Chinese latest Type 003 aircraft carrier is a threat to Indo-Pacific | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Chinese latest Type 003 aircraft carrier is a threat to Indo-Pacific

Jul 09, 2021 04:09 PM IST

Labelled as type 003, the third aircraft carrier after Liaoning and Shandong will be followed by two more Chinese carrier battle groups (CBGs) before the end of this decade as per western intelligence reports.

With China on the verge of the launching of what is billed as the world’s largest non-American aircraft carrier in 2021 end, the Indian national security planners are worried about the security of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) as Beijing, as in the past in the South China Sea, is a practitioner of gunboat diplomacy with scant respect of global law.

Chinese aircraft carrier Type 003 under construction at Jiangnan shipyard on the mouth of Yangzi river. (Photo: Planet Labs)
Chinese aircraft carrier Type 003 under construction at Jiangnan shipyard on the mouth of Yangzi river. (Photo: Planet Labs)

Labelled as type 003, the third aircraft carrier after Liaoning and Shandong will be followed by two more Chinese carrier battle groups (CBGs) before the end of this decade as per western intelligence reports.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

While western defence experts have tried to lowball the PLA Navy carrier development program citing Chinese perfidious access to technology, the Indian Navy knows that the third aircraft carrier will create instability at least in the Indo-Pacific.

Also Read: Taiwan President follows PM Modi, wishes Dalai Lama on his 86th birthday

“The question is not how the Chinese acquired the technology but how it will impact India and the IOR. The US narrative that CBGs can be targeted by long-distance ballistic missiles comes from a position of strength, where the US Navy has no less than 11 super carriers at its disposal,” said a former Indian Navy admiral.

The PLA’s type 003 carrier is expected to be more than 85000 tonnes with an electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS), which will allow the ship to launch aircraft with more fuel and weapons as well as airborne radars, anti-submarine warfare and aerial refuellers from the floating deck. This means that the range and strike of the aircraft carrier will increase manifolds. None of the Indian carriers has catapult aircraft launch system.

“In the Indian context, the Chinese carrier is a potent weapon and has to be treated as such. The security of IOR will be affected if two Chinese carriers come into the area. We must remember that the Chinese are using the US playbook in almost all their force application paradigms … like the US carrier in Taiwan straits… what prevents that Chinese carrier in future from carrying out a freedom of navigation operations in Andaman Seas!, ” said a naval operations expert.

While India has developed a new intermediate-range ballistic missile Agni-Prime with the wartime objective of targeting CBGs, the PLA with four aircraft carriers by 2025 will more than a match for INS Vikramaditya (presently under maintenance) and INS Vikrant, which will be commissioned by August 2022. Under the circumstances, India has no options but to build its nuclear-powered attack submarines to deter the Chinese flotilla and have one aircraft carrier operational at all times as air power at sea is an operational necessity and cannot be provided by the land-based air force. Without a protective aerial bubble, the CNG is not only exposed to incoming missiles but also to enemy aircraft.

“Carriers are being looked at purely from a force on force perspective. Questions are being asked why should we not build submarines to counter the Chinese carrier groups. That is true, but then our own carrier can threaten something else and balance the operational equation. Why do we assume that one carrier needs to go into battle with only another carrier? CBGs are flexible and have a range of operations - other than addressing the enemy carrier. That must settle the Carrier or Submarine debate as both are required for protecting the IOR,” an admiral said.

While many within the Indian national security set-up believe that an aircraft carrier is a World War II weapon and the era of stand-off weapon systems has dawned, the Chinese investment in building more such platforms clearly shows that the Indian Navy has a legitimate case for a third aircraft carrier.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Author of Indian Mujahideen: The Enemy Within (2011, Hachette) and Himalayan Face-off: Chinese Assertion and Indian Riposte (2014, Hachette). Awarded K Subrahmanyam Prize for Strategic Studies in 2015 by Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) and the 2011 Ben Gurion Prize by Israel.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On