Varyag's Chinese name is still not confirmed

2011-07-12 (China Military News cited from CNA)

The Varyag, an aircraft carrier the People's Liberation Army acquired from Ukraine, could not be launched on July 1, the founding anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, because its auxiliary propulsion unit was not ready in time.

The ship's initial sea trial has been rescheduled for August, but before then the Varyag has to be christened. And the PLA Navy has a tough choice.

PLA hawks want China's first aircraft carrier to be named "Shih Lang," a turncoat admiral who defeated Koxinga's fleet off the Pescadores and conquered Taiwan for the Manchu Qing emperor in 1683.

Doves hope to name the remodeled carrier after Shen Pao-chen, an imperial commissioner who led a modernized infantry division to southern Taiwan in 1874 to confront a Japanese invasion army mopping up resistance from indigenous fighters.

The Japanese were on a punitive expedition to avenge the killing of fishermen from Miyakojima in the Okinawa archipelago, which had been annexed by Japan as a prefecture only a couple of years before.

After Japan evacuated its occupying army, Shen returned to Beijing, having strengthened Taiwan's defense, and he became memorialized for the creation of the new province of Taiwan for Qing China. Taiwan was made a province in 1885.

No decision has been made yet, but the Varyag, which still could be given another surprise name, is attracting the attention and concern of all of the People's Republic of China's neighbors, plus the United States.

No wonder. China is beefing up its blue water fleet.

But it is just a show, according to a retired Taiwanese admiral well versed in naval strategy.

"The Varyag may be just a symbol of sea power the PLA Navy wishes to project,"says retired Vice Admiral Lan Ling-li, a former navy deputy chief of staff.

After a successful test run, the aircraft carrier needs at least a year to become fit for commissioning, Lan says, and "it takes a couple of years more to train its fighting squadron pilots."

Even with its full complement of 50 J-15 fighters aboard, the 65,000-ton aircraft carrier is not a match for any carrier vessel of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, which patrols the Pacific and the South China Sea. Each PLA fighter is armed with PL-13 and L-83K air-to-air missiles.

J-15 fighters are so heavy that they require the Varyag to have a ski-jump design on its flattop, like the American carrier that launched light bombers for the first U.S. air raid on Tokyo in 1942.

Admiral Lan admits the Chinese carrier is equipped with relatively sophisticated anti-air and anti-submarine weapons systems, including a four-phase array radar that can detect sea-skimming enemy aircraft.

It also has a three-dimensional air search radar system, Sky Hawk last ditch missile defense system, three close-in weapon systems (CIWS), a Gattling missile system, a close-in air defense system (CIADS) which resembles the RAM of the U.S. Navy, and 24 sets of SA-N-9 missiles.

All of which makes observers wonder about the true purpose of the ship.

"Of course the re-rigged carrier isn't a training aircraft carrier. It's for combat," Lan says.

For combat, however, it needs an escort flotilla -- in addition to its own defensive capability -- to insure its safety. There will be 18 anti-submarine helicopters and an early warning patrol craft aboard. The flotilla will have 054 or 054A missile escort ships, which are still under construction.

A couple of conventional submarines will also accompany the aircraft carrier, which will be assigned to the PLA Navy's South Sea Fleet. Because of the shallow waters near the continental shelf, no nuclear submarines will be assigned.

"For all intents and purposes, the Varyag will just try to show the flag in the South China Sea," Lan predicts. The PLA's potential enemy, though no match for the Varyag, is Vietnam, which is planning to purchase two conventional Russian submarines.

The possibility that the Chinese carrier will show up in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea cannot be ruled out, "but it's highly unlikely to be used to attack Taiwan,"Lan asserts.

China has more than enough cruise missiles deployed along its southeastern sea coast, all targeting Taiwan. In addition, there are land-based warplanes to give air support if the PLA decides to attack Taiwan. An aircraft carrier isn't needed.

"Just one conventional aircraft carrier in the Yellow Sea or the East China Sea won't be a threat to South Korea or Japan, to whose defense the United States is committed,"says the retired admiral.

He believes that regardless of what the Varyag ends up being called, there will be no need for alarm when it is finally launched.