China is getting ready to field its 3rd aircraft carrier — here's why it's no match for US flattops

[rangerrebew]

China is getting ready to field its 3rd aircraft carrier — here's why it's no match for US flattops
Benjamin Brimelow
Oct 7, 2020, 7:30 PM
 

    The centerpiece of China's rapidly growing navy is its aircraft carriers, with two in service and another on the way.

    The carriers represent a new capability for China's military, and Beijing has touted them in state media, but Chinese flattops are still not on the same level as US carriers in either technology or experience.
   

Of all the new weapons in China's modern, ever-growing military arsenal, few have gotten as much attention as its aircraft carriers.

https://www.businessinsider.com/how-chinas-aircraft-carriers-compare-to-us-navy-flattops-2020-10

[PeteS in CA]

From the article:

An outdated design

Both the Liaoning and the Shandong are based on the Soviet-designed Kuznetsov-class carrier of the 1980s.
...
China purchased the incomplete hull (of Kuznetsov) from Ukraine in 1998 and then did a nearly decade-long refit in an attempt to turn (Liaoning) into a true aircraft carrier, removing some older Soviet-designed systems like its missile arsenal. The Shandong was given upgrades as well.

But one relic of their Soviet origin still hampers their effectiveness: ski-jump ramps.
...
STOBAR carriers come with a significant trade-off in that the aircraft have to be light to take off. This means Chinese jets can carry only a handful of missiles and have a limited fuel capacity.
...
An inferior air wing

Added to this is the fact that China's current naval fighter, the J-15 Flying Shark, is believed to be largely inferior to its American counterparts.

Like China's carriers, the J-15 is based on a Soviet design. Unable to buy the Su-33 carrier-based fighter from Russia, the Chinese instead bought an unfinished Su-33 prototype from Ukraine and reverse-engineered it. The result is a carrier fighter plagued with problems.

While the prototype provided a good frame, it did not include the Su-33's engines. China, known for having difficulty producing efficient jet engines, had to settle for underpowered domestic versions.

The article also points out that the conventionally powered Chinese carriers have to refuel every 6 days or so, while USN CVNs do not (while other CBG members do need to refuel, that can be worked around).