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: | 1980-1995 |
| 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: | 20,000 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 85 fixed and rotary wing aircraft |
| Aviation facilities: |
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Development
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), each housed in a separate compartment. 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 shaft horsepower (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 their actual top speed being classified. However, with the powertrain's output being known from public domain sources as 260,000 shp (193.9 MW) across all four shafts, 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- CV1 reactors are designed for an expected lifespan of over 20 years before refuelling is required.
Aviation
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.
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 90 metres long and can accelerate an aircraft weighing 32 tonnes, including payload and fuel, to a speed of 140 knots. Because of this unique configuration, while aircraft can be launched and recovered simultaneously, aircraft can only be launched with below normal range/armaments 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.
The flight deck has a total area of 20,000 m2 (215,000 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.
Carrier air wing
Armament
In addition to their air wing, the Vengeance-class carriers carry various short-range armaments as a last line of defense against enemy missiles, aircraft, and surface & sub-surface threats.
For short range air defense, Vengeance-class carriers are fitted with four 8 cell H-45 vertical launching system (VLS) modules, with two modules installed starboard forward of the bridge and two on the port side aft. Each cell is quad-packed with four SA-50 ASRAAM-N for a total of 128 missiles. The ASRAAM-N has an active radar homing seeker and is able to engage targets up to 50 km out. For point defense, Vengeance-class carriers are armed with four Crossbow Block 2 close-in weapons system (CIWS) mounts, which fire 30 mm rounds at a rate of 11,000 rounds per minute to destroy incoming threats at a range of up to up to 3 km. These replaced the Block 0 Crossbow CIWS originally installed on each carrier beginning in 2011.
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.
Service history
Future and replacement
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As of 2018, all three carriers of the Vengeance class had completed the 4 year refueling and overhaul (ROH) process which marks the middle of their 50 year service lives. While the last member of the class, the Judgement, is expected to continue serving the Grand Chilokveri Navy (GCN) until well past 2040, preliminary studies for a replacement class of carrier began in 2006 when the Vengeance began her mid-life refit. The new class, currently known simply as the CVN-04 programme, remains under development. As the Vengeance-class carriers are decommissioned, they will be replaced by the CVN-04 class on an approximately one to one basis. The first ship is expected to enter service in 2035.