Vengeance-class aircraft carrier
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 GCNS Judgement transiting the Zheng Mou Sea in 2008
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Vengeance-class aircraft carrier |
| Builders: | Dalian Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering |
| Operators: |
 Grand Chilokveri Navy |
| Built: | 1980-1992 |
| In service: | 1984-present |
| Planned: | 3 |
| Completed: | 3 |
| Active: | 3 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Aircraft carrier |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: |
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| Beam: |
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| Draft: | 11 m (36 ft 1 inch) |
| Decks: | 14,700 square metres |
| Installed power: | 2 x Fushan Atomics CV2 nuclear reactors each producing 125,000 shp, total 250,000 shp (186 MW) |
| Propulsion: | 4 x shafts driving 5-bladed, fixed pitch propellers |
| Speed: | 30+ knots (56 km/h) |
| Range: | Unlimited |
| Endurance: | 120 days |
| Armament: |
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| Aircraft carried: | Up to 80 fixed and rotary wing aircraft |
| Aviation facilities: |
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Design
General characteristics
Vengeance class aircraft carriers measure 296 m (971 ft) long at the waterline and 320 m (1050 ft) overall, with a beam of 39 m (128 ft) at the waterline. At full load, they have a displacement of approximately 85,000 metric tonnes and a draft of 11 m (36 ft 1 inch). The ships have a crew of 3000 sailors and 2100 air crew, excluding any embarked flag officers and staff.
Power and propulsion
The Vengeance class carriers are powered by two CV1 pressurised water reactors (PWR), which are each housed in separate compartments. The nuclear reactors were developed and built by Fushan Atomics, based upon a prototype design constructed and trialled at the Naval Nuclear Power Laboratory. CV1 PWRs are equipped with a core of highly enriched (over 93%) uranium-235 and are capable of generating 450 MW of thermal energy via nuclear fission, which translates into a steam output of approximately 430 metric tonnes of steam at a temperature of over 315 °C (588 K) per hour. This steam is then passed through four turbines cross linked to both reactors on each ship to produce a total of 121 MW of electricity, as well as 65,000 shp (48.5 MW) for each of a Vengeance class' four propeller shafts. Steam is also diverted for use in each carrier's two steam catapults.
The GCN's official figures for the Vengeance class' maximum speed state only "in excess of 30 knots", with the actual top speed being classified. However, with their powertrain's output being known at 260,000 shp (193.9 MW) across four shafts from public domain sources, it is unofficially suggested that their top speed is in the range of 32 knots. As a result of their nuclear powerplants, the carriers are capable of continuous cruising at their top speeds for extended periods of time- the CV1 reactors were designed for an expected lifespan of 20 years before refuelling was required.
Armour and protection
While largely protected by their escorts, defensive weaponry and countermeasures, the Vengeance class also feature passive design features which maximise their survivability against enemy attack. These include damage control features, but also compartmentalisation and armour. While exact details are classified, the Vengeance class are known to have been constructed with up to 50 mm of Kevlar armour over vital spaces such as the weapons magazines, aviation fuel storage tanks, propulsive machinery and nuclear reactors for protection against spalling and shrapnel. The carriers were also built with an armoured flight deck, side armour within the hangars and blast-resistant bulkheads.
Aviation facilities and flight deck
Uniquely among contemporary aircraft carriers, the Vengeance class use a hybrid configuration combining aspects of both short take-off but arrested recovery (STOBAR) and catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery (CATOBAR) systems for launching and recovering their aircraft. The carriers were designed and built with both a ski-jump as well as 2 steam catapults for the launching of aircraft, which are then recovered on an angled flight deck with four arrestor wires. This design was chosen as a result of the uncertainty surrounding the use of the steam catapults, which were a new innovation untested at the time. Designers argued that catapults would cause damage to the airframes of aircraft, were unreliable & dangerous, and would be easily disabled by enemy attack & thus render the carriers helpless. Nevertheless, the advantages provided by catapults; namely an increased maximum takeoff load and the ability to safely launch aircraft in all sea states, meant that their inclusion was insisted upon by the Huliean Navy.
Fixed wing aircraft may be launched from one of five positions on the flight deck. Of these, three utilise the 14° angled ski-jump for assisted takeoff under an aircraft's own power- two with a short takeoff roll from immediately forward of the bridge, and one extending back to the angled flight deck. The remaining two utilise the two "Winkle" steam catapults at the waist of the carriers, which use steam pressure to launch aircraft into the air. Each catapult measures 99 metres long and can accelerate an aircraft weighing over 36 tonnes, including payload and fuel, to a speed of 140 knots. Because of this unique configuration, while aircraft can be launched and recovered simultaneously, fighters can only be launched with below normal range and armament during continuous flight operations as the catapults/extended ski-jump takeoff roll would be unavailable. Aircraft are recovered on a flight deck angled 9 degrees away from the normal and laid with four arrestor wires. During a normal landing, an aircraft's tailhook engages one of four steel wires and the aircraft's kinetic energy is transferred to hydraulic damping systems attached below the carrier deck, bringing it to a stop. Additionally, stowed barricades may be deployed in emergency situations to catch severely damaged aircraft.
In total, the flight deck has a total area of 20,000 m2 (215,278 sq ft). Three elevators, each with a carrying capacity of 50 metric tonnes, move aircraft between the flight deck and the hangar deck. Two are located on the starboard side of the ship (one fore and aft of the island) and the other on the port side towards the stern.