The rise of a great power: starting with military industry

Chapter 1006: How many more Type 002 aircraft carriers should be built?
The leader’s speech is over.

The launching of the aircraft carrier has truly begun.

"Salute!" As Zhang Zhaozhong gave the order, 3000 naval personnel saluted the Type 002 aircraft carrier that was slowly moving forward.

There are many ways to launch a boat. After a small fishing boat is completed, a few people can push it into the water. Medium-sized boats usually use the "slipway launching method", which is to build a track from the slipway and the boat slides into the water along the track.

However, this method cannot be used for large warships, especially aircraft carriers, because their tonnage is too large and they are prone to capsizing, which will cause heavy losses. Therefore, the dock water filling method is used for launching.

Aircraft carriers are built in dry docks, which are connected to the sea surface and are lower than the sea surface. When the aircraft carrier is built, water is poured into the dock, the aircraft carrier will float up, and then it can be towed out by a tugboat.

Although the power system has been installed, it has not been started at this time. The power test will not be carried out until the conditions are ripe.

Therefore, the aircraft carrier has no self-power when it is launched.

An aircraft carrier is a huge vessel, and it requires extremely high skills to drive it. The space in the dock itself is small, and even if the aircraft carrier is driven out of the dock by its own power, its safety cannot be guaranteed, so a tugboat is needed to tow the aircraft carrier out.

Of course, this does not mean that the tugboat is completely "drag" the aircraft carrier. During the entire launching process, the aircraft carrier needs to sail out of the dock, adjust its direction, and dock at the pier, so multiple tugboats are needed to cooperate, some to tow, some to push, some to push, and some to pull, so as to ensure the safety of the aircraft carrier.

Safety is the first priority at this time.

The entire Type 002 aircraft carrier was launched smoothly.

A grand celebration banquet was held at the Yangcheng Shipyard.

It was called a celebratory banquet, but it was actually just held in the cafeteria. The chef cooked a sumptuous meal, including seafood, mountain products, chicken, duck, vegetables, etc. There were a total of twenty dishes for everyone to choose from.

Everyone can take whatever dish they want to eat, and there are also drinks, including various juices, sodas, beer, wine, and liquor. Even Maotai liquor is prepared for everyone to drink to their heart's content.

From the groundbreaking ceremony to now, these workers, engineers and scientific researchers have focused all their energy on building the Type 002 aircraft carrier.

Even most of them don't have the energy to take care of their families.

It was thanks to their hard work that the Type 002 aircraft carrier was launched so quickly, even more than a month ahead of schedule.

The leaders were no exception. Liu Tao did not prepare any special meals for them. Instead, they also attended the celebration banquet in the cafeteria.

The leaders also seemed very happy.

Only by building up our national defense and improving our military strength can our words carry weight in the international arena and be listened to by others.

Perhaps a few years later, if something happens, the leader will ask where the nearest aircraft carrier is and immediately go to the destination to carry out the mission.

And an aircraft carrier can greatly enhance the weight of one's words.

At the celebration banquet, the leaders also poured some wine, raised their glasses to celebrate with their comrades, and everyone drank a glass of victory wine together.

After the celebration banquet, Liu Tao took the leaders to a highly confidential room where they would rest.

"Comrade Liu Tao, some comrades now think that it is not enough for the Chinese Navy to have only one Type 002 aircraft carrier, and we need to build several more. You are an expert in this area, what do you think? Tell us about it?" The leader stopped Liu Tao who was about to leave and said. Next year, China will have two aircraft carriers and officially enter the era of two aircraft carriers.

One Type 001 light aircraft carrier and one Type 002 medium aircraft carrier.

Moreover, the Type 001 light aircraft carrier can still quickly form combat effectiveness!

Once you have tasted the deliciousness of an aircraft carrier, you will want more than just one.

"Leader, the Type 002 aircraft carrier is not bad. We Chinese do need more aircraft carriers to deter jackals, tigers and leopards. However, I do not recommend building another Type 002 aircraft carrier. One Type 002 aircraft carrier is enough for us!" Liu Tao said after a slight hesitation.

This is what he really thinks!
For a country as big as China, the ultimate goal is to develop large aircraft carriers!

Medium aircraft carriers are just a transition!

The leader asked curiously, “Why?”

"Leader, we Chinese are not Britain or France. We are a big country. Our navy must protect large tracts of sea and safeguard our legitimate rights and interests. Large aircraft carriers are suitable for us!" Liu Tao said, "We can build another medium-sized aircraft carrier, but it should not be the Type 002 aircraft carrier, but the Type 002B aircraft carrier, which is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier!"

Nuclear-powered aircraft carriers have unique advantages.

As early as September 1954, 9, the news that the US nuclear-powered submarine "Halibut" was officially put into service shocked the world, and people began to imagine applying nuclear power to aircraft carriers.

Although the technical performance of aircraft carriers at that time was much more advanced than that of aircraft carriers during World War II, they still had many fatal defects: aircraft carrier engines, steam catapults, aircraft elevators and arresting devices required a lot of energy, and conventional power often could not meet the needs. The chimneys of conventionally powered aircraft carriers not only took up space, but also left hidden dangers for enemy attacks; a large amount of exhaust smoke would corrode electronic equipment and antennas; and the production of fresh water was limited.

Nuclear power undoubtedly brings hope for solving these problems.

In 1961, the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the 9-ton "Enterprise" of the US Navy, was officially completed and put into service.

It overcomes the previous defects of aircraft carriers and pushes the development of aircraft carriers to a new level.

In order to verify the ability of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers to carry out global combat missions, in 1964, the U.S. Navy formed a task force led by the Enterprise, escorted by the nuclear-powered cruisers Long Beach and Bainbridge. It took 64 days to sail around the world at an average speed of 22 knots without any refueling.

The Enterprise achieved a historic leap in the history of aircraft carrier development with its huge power resources and endurance. Due to the success of the Enterprise, after 1964, the US Navy decided not to build conventional-powered aircraft carriers anymore, but to build nuclear-powered aircraft carriers instead.

The most advanced aircraft carrier in the world today is the US Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. This is a large multi-purpose aircraft carrier of the United States and the largest warship in the world. It is equipped with four elevators, four steam catapults and four arresting cables, and can launch a combat aircraft every 4 seconds.

Nuclear-powered aircraft carriers have many advantages. Compared with conventional-powered aircraft carriers, first of all, the huge power resource of nuclear power makes aircraft carriers more maneuverable. Nuclear-powered aircraft carriers can sail to any sea area in the world at high speed. In terms of maximum speed, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and conventional-powered aircraft carriers are almost the same, but in terms of continuous high-speed navigation capability, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are the best. Therefore, in regional crises and conflicts, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers can rush to the scene quickly, playing an irreplaceable dual role of deterrence and actual combat.

Furthermore, nuclear power saves a lot of space and load tonnage on aircraft carriers. On the one hand, it can carry more aviation fuel to meet the needs of carrier-based aircraft operations. On the other hand, it greatly improves the living and working conditions of the crew.

Another great advantage is that nuclear power reduces the reliance of aircraft carriers on bases and logistical support. Nuclear-powered aircraft carriers can sail 50 nautical miles without the support of overseas bases after changing fuel. Conventional-powered aircraft carriers need to establish a fuel supply network around the world in advance to perform the same mission.

Of course, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers also have disadvantages, namely, the cost of building and maintaining nuclear reactors is extremely high.

(End of this chapter)