent modernization, as a result of which a new radar was installed. In 2002, the ship underwent another modernization, after which the ship received new anti-aircraft weapons of Russian and Israeli production.
After the withdrawal of the light aircraft carrier "Vikrant" from the Indian Navy, only this one capable aircraft carrier remained in the fleet.
The air group includes: Sea Harriers UVVP aircraft (modifications BAe Sea Harrier FRS Mk.51, BAe Sea Harrier T Mk.60) - 12-18 pieces, helicopters Ka-31, Ka-28, HAL Dhruv, HAL - 7-8 things.
Multipurpose military helicopter Dhruv »(ALH Dhruv, Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv), developed by the Indian national company HAL (English Hindustan Aeronautics Limited), with the support of the German concern Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm.
The development of the helicopter began in 1984, the first flight - in 1992, and went into mass production in 2003. It is produced in two modifications: for the Air Force and ground forces - with a skid landing gear; for naval forces with tricycle retractable landing gear. An attack modification of the helicopter, equipped with an automatic 20-mm cannon mounted on a turret and guided missile weapons, for example, an ATGM. The suspension of depth charges and torpedoes is also possible.
Helicopter " Why so"(HAL Chetak) - is a licensed copy of the French multipurpose helicopter Aerospatial SA.316 / SA.319" Aluette "III.
It is used for reconnaissance, search and rescue, the armed version carries a 20-mm cannon, NURS or anti-submarine torpedoes.
In India, at the shipyards in the city of Cochin, since 2006, the construction of a light aircraft carrier is underway " Vikrant", It is intended to replace the aircraft carrier Viraat, which is improving its resource. This ship should become the flagship of the western group of the Indian Navy. The aircraft carrier was built on the basis of a joint project developed by the Russian Nevsky Design Bureau, as well as with French and Italian help. The aircraft carrier will in fact be equivalent to the Vikramaditya in most of its parameters.
This ship was originally created as an aircraft carrier, and not a cruiser with aircraft weapons, so the internal space is more rationally used. Similarly to Vikramiditya, a springboard, a three-cable aerial finisher, an optical landing system, and two lifts will be installed on the ship's deck. The aircraft carrier will be able to take on board aircraft weighing up to 25 tons - the MiG-29K. Based helicopters: Ka-28, Ka-31 and HAL Dhruv, which are the main ones for the Indian Navy, in addition, Russian-made helicopters that have not exhausted their service life will be removed from Viraat.
China
The navy of this country is perhaps the most dynamically developing in the world. Naturally, the Chinese could not ignore such an important segment of the fleet as aircraft carriers. Back in the mid-90s, decommissioned aircraft-carrying cruisers Kiev and Minsk were purchased in China from Russia. And undoubtedly, they thoroughly studied them. In April 1998, the unfinished aircraft-carrying cruiser pr.1143.6 Varangian ”Was purchased from Ukraine for $ 20 million, as announced, to organize a floating entertainment center with a casino. The cruiser was delivered for inspection and repair in the dry dock of the naval base in Dalian.
The plans of the People's Liberation Army of China regarding the aircraft carrier were uncertain for a long time. Analysts discussed a number of possibilities: commissioning or use as a training base.
In 2011, it was revealed that China was completing the completion and modernization of the ship, making it its first aircraft carrier. This was confirmed by the fact that China built a test range on land, in one of the central regions of the country, for training carrier-based aviation pilots, completely copied from the Varyag.
The modernization is carried out at a shipyard in the same city of Dalian. On June 8, 2011, Chen Bingde, Chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army of China, announced that the former Varyag was being completed and modernized at a shipyard in Dalian, and on August 10, the ship left the shipyard for the first sea trials under the name Shi Lan.
By May 2012, the aircraft carrier had completed six sea trials.
On September 25, 2012, a ceremony was held in the port of Dalian for the adoption of the first aircraft carrier by the Chinese Navy. The ceremony was attended by President of the People's Republic of China Hu Jintao and Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Wen Jiabao.
The ship was named " Liaoning"- in honor of the province in northeastern China and tail number" 16 ".
On November 24, 2012, the Chinese newspaper South China Morning Post reported the successful landing of the Shenyang fighter J-15 on the deck of an aircraft carrier.
The pilot was flown by test pilot Dai Mingmen. Thus, China officially became a new power with a naval jet carrier-based aircraft.
It is necessary to recall the history of the development of the J-15 aircraft. In the late nineties, China tried to buy fifty Su-33 carrier-based fighters from Russia. In the course of negotiations on a possible contract, the number of desired aircraft was constantly decreasing and as a result was reduced to two units. It is not hard to guess that it will not be possible to equip even one aircraft carrier with two fighters, but they can be used for copying with the subsequent deployment of our own production.
Despite the difficult economic situation and the need for new contracts, Russian aircraft manufacturers refused to China and did not sell a single Su-33.
A little later, China agreed with Ukraine on the sale of one of the prototypes of the Su-33 - T-10K - and some documentation on it.
In the summer of 2010, the first flight of the self-developed J-15 carrier-based fighter was reported. It is worth noting that already at that time the Chinese called the J-15 a development of the previous J-11 (first a licensed and then a counterfeit copy of the Russian Su-27SK), and not a copy of the T-10K / Su-33. In this case, it turns out that for some unknown reason, the development of the J-11 project went exactly the same way as it was with the Su-27K, which later became the Su-33. The Chinese press points to the ability to attack ground targets as an advantage of its aircraft. The Su-33's armament range includes unguided bombs of up to 500 kilograms and various types of unguided missiles. During the tests, attempts were made to use the X-41 Mosquito anti-ship missiles, but production aircraft no longer have this capability. There is still no exact information about the range of weapons of the Chinese J-15 aircraft, and therefore there is every reason to assume that its ability to strike on the ground is also limited. If China decides to develop its aircraft carrier fleet in accordance with American views on this issue, then it is quite possible that some kind of guided weapons will appear in the J-15's arsenal. At the moment, there is no exact information about this.
It is argued that the fighter's computer complex has much better characteristics compared to the Su-33 avionics, for example, the speed of the main computer is several times higher. However, for a full analysis of the combat capabilities of radio-electronic equipment, including an on-board computer, other information is also needed, up to the specific tasks and characteristics of one or another element of the computing complex. In addition, even a super-powerful computer will not give the expected capabilities if the avionics do not have other equipment with the appropriate characteristics. For example, a poor airborne radar is unable to help unleash the full potential of a powerful computer. It is said to carry an active phased array station, but there is reason to doubt it. One way or another, the onboard electronics of a fighter must be "balanced", otherwise the achievement of high performance is by definition impossible. At the moment, it is only known about the possibility of using only air-to-air guided weapons by the J-15 fighter.
Helicopters for various purposes will also be based on the aircraft carrier: Ka-28, Z-8, Z-9.
Changhe Z-8 - Chinese multipurpose helicopter.
It is a licensed copy of the French helicopter Sud-Aviation SA.321 Super-Frelon.
It is produced in transport, anti-submarine, AWACS and rescue versions.
Harbin Z-9 - Chinese multipurpose helicopter.
It is a licensed copy of the French helicopter Aérospatiale Dauphin. It entered service with the PLA in 1998.
There are transport, shock, rescue and anti-submarine modifications.
The Chinese Navy includes 2 (3 more are planned) UDCs of the "Qinchenshan" type, project 071.
This ship, with a standard displacement of 19,000 tons and a length of 210 meters, is capable of carrying up to 1,000 marines, and in terms of its capabilities is much superior to the “domestic Mistral.” There is no reliable data on the number and composition of its air group.
Brazil.
Aircraft carrier of the Brazilian Navy Sao Paulo(A12), a former aircraft carrier Foch of the Clemenceau class of the French Navy.
It was laid down on February 15, 1957, launched on July 23, 1960, entered the French Navy on July 15, 1963, on November 15, 2000, transferred to the Brazilian Navy and after repairs in February 2001 arrived in Brazil.
Aviation group:
14 AF-1 Skyhawk fighter-attack aircraft (A-4 Skyhawk)
4-6 anti-submarine helicopters SH-3A / B "Sea King" (Sea King)
2 search and rescue helicopters UH-12/13 Ecureuil
3 transport helicopters UH-14 "Super Puma"
3 transport aircraft Grumman C-1A Trader and 3 anti-submarine S-2 Tracker
Brazil became the latest buyer of the A-4, purchasing the A-4KU from Kuwait. Under a $ 70 million contract signed in 1997, the Brazilian Navy received 20 A-4KUs and TITA-4KCs delivered by October 1998. But these machines were in need of repair, and the first of them was ready only in January 2000. The planes needed modernization, as they did not have radar and were equipped with radio equipment from the 1970s. It was carried out in Brazil by the New Zealand firm "SAFE Air Engineering", the branch of "Lockheed Martin" in Cordoba also took part in the work. The only aircraft carrier of the Brazilian Navy, Minas Gerais (formerly British Colossus-class Venjens) was replaced in 2001 by Sao Paulo (French Clemenceau-class Foch).
Twenty São Paulo-based Skyhawks were designated AF-1(A-4KU). Three AF-1A (TA-4KU) remain in VF-1 Squadron at the San Pedro Naval Base and are used for training.
The base also provides aircraft carrier landing qualification training using installed Fresnel lenses before pilots can fly from the deck of a real ship.
This aircraft is a modification of the well-known Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, an American light carrier-based attack aircraft developed in the first half of the 1950s by the Douglas Aircraft Company.
Serially produced until 1979, was in service with many countries around the world. It was widely used in the Vietnam War, Arab-Israeli wars and other armed conflicts.
Specifications:
Length: 12.6 m
Wingspan: 8, 4 m
Height: 4.6 m
Wing area: 24.06 m²
Empty weight: 4365 kg
Curb weight: 8300 kg
Maximum takeoff weight: 10 410 kg
Flight characteristics:
Maximum speed at sea level: 1083 km / h
Cruising speed: 800 km / h
Stall speed: 224 km / h
Combat radius with 2 PTB: 1094 km
Ferry range: 3430 km
Combat ceiling: 12,200 m
Operational overload: −3 / + 8 g
Armament:
Cannons: 2 × 20 mm (Colt Mk.12); ammunition - 100 rounds / barrel
Suspension points: 5
Combat load: up to 3720 kg.
Used as a search and rescue AS350 Ecurel is a French light, multipurpose helicopter.
The deck transport Grumman is a real rarity, even against the background of the well-deserved Skyhawk. C-1A Trader and anti-submarine S-2 Tracker.
Received in the USA, from the Davis-Monton storage base, 8 decommissioned carrier-based transport aircraft with C-1A Trader piston engines, the cost of which was $ 335 thousand. The C-1 was created on the basis of the S-2 and was operated in the US Navy until 1988 A total of 83 C-1 transports were built.
In Uruguay, 4 were purchased. S-2A and S-2G. In 1965, Uruguay received from the United States 3 aircraft in the S-2A modification, and in the early 80s - three more S-2Gs.
I must say that the S-2, designed by Grumman, turned out to be a very successful aircraft, which, along with such "eternal" samples of aviation technology as the Douglas DC-3 or Il-18, was widely distributed around the world and outlived most of its peers.
Deck anti-submarine aircraft S-2 Tracker (translated as hunter or bloodhound) is an all-metal twin-engine high-wing aircraft with a classic tail. The wing of the aircraft consists of a center section and two consoles folding with a tent. The aircraft is powered by two Wright Cyclone R-1820-82WA piston air-cooled engines with a capacity of 1525 hp.
A fairly large number of modifications were made, differing from each other mainly in the composition of the onboard equipment. The last serial modification was the S-2E. The S-2G variant was an upgrade of the combatant S-2E. In total, Grumman built 1284 aircraft of all modifications.
In addition to the United States, the S-2 was operated in the armed forces of 14 states, and in most of them - as a base anti-submarine aircraft.
Thailand
Light aircraft carrier Chakri Narubet"(Thai" Chakri dynasty ").
It was built in 1994-1997 by the Spanish company "Basan" and is similar in design to the aircraft carrier "Prince of Asturias", built earlier by the same company for the Spanish Navy. It is the smallest among modern aircraft carriers.
It is used for patrolling the exclusive economic zone and search and rescue operations, and also provides air support among its tasks, but in general, the ship's combat capability is assessed as low due to lack of funding and rare outings to the sea. As of 2012, the Chakri Narubet remains in service with the Thai Naval Forces, but most of the time the ship is inactive. Based in the deep-water port of Chuck Samet, where it serves as a base for patrol helicopters.
Unlike other ships of this class, you can get on the aircraft carrier as a visitor, any day from 8.00 to 16.00 (weekend is Wednesday, on this day the entrance to the ship is closed until noon), admission is free.
The only caveat is that foreign tourists should, before visiting an aircraft carrier, write a letter addressed to the commander of the Royal Thai Navy (Sattahip, Chon Buri, 20180).
According to the media of both Thailand and many other countries, "Chakri Narubet" can be considered the largest royal yacht in the world, since during short-term outings to the sea, members of the royal family are usually present on the ship. apartments.
In April 2012, the Swedish company Saab received an order from the Thai Navy to modernize the command and control system of an aircraft carrier. The cost of the contract is $ 26.7 million. During the upgrade, the aircraft carrier will receive the latest 9LV Mk4 control system. Saab will also equip the ship with new data transmission systems to ensure interaction with Gripen fighters and Saab 340 Erieye early warning and control aircraft, which are in service with Thailand. The modernization of the aircraft carrier will be completed in 2015.
Aviation group up to 14 aircraft and helicopters; usually: 6 AV-8S Harrier attack aircraft, 6 S-70B multipurpose helicopters.
Helicopter carriers and amphibious assault ships are available in the fleets of Australia, the Netherlands, South Korea and Japan. On some of them, VTOL aircraft can be based, if necessary, although they are not currently available in the fleets of these countries.
