Recently, a news circulated online about Pakistan Military officer stationed in a European country revealed to the outside world that Pakistan will equip its first aircraft carrier between 2040 and 2045. Although the official source of this news has not been seen yet, the topic of "Pakistan wants to buy aircraft carrier " has attracted everyone's attention. Pakistan is our kind " Pakistani ". If Pakistan can equip aircraft carriers, it will undoubtedly be a big deal and may even change the maritime power balance of the entire Arabian Sea .
(It is rumored online that Pakistan will equip aircraft carriers between 2040 and 2045)
In fact, to analyze whether Pakistan really needs to equip aircraft carriers, the first thing to do is to think about Pakistan’s maritime defense strategy and is it necessary to equip aircraft carriers? Pakistan is located in the northern part of the Arabian Sea, close to Iran and India, with a coastline of only 980 kilometers. Due to the relatively weak overall national strength, since Pakistan was dismembered by India in 1971, the Pakistani Navy has been adhering to the offshore defense strategy. Its main force has always relied on the cover of the shore-based aviation force to operate in the offshore. Once a war breaks out, it will make every effort to ensure the security of Pakistan's coastal areas and defend against the Indian Navy's attack on Pakistan from sea.
(Pakistan has been trying to solve its own energy problems)
But like India, Pakistan is a truly "oil-poor country". Its domestic oil reserves are estimated to be only 180 million barrels, or about 24.6 million tons, which is only 4% of India and 0.11% of Iran. This leads to Pakistan's extreme dependence on maritime oil. In a sense, Pakistan's dependence on foreign oil is even more serious than China, and has reached a level of almost all reliance on imports. Therefore, the offshore oil route is a life-and-death matter for Pakistan.
(2021 Pakistan Navy main battleship details)
Judging from the current pace of Pakistan's navy construction, in the future, the Pakistani Navy will successively equipped 4 Chinese-made 054AP frigates, and 8 Chinese-made S-20P AIP conventional submarines, plus the four Chinese-made F-22P frigates and 1 American-made Perry-class frigates . At the same time, 4 old versions of the British 21 frigates (called destroyers of Pakistan) will be retired. Overall, the core force of the Pakistani Navy is the 8 Chinese-built frigate , and is equipped with the Chinese-made ZDK-03 early warning aircraft and the JF-17 (called FC-1 in my country) "Jiaolong" fighter jet, which can fully ensure the defense needs of about 200 nautical miles offshore in Pakistan. But if we want to cover the oil route from Karachi or Guader to the Persian Gulf, there is probably a little shortage.
(The Indian Navy's "Vicramatia" aircraft carrier is obviously Pakistan's biggest maritime threat)
says that the Pakistani Navy's ability to defend oil routes is mainly because the Indian Navy is equipped with the aircraft carrier "Vicramatia" purchased from Russia. The ship has a full load displacement of about 45,000 tons, and can carry up to 34 aircraft of various types, including 24 MiG-29K fighters. The maximum combat radius of the MiG-29K fighter is about 700 kilometers. It can achieve full load takeoff at the heavy-load takeoff point of the 195-meter heavy-load takeoff of the Vikramatia aircraft carrier. In this case, the MiG-29K can plug in two X-35 anti-ship missiles, one sub-fuel tank and several air-to-air missiles . Since the MiG-29K's combat radius against sea is at least 500 kilometers, and the X-35 anti-ship missile has a range of up to 250 kilometers, the Indian Navy has formed an aircraft carrier formation with this ship as the core, which can fully implement precise strikes on targets at a distance of 750 kilometers.
(Indian aircraft carrier combat group has the ability to accurately strike Pakistan's navy and coastal targets at a distance of 750 kilometers)
Indian Navy aircraft carrier combat group 's strike range, which obviously exceeds the effective strike distance of the offshore defense system built by Pakistan's shore-based aviation and surface ship . This also means that the Indian army can use aircraft carrier formations to cut off Pakistan's offshore oil routes from a long range and cut off Pakistan's energy artery. In this case, the Pakistani Navy does need to consider expanding its maritime defense circle, but it is difficult for combat system , which is combined with shore-based aviation and surface ships, to expand outside the current state. In this case, equipping an aircraft carrier equipped with fixed-wing aircraft is the best choice.
(In fact, at the Abu Dhabi Defense Exhibition in 2019, my country showed the model of Liaoning aircraft carrier —. In fact, the ship will not be sold to the outside world)
Due to the news, Pakistan is expected to be equipped with aircraft carriers between 2040 and 2045, and my country's first aircraft carrier Liaoning happened to be in service for 30 years from 2042, and it was just the time to retire. So many people took it for granted that the Liaoning aircraft carrier will be sold to Pakistan after it was retired, and it will continue to exert its remaining energy. Moreover, Pakistan can also obtain useful aircraft carriers immediately. "Isn't it beautiful?" Although Pakistan is similar to India and has purchased many second-hand warships from the West, including the Pakistani Navy still equipped with a US-made second-hand Perry-class frigate and 4 British Type 21 frigate, this does not mean that Pakistan can afford the second-hand Liaoning ship with a full load displacement of 60,000 tons. What's more, although the Liaoning ship has served in the People's Liberation Army for 30 years, its age is far more than 30 years!
(Liaoning aircraft carrier in combat state)
The Liaoning aircraft carrier was originally the No. 2 of the "Kuznetsov" class aircraft carrier of the Soviet Navy, with construction number 1143.6. The ship started construction in 1985 and was launched in 1988. Later, due to the disintegration of the Soviet Union of , it was windy and rainy on the Black Sea Pier for 11 years. It was not until 1999 that it was officially sold to a company in Macau in my country. It was towed and docked at the Dalian Port Pier in 2002. After another 10 years of renovation and modification, the ship achieved a gorgeous turn in the name of "Liaoning" and entered the People's Liberation Army Navy. So if we count from the launch of the ship in 1988, it will be 54 years by 2042! The lifespan of the entire warship hull has been completely exhausted and there is no value for continuing service, so even if it is transferred to Pakistan, it is difficult to form reliable combat power. What's more, the older the ship, the higher the failure rate, the higher the failure rate. Especially the Pakistani Navy has never taken over such a large naval ship, and its own logistical maintenance capabilities cannot meet the needs. Therefore, even if my country resells the Liaoning to Pakistan, it will be difficult for the ship to exert its due combat effectiveness, and it will become a burden to the navy.
(Photomatic Amphibious Assault Ship 076)
In fact, for a country like Pakistan that has a demand for aircraft carriers but is "short in cash", my country has developed a medium-sized conventional-powered aircraft carrier with a current 75 amphibious assault ship based on the 75 amphibious assault ship , which is more in line with Pakistan's actual needs. At present, my country has a complete technical reserve for 40,000 tons of medium-sized aircraft carrier . For example, the electromagnetic catapult has been first installed on the 003 "Fujian" aircraft carrier. If it is a 40,000 tons of medium-sized aircraft carrier, one can be installed on the bow of the ship and bevel deck , so that two fighters can be taken off at the same time. The combat efficiency is obviously higher than that of the Indian aircraft carrier using ski-jump deck . Secondly, the Type 075 amphibious assault ship has been in service. There have been rumors on the Internet that have modified the beveled deck and installed electromagnetic catapults. This 076 is fully in line with the concept of a medium-sized aircraft carrier of "40,000 tons, installed electromagnetic catapults".
(L-15 "Flying Lion" combat trainer was required to have air combat capabilities comparable to fourth-generation and a half-generation fighter jets at the beginning of its development, and it also has the ability to modify and put on the ship)
Moreover, this 40,000-ton medium-sized aircraft carrier can choose from many types of carrier-based aircraft. The highest-end ones are naturally the export type F The naval ship-based version of C-31 (can be regarded as the export version of the J-35), and the L-15 "Flying Lion" combat trainer aircraft can also be selected. At the beginning of its research and development, the aircraft clearly stated that it should be an aircraft carrier-based trainer aircraft. At the same time, the aircraft is also equipped with active phased array radar and a complete air-based aviation and electric fire control system. It can use various air-to-air, air-to-ground, and air-to-ship weapons and ammunition, and has strong multi-purpose combat capabilities. At the same time, considering that the tonnage of the 40,000-ton aircraft carrier is relatively small, the CH-4B (Rainbow-4B) long-distance observation and strike integrated drone displayed at the Zhuhai Air Show can be used as a carrier-based early warning aircraft to perform early warning missions in the fleet. Although the CH-4B does not have the ability to directly command fighter operations, the aircraft can share intelligence with surrounding fighters, including aircraft carrier combat centers through the data link, and then the aircraft carrier issues combat commands to the fighter aircraft to command fighters. In terms of anti-submarine, the anti-submarine version of CH-4B can be used. The anti-submarine efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft will be higher than that of helicopters, and the CH-4B has a longer time to stagnate air. It can search for a larger range of sea surfaces with one take-off and landing, which can effectively curb the activities of the Indian Navy's conventional submarine . More importantly, the CH-4B drone itself is a detection and attacking drone. If it carries sea-to-ground attack ammunition, it can also serve as a supplement to the two aircrafts FC-31 and L-15, strengthening the firepower of the ground-to-sea attack.
(CH-4 long-distance observation and strike integrated drone, with an active phased array radar under the belly of the aircraft, which can partially replace early warning aircraft )
(Introduction display board for Hongqi-16FE missile, the maximum range of 160 kilometers is eye-catching)
Finally, someone may ask, although the 40,000-ton aircraft carrier plan is good in theory, and Pakistan's economy can also bear it, but what should I do if the escort ships are? Should Pakistan purchase a 052DE destroyer to escort the aircraft carrier? Actually, there is no need! At this year's Zhuhai Air Show, my country showed the latest improved model of the Hongqi-16 air defense missile - Hongqi-16FE. In my country's weapon model suffix with "E" means it is an exportable model. The size of the Hongqi-16FE and Hongqi-16 are basically the same, and can be used for common launch containers. This means that the Pakistani army's 054AP frigate can also use the Hongqi-16FE air defense missile, and the maximum range of the missile has been upgraded from 70 kilometers of the Hongqi-16B missile to 160 kilometers! It has even surpassed the early models of the Hongqi-9 air defense missile. According to the introduction, the Hongqi-16FE and the old version of the Hongqi-16 missile can be used for fire control system , which means that the Pakistani army's 054AP type frigate can directly use the Hongqi-16FE air defense missile without any changes. In this way, the 4,000-ton 054AP has transformed into the " air defense frigate " with regional air defense capabilities. Therefore, Pakistan's 4 054APs on hand are enough to escort the aircraft carrier, and there is no need to purchase special ASCH destroyers. This can save the Pakistan Navy to a certain extent the next amount of funds.
(CG picture of the upgraded medium-sized aircraft carrier of 076 amphibious assault ship)
To sum up, if my country uses the active 075 as a model to develop a conventionally powered medium-sized aircraft carrier with an electromagnetic catapult of about 40,000 tons, it will undoubtedly meet Pakistan's actual needs. With the hardcore brother of Pakistan, this is a demonstration, countries including Russia, Brazil and other countries may even become potential customers of our 40,000-ton medium-sized aircraft carrier in the future.
