China's rise has always been the focus of the world's attention, and India seems to have always been at a disadvantage in the competition with China. Although India has made certain achievements in the economic, technological and military fields, it has always been unable to cope with China. India has become the world's fifth-largest economy, has successfully explored the moon, and has made achievements in mobile phone production and military fields, but China's transcendence is like a light that eclipses India's light. China has made great strides in space technology and has built a space station, while India, although it has become an important producer in mobile phone production, still cannot shake China's absolute dominance in mobile phone manufacturing.
In the military field, India's "Tejli" fighter jets and aircraft carriers represent important national achievements, but they are somewhat inadequate in the face of China's military strength. China's fifth-generation stealth fighter jets are already in service on a large scale, and China's naval development is far beyond India's imagination. China's large aircraft carrier has already been launched and is undergoing mooring tests and is expected to enter service soon. Against this backdrop, India has also announced plans to purchase a second domestically built aircraft carrier, which seems to be challenging China. I wonder if India will be able to surpass China and become one of the new powers in this raceIndia's aircraft carrier program has been shelved, and the technology gap is in doubtIndia's original plan to build the "Vishal" large aircraft carrier has been shelved, but due to poor technical level, the plan has been shelved.
Now it is changed to build a similar aircraft carrier on the basis of the aircraft carrier "Vikrant". According to data released by India, India's second aircraft carrier may be a limited upgrade of the "Vikrant". However, estimates of the performance of India's second aircraft carrier need to be more cautious, and its displacement, aircraft carrying capacity and other indicators may only be conservative estimates. Even according to the most optimistic estimates, the performance of India's second aircraft carrier will only rival that of China's Liaoning. After the news of India's plans to build a second domestically built aircraft carrier, we can draw one conclusion: India has lagged behind China by at least 10 years in aircraft carrier construction technology.
For example, the construction of China's Shandong aircraft carrier began in November 2013, while India did not decide to build a second aircraft carrier until 2023, exactly 10 years late. And that's just the most conservative estimate. Whether the localization rate and performance of India's second aircraft carrier can reach the level of the Liaoning are huge doubts. However, in fact, India has been ahead of China for a long time, and has a head start in the development of modern aircraft carriers. In the 60s of the last century, India purchased the aircraft carrier "Hercules" from the British, becoming the first country in Asia to have an aircraft carrier fleet.
India's aircraft carrier fleet was battle-tested, and in the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War, it successfully implemented a naval blockade, sinking eight Pakistani merchant ships, and eventually led to the surrender of East Pakistan to form today's Bangladesh. India's aircraft carriers play an important role in the fate of the country, while China and India have different experiences in acquiring aircraft carriers. In the 80s of the last century, India purchased the aircraft carrier "Athletic God", which was 30 years ahead of China. However, after the collapse of the USSR in the 90s of the last century, Ukraine inherited a significant military-industrial heritage with Russia, including a number of aircraft carriers. China bought Ukraine's unfinished Varyag aircraft carrier, while India was fooled by Russia and got only a half-hung aircraft carrier.
How did this turning point happen?Why was India fooled by Russia?China purchased the unfinished aircraft carrier Varyag from Ukraine and delivered it to the Dalian shipyard in 2002. At that time, Russia claimed that it would give the Kiev-class No. 4 ship Gorshkov to India for free, but asked India to bear the cost of refitting. The move was seen as a bluff by Russia against India. How should India respond in this situation?China has achieved certain success in the development of aircraft carriers, while India has fallen into a passive situation. India attaches no less importance to aircraft carriers than China, and even leads China for a certain period of time. However, in the process of acquiring aircraft carriers, India was affected by external factors, which hindered the construction of its aircraft carriers.
Does this mean that India needs to adjust its strategy in aircraft carrier construction?What lessons will be learned from the development of aircraft carriers for India's future military development?In the competition for national military strength, aircraft carriers, as an important strategy, are of great significance for enhancing the country's comprehensive strength and regional influence. India's experience in this regard has provided many food for thought for other countries. An aircraft carrier is not only a military equipment, but also an important part of the country's development and security strategy. It is hoped that India will learn lessons in the future, adjust its strategy, and lay a solid foundation for its aircraft carrier cause to succeed. China's aircraft carrier construction speed surpasses that of the United States?How did this happen?
More than 20 years ago, both India and China sought to acquire modern aircraft carrier technology. India chose to buy the Russian Gorshkov, but the result was dismal. More than $2 billion was bought for an old medium-sized aircraft carrier, and to make matters worse, India did not acquire any aircraft carrier technology from it. China chose to build from scratch, and through continuous efforts, it surpassed the United States in just one year. China's path to aircraft carrier construction began with the buyback of the Russian Varyag. China did not stop at the purchase of aircraft carriers, but carried out independent technical research and follow-up construction work. Subsequently, China built the Liaoning ship, and then the Shandong ship, constantly accumulating experience and gradually improving the technical level.
By 2016, China began to build its own design of the Fujian ship, which indicates that China not only has the strength to build a large aircraft carrier with a displacement of about 60,000 tons, but even has the ability to build a supercarrier with a displacement of 90,000 tons. What is even more commendable is that China has not only mastered the technology of aircraft carrier construction, but also used electromagnetic catapults on aircraft carriers, which has allowed China to take a big leap forward in aircraft carrier construction technology and surpass other countries. At the same time, the construction of aircraft carriers in the United States has run into difficulties. The USS Kennedy aircraft carrier began laying the keel in 2015 and was not launched until 2019, and has not yet conducted mooring tests.
And China's Fujian took only 7 years to complete the construction to the start of mooring trials, and may even be commissioned earlier than the "Kennedy". China's aircraft carrier construction speed surpasses that of the United States, which is not only the rapid development of China's aircraft carrier technology, but also China's great achievements in independent innovation and technological research. It is worth expecting that with the continuous progress of China's aircraft carrier construction technology, China's strength in naval and aircraft carrier construction will be stronger in the future, which will also have a far-reaching impact on the international maritime pattern. The different choices and different gains of China and India on the road of aircraft carrier development reflect the completely different development methods of the two countries.
China has started from scratch and made down-to-earth efforts to now have the most advanced aircraft carrier construction technology, while India has always been in a state of low vision. China has accumulated experience, and in 20 years, it has already owned 2 large aircraft carriers and 1 quasi-supercarrier, and has completely mastered the construction technology of modern aircraft carriers. In contrast, India has acquired only 2 medium-sized aircraft carriers in the same amount of time, and the construction of aircraft carriers has been stalled. India's losses in the development of aircraft carriers are not only due to the lack of domestic technology and resources, but also mainly because it has been in a state of "high level of vision".
India missed the opportunity to cooperate with the United States to purchase the decommissioned aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk, and was fooled by Russia, resulting in slow progress in the construction of the aircraft carrier. China's aircraft carrier development process has been down-to-earth and step by step. India, on the other hand, has lacked concrete action and has never made the progress it deserves. With the change of the global pattern, India has a better environment for international cooperation and the ambition to rise, but it has been repeatedly taking detours and wrong ways in the construction of aircraft carriers. This has not only become a joke and joke on the Chinese Internet, but has also affected India's international image and military strength internationally. Compared with China, if India can learn Xi aircraft carrier technology in a down-to-earth manner and honestly learn Xi aircraft carrier technology, the effect will be very different.
But unfortunately, India has never found the right direction on the road of aircraft carrier construction, resulting in 20 years of hard work, but in the end only limited results. As an aircraft carrier is a symbol of a country's maritime strength and international status, China's successful experience is worthy of India's deep thought. It is hoped that India will learn lessons on the road of development in the future, get out of the vicious circle of being overwhelmed by the high and the low, and achieve the country's rapid development and progress. India has always been inclined to rush for quick success and try to get to the top of the sky. They have no experience in the research and development of second-generation fighters, but they directly set about the development of the "Brilliant" fighter;He had no experience in aircraft carrier construction, but directly set out to build medium-sized aircraft carriers. Although India has only barely completed its R&D plan with the technical support of other countries every time, the results can only be said to be unsatisfactory.
In order to metamorphose into a butterfly, the key is to break through the cocoon at the larval stage in order to finally become a beautiful butterfly. China has completed this process of independence and achieved today's dazzling achievements. However, India has always relied on the help of the United States, Russia and other countries to break out of the cocoon and become a butterfly. How can a caterpillar that has not been cocooned become a butterfly?