Quote:
Originally Posted by gunnut
Sounds reasonable. Looks like everyone who can afford it is building these multi purpose flattops. Didn't Australia just launch theirs? Spain wants another one, that's bigger than what they already have. Or is that Italy?
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Australia is planning a class of helicopter carriers/amphibious carriers. Spain is planning a amphibious flattop as a complement to their
Principe de Asturias. Italy recently launched the
Conte di Cavour, a larger companion to the
Giuseppe Garibaldi.
I'm not at all surprised at the Chinese development. It's clearly the next step in their development of a blue water navy, too obvious for them to ignore. It'll probably take quite a bit longer than they want, and there will be missteps on the way, but I'm guessing they're pretty determined about this.
I think South Korea's remarkable shipbuilding program is in large part a response to China's ambitions. Don't know if they really want to go beyond what they've already got, though. The
Dokdo looks like a pretty capable ship, probably could handle Harriers, or JSF.
As for Japan, a fixed wing carrier would be a pretty big jump, IMO. It would take a significant shock to persuade them to abandon their 'no carriers' navy. And I'm not convinced they would need it. Their ASW and AAW capabilities are superb, and land based fighters can probably help, too. Of course, if China acts too aggressively, who knows? Japan is, after all, completely dependent on the freedom of the seas.