On June 17, 2022, the "Fujian" ship was launched, and the three-carrier formation of the People's Navy is about to emerge.
In today's world, aircraft carriers have become a "luxury product" for many countries. Whether it is construction costs or daily maintenance, they will consume a lot of real money. Therefore, now all countries can only adhere to the four words "act according to their capabilities" in the development of aircraft carriers. It is also difficult for the so-called powerful countries with global interests to maintain multi-aircraft carrier fleets. The Russians have only maintained nominal aircraft carrier formations for many years, the French have already relied on one aircraft carrier to dominate the world, and the British have only built two aircraft carriers despite their efforts. . And those many middle powers have either changed to developing light aircraft carrier , or have changed to develop " amphibious assault ship " in the name of "multi-purpose ship", or have completely given up on aircraft carriers.
Therefore, being able to have three aircraft carriers or multiple aircraft carrier formations is definitely a super luxurious configuration among the navies in today's world. In fact, if you look carefully at post-war history, there are only a handful of countries that have owned more than three aircraft carriers. So today, we will take stock of the countries that once had, even briefly, a three-carrier formation after the war.
After World War II, the number of aircraft carriers owned by the United States in a short period of time reached 155 (including aircraft carriers under construction), including 227 large fleet aircraft carriers, 11 light aircraft carriers, and 2,117 escort aircraft carriers. However, such a large number of aircraft carriers is beyond the financial resources of the United States. As a result, a large number of aircraft carriers were either sold, leased to other allies, or directly decommissioned and dismantled.
Soon, the U.S. aircraft carriers began a "rapid downsizing" phase. In the 1960s, the number of aircraft carriers dropped to more than 60, in the 1970s it dropped sharply to about 40, and in the 1980s and 1990s, there were only The number of ships dropped to about 15, and in the new century it remained at 11-12 ships. Of course, it cannot be denied that although the number of aircraft carriers in the United States has decreased, the quality, quantity and combat capabilities of its aircraft carriers are still unmatched in today's world.
In the field of aircraft carriers, Americans absolutely regard them as "seeing the small mountains at a glance". If you have to find a country that has made the United States feel urgent in terms of aircraft carriers, then it must be the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union's development of aircraft carriers was ill-fated. Although the stubborn die-hards know nothing about the navy and aircraft carriers, they hold high positions and have the power of life and death over the development of aircraft carriers. Therefore, after Kuznetsov's struggle, Gorshkov's "cheating", and coupled with the " United States and the Soviet Union competing for hegemony" requirements, the Soviet Union finally used the name of "aircraft-carrying cruiser" The road to aircraft carrier development began.
Starting from the "Moscow" helicopter carrier in the late 1960s to the "Kuznetsov" entering service in 1991, the Soviet Union has built 5 aircraft carriers and 2 helicopter carriers. Although the real Soviet aircraft carrier "Ulyanovsk" was stillborn, the rapid development in quantity and quality of Soviet aircraft carriers really shocked Americans into a cold sweat.
If we say that the Soviets were forced by the situation to "do something" in developing aircraft carriers. So in terms of aircraft carrier development, the British had to "quench their thirst with poison" because of the development of the situation. At the end of World War II, Britain used nearly a hundred large aircraft carriers, light aircraft carriers and escort aircraft carriers. However, just after the end of World War II, all escort carriers were decommissioned and dismantled one after another, leaving only the newer "Glorious" class (4 ships), "Grudge" class (2 ships) and several "Giant" class ships ( 6) aircraft carriers. However, even with more than 10 aircraft carriers, Britain, which has lost most of its colonies and has a sluggish economy, cannot maintain it.
Soon, Britain said goodbye to its large aircraft carriers, leaving only four "Centaur" aircraft carriers with a displacement of about 24,000 tons. Unfortunately, the already declining British Empire was unable to maintain even four light aircraft carriers. By the 1970s, the number of aircraft carriers had dropped to three.The difference is that at one stage, it was a mixture of "Centaur" aircraft carriers and "Invincible" class aircraft carriers, and later it became three "Invincible" class aircraft carriers. Of course, at this stage, in order to prove themselves, the British made many innovations in aircraft carrier technology. However, technologies such as the catapult and were made for the Americans. Only the ski jump deck and short take-off/vertical landing were mastered by the British with great proficiency.
Although the British are constantly sinking, they still rely on their own technology and industrial system to develop aircraft carriers, and maintained the level of a three-carrier formation for a long time after the war. France, which once competed with Britain for maritime supremacy, began its postwar aircraft carrier development by receiving "gifts" and "lease". At the end of World War II, the French Navy received an American-made "Avenger" class escort aircraft carrier, named "Dix Mode". Although this escort carrier was modified from the hull of a C3 cargo ship, although it is only 15,000 tons (full row), it is already the first aircraft carrier in French history to actually enter service.
In 1946, Britain sold the "Giant" aircraft carrier to France (first leased, then purchased after five years of lease) and renamed it "Arromanche". This 14,000-ton aircraft carrier became the real French aircraft carrier. The first aircraft carrier it owns, because other aircraft carriers are "leased". In addition to the "Dix Mode" that was leased at the end of World War II, in the early 1950s, France leased two "Independence"-class light aircraft carriers, the "Bello Wood" and the "Langley" from the United States. This type of aircraft carrier was transformed from the cruiser "Langley", with a full load displacement of 15,200 tons. After joining the French Navy, it was renamed "Belleau Forest" and "Lafayette" respectively. These four aircraft carriers served together until the 1960s, and then the three aircraft carriers leased from the United States were "returned" respectively. Although France began to equip self-built aircraft carriers, it also said goodbye to the three-carrier formation and was unable to maintain even a two-carrier formation.
In addition to these countries, there are many countries that have the dream of three aircraft carriers. For example, India, located in the South Asian subcontinent, had two aircraft carriers as early as the late 1980s. Although they are all second-hand ships purchased from the United Kingdom, this does not prevent the Indians from formulating an ambitious three-carrier plan. However, except for the 1980s and 1990s, and from 2013 to 2017, when India maintained a dual aircraft carrier formation, the Indian Navy can only maintain one aircraft carrier in service for a long time. After all, there are too many restrictions on the development of Indian aircraft carriers. Whether it is India's own industrial capabilities or scientific research levels, it is difficult for them to develop aircraft carriers through self-research and development. It has now become unrealistic to obtain aircraft carriers through external procurement. The construction of modern aircraft carriers and the sales of carrier-based aircraft have been bundled together. The total cost of the entire aircraft carrier system project can easily reach tens of billions of dollars, which is beyond the financial resources of India.
Therefore, in the foreseeable future, not only large-scale aircraft carriers will be owned by truly great powers, but also multi-aircraft carrier formations will only be established by great powers.
