Jorge Krag Milet

A detailed assessment of China's Fujian carrier📜: The number of permanent parking spots on a carrier flight deck determines how big of an alpha strike can it launch (Alpha strike: maximum wave of fighters launched in quick succession). For CNS-18 Fujian, the maximum alphas strike surge is 22 fighters. This is the biggest surge of sorties for Fujian during a rolling strike. 🔁Rolling strike is when you divide the number of fighters you can park on the permanent spots on the flight deck, and they do not obstruct landing, catapults or elevators. Fujian has 18 of these parking spots, 18 spots/3 waves = 6 fighters each wave. Matching the 3 catapults (3x2 1 fighter on each catapult, 1 behind the blast deflectors) In a rolling strike, they are launched on a staggered timetable to provide constant anti-ship/anti-ground pressure. This means of the 3 strike waves, 1 wave is always in the air attacking the enemy. while 1 wave is either returning or have just landed, being rearmed & refueled, while anther wave is fully armed, ready to be launched. Since 1 wave is always near enemy position during a rolling strike, then 2x 6 = 12 fighters are immediately available when Alpha Strike is called. 🇺🇸As a point of comparison, the Ford class has ~24 spots. 24/3=8, matching the 4 catapult set up. ✈️To execute an Alpha Strike during a rolling strike: The 22 fighters surge is only possible if 10 more fighters in active reserve in hanger are used. (12 from 2 strike waves + 10 from reserve = 22) But this is only available on day 1 when all the fighters are fresh. If accounting for battle attrition and maintenance, then a more realistic alpha strike for Fujian, is 12 fighters coalesced from 2 strike waves of 6 fighters that is already on the flight deck + 6 reserves from hanger = 18 fighters. Outside of 3 strike waves. The TARCAP (target combat patrol) fly according to their timetable to provide a constant air superiority and EW coverage, made up of 12 fighters split into 2 cyclical patrols of 4x J-35 + 2x J-15DT (EW fighter) each. (with one TARCAP group parked in the hanger, ready to relieve the other TARCAP group on a 4 hour schedule) On top of that, we need 6x fighters for emergency Defensive Counter Air Patrol in ready-5 and ready-15 alert states on the flight deck. So that's around 46 fighter jets + 4x KJ-600 in synchronized action (strike, escort, air superiority and EW) not counting fighters in maintenance. 🥊A typical 18 fighter alpha strike (of 14x J-15T and 4x GJ-21 stealth drones), Fujian can deliver: 56 × YJ-15 supersonic. 8 × YJ-98A stealth subsonic = 64 anti-ship Missiles. For a 22 fighter alpha strike, given the air wing composition of Fujian we will ran out of J-15Ts, so the extra fighters are J-35 stealth fighters for escorts, this adds ~30 min more of prep time, used only when air superiority is still contested. A 36 fighter all-in alpha strike can be performed, if we recall the strike wave that is still in the air. And that's the theoretical limit of Fujian. 🇺🇸As a comparison, a typical Ford class alpha strike that accounts for time efficiency, is around 24 fighters (18 for Fujian). or 43 in an all-in scenario (36 for Fujian).