China: Launching The 3rd Aircraft Carrier
Days ago, China launched its 3rd aircraft carrier, dubbed the Fujian. That would be a crucial improvement to the Chinese navy and air force power when the aircraft carrier officially begins operation at sea. So what are these aircraft carriers, and why do they hold such significant military power?
Some people would misunderstand that launching an aircraft carrier is the same as it is already in operation, but it’s not. It only means the aircraft carrier can get lowered from land into port, where further improvements get made, like storing enough ammunition, etc. Anyway, an aircraft carrier is, as the name suggests, a gigantic boat that carries military aircraft such as jet fighters, helicopters, and missiles. Some of these carriers could have thousands of personnel and also lots of ammunition in case of war. The Fujian has new technology which, besides the U.S., almost no other country has, being the electromagnetic catapult propulsion system, which allows rapid takeoff of fighter jets and other planes. Previously, many of the aircraft carriers at sea used steam-propelled catapults to launch planes. So how is this a crucial improvement? Let us find out.
Why need catapults in the first place? Even with aircraft supercarriers, they would still only have a runway of just over 300 meters at max. But usually, aircraft would need at least a kilometer of runway to take off and land, and for bigger ones, several kilometers. In that case, it would be virtually impossible to operate any aircraft on the carrier except for helicopters or tiltrotor aircraft, which could land and take off vertically. That would rid the aircraft carrier of its fundamental purpose, that is, to carry all sorts of aircraft and allow the operation of those planes. So scientists thought of a runway that tilted slightly upwards at the end, harnessing the draft winds to provide lift for planes. However, some gigantic aircraft still posed the problem of being unable to take off.
That was when steam-powered catapults got invented. The main idea behind the catapult was that they would set the plane wheels on a device attached to a piston. Then, giant pressure tanks would fill up with steam from vaporized water. The pressure would build up, and when it was just right, they closed one valve and opened the other valve connecting to the piston. The sudden expansion of the steam pushes the piston and allows the plane to take flight.
The steam catapult worked the same way as the cannons used in early wars as WWI did. Soldiers loaded it with gunpowder and then a cannonball. When the gunpowder gets ignited, it creates an explosion, and gas piles up with pressure. With the only opening blocked by the cannonball, the gas would shoot out, and the ball would get a free ride to the target. In the case of steam catapults, the gunpowder-produced gas was the equivalent of steam, which first pushed on the catapult and then shot the plane into the air. The only problem with these catapults was that you needed to wait for the steam to build up, which usually took a few minutes, so the catapults could not fire more rapidly than that. Why didn’t soldiers in WWI wait for the cannon to build up? Because the cannonball propelled wasn’t that heavy, but when you wanted to send an aircraft sometimes fully loaded with bombs that fast into the air? That’s hard.
That was when electromagnetic catapults got invented. They used electromagnets to power up. Since electromagnets use electricity to power up, you don’t need to wait for the build-up of gas or steam, though you do need lots of electricity every time you use the catapult. So it’s an engineering wonder for the new Fujian aircraft carrier to hold such technology since it doesn’t use nuclear power, and electricity isn’t plentiful. So far, only the U.S. and France have made nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, and even fewer of them have electromagnetic catapults.
It’s well-known that the aircraft carrier is powerful on the seas and in the air. The current aircraft carriers travel fast, at an average of 30 knots (about 55 kilometers/hour), taking only about a week to reach any corner of the world. These carriers could have more air force power than some countries! But even if they are powerful, an aircraft carrier never travels alone. They always travel with a fleet, usually made up of supply vessels, submarines, attack vessels, etc., creating an effective battle squadron.
It is good to know that there are squadrons of vessels at sea ready to protect one country’s people. However, I hope that they will never come to use. Because war is deadly. Many soldiers would get killed and more disabled. It would be sad for their families, and no one wants to endure suffering like that. Peace is the best way, and I hope you also think that way. That’s the end of this production from the New News Newsminute. Thank you for reading, and tune in next time for more news updates.