Chen Guangyi had not had much knowledge of naval military construction before. At this time, when he heard Fan Wubing talk about these things, he suddenly felt a little confident in his heart.

After all, as a naval commander, if you don’t have a few aircraft carrier formations in your hands, you don’t have the confidence to confront the world’s naval powers. It’s not that you don’t have courage, but that the maritime combat mode has undergone fundamental changes. Without a comprehensive maritime command and carrier-based aircraft platform, it is impossible to fight a naval battle.

As for all the current naval assets in the country, it is difficult to deal with near-shore conflicts. Don’t say that you can go out of your home and fight outside. Even Russia is relatively weak in this regard. Only the American aircraft carrier formation in the world can be said to be the strongest comprehensive and most combat-effective team in the sea combat.

But to be honest, with the current strength of Fan's Investment Group, although it can already build aircraft carriers in technology, it is still difficult to implement them in some specific implementations, especially Fan's previous experience in building large ships. Although he has been working closely with Jiangnan Shipyard for several years and has made various preparations for the manufacturing of aircraft carriers, he still feels a little unconfident when the construction starts.

However, the arrival of the Wagliang last year increased their confidence to add some bargaining chips.

Using the excuse of transforming it into a water casino, in mid-March 1998, Macau Changle Tourism and Entertainment Company purchased the Wagliang aircraft carrier for US$20 million and was preparing to transform it.

Everyone knows that the statement that the Wagliang aircraft carrier will be transformed into a maritime casino is just an excuse to cover up.

If you really need to transform Wagliang into a water hotel, it doesn’t take more than three years, nor does it take you to go far, give up the possible improvement of the shipyards in Guangzhou and Shanghai, and go north to Dalian.

The renovation of a water hotel is not high-tech and does not take such a long time. No private company can afford such a loss-making business that cannot be rewarded with long-term investment.

The reason why the Wagliang aircraft carrier was placed in Dalian was very clear, because the Dalian shipyard has rich experience in assembling power systems of boilers and steam turbines, and the 051B destroyer was produced in Dalian. The Wagliang uses eight KVG4 boilers and four TV12-4 steam turbines.

The latest exposure of the Wagliang aircraft carrier surprisingly appeared on the shipyard dock of Dalian Shipyard. As we all know, if it is just a general commercial modification, it basically does not require entry into the dock operation, but only involves indoor installation.

The Wagliang was very well maintained. Although there was no spray painting or external equipment installed, it was obviously necessary to carry out repairs over the past few years. This was not the act of merchants. Merchants must put goods on the market as soon as possible to earn returns. The Wagliang aircraft carrier has obviously received support from the state and has other uses.

In the 1980s, after accumulating experience in building Moscow-class helicopter carriers in the 1960s and Kiev-class light aircraft carriers in the 1970s, the former Soviet Union officially launched a development plan to develop a new generation of aircraft carriers to expand its maritime defense scope.

In the following years, the economic situation of the former Soviet Union deteriorated sharply. After the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991, the Russian government was unable to afford the high cost of continuing to build the Wagliang, so the Ukrainian government had to dismantle valuable components on the Wagliang aircraft carrier and send them to the international waste ship trading market.

In 1998, after being shelved for seven years, the Wagry finally welcomed Macau buyers. After the transaction was completed, the Wagryry set sail for Macau in November of the same year. When the return journey passed through the Bosphorus Strait, Turkey, the Turkish government refused to pass on the grounds that the Wagryry would pose a threat to the shipping of the Strait.

In fact, the Turkish government refused to pass the Wagliang through the Bosphorus because of the continuous pressure from the US government behind it. For this reason, the Chinese government has negotiated many times, promising that China will fully bear the safety insurance of the Wagliang through the Bosphorus and the compensation for possible losses, and will send a tow ship from mainland China to assist in towing the Wagliang to ensure the safety of the entire navigation.

In September 2001, the Turkish government finally agreed to let the Wagliang pass through the strait. In March of the following year, the Wagliang arrived in Dalian.

In the past year or so, the Navy's scientific and technological personnel have conducted basic structural research on the Wagliang aircraft carrier and obtained basic knowledge of the structure of modern aircraft carriers. This is the main reason why China purchased the Wagliang. Through such purchasing activities, China also obtained necessary design drawings. The defense industry department also hired aircraft carrier design experts from Russia to give lectures, and also introduced some design technical materials. The pre-research on key supporting facilities on the aircraft carrier has made some progress.

The General Staff and the National Defense Science and Technology Commission have also repeatedly organized analysis, demonstration and evaluation of inspections, introductions, and pre-research. From many Russian and Ukrainian experts and the above testimony combined with the current situation of the Wagliang, they believe that it is possible to transform the Wagliang into an aircraft carrier training ship. According to the ship power technology currently owned by the Chinese Navy, it is not difficult to make the Wagliang re-space.

For the future modification of the Wagliang, the first thing is to obtain relevant design drawings, especially the structural drawings that need to be modified. These drawings need to be compared with the actual objects as soon as possible to serve as a reference to speed up the design progress of Chinese-made aircraft carriers.

Coincidentally, Fan Wubing obtained some aircraft carrier data provided by the Russian secret agreement not long ago, which was basically a timely help. With the verification of the two phases, the military's research has made rapid progress and has made breakthrough progress, paving the way for domestic aircraft carriers.

At the same time, compared with the time when the USS Wagliang aircraft carrier was purchased five years ago, the Chinese Navy itself also underwent huge environmental changes. First, as the basic force for forming an aircraft carrier fleet, a new batch of large surface ships such as China Aegis, China Hyundai, and Type 054 frigates have been completed. J10A fighter jets have begun to be equipped with the air force in batches. Navy-type production may be under planning, and the naval-specific J10A has entered the test flight stage.

In addition, major breakthroughs have been made in the engine technology used by aircraft carriers, so that the basic material power to build aircraft carriers is already in place.

The practical significance of the Wagliang to the Chinese Navy is that it can test the aircraft carrier control platform system and be used as a training ship. Technically speaking, it is unlikely that the Wagliang will be converted into a formally put into service aircraft carrier.

The ship was launched in 1988 and its hull has been soaked in the water for nearly twenty years. Judging from the fifty-year service period of the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the Wagliang has not been able to continue to serve after being modified.

In addition, the Wagliang itself was not completed and lacked the necessary power equipment and weapons and equipment. Ukraine removed all valuable remaining components before handing over. More importantly, at the request of Russia and the United States, Ukraine carried out blasting of the sensitive part of the Wagliang hull. It would face great difficulties in repairing it, and the main structure was damaged.

Therefore, there are two possibilities for the future of Wagliang. First, it is to become a test ship and be used as a test platform for testing ship devices, electronic systems, weapons and carrier-based aircraft. This is also very important. Although the military can use the land test flight deck to test the take-off and landing of new carrier-based aircraft, this method is difficult to simulate the swaying and shaking of take-off and landing at sea. After becoming a test ship, Wagliang can provide the most ideal test platform for new carrier-based aircraft. In addition, the "Wgliang" can also be used to test different types of aircraft carrier power plants to determine which power plants Chinese aircraft carriers will adopt in the future.

Secondly, the Wagliang may become a training ship to train naval aircraft carrier combatants for a long time. All officers at all levels, including the captain, can gain valuable experience through real on-ship training and train generations of qualified aircraft carrier service personnel for the Chinese Navy.

Whether it becomes a test ship or a training ship, the Wagliang will have the potential to quickly improve into a combat ship during wartime, thus becoming a transitional quasi-aircraft carrier before the Chinese Navy officially equipped the aircraft carrier in the future.

Although Chen Guangyi knew very well what Wagliang did, from a technical perspective, he was not very clear about some inside information here. The main reason was that some breakthroughs in key technologies were completed in the near future. On the contrary, Fan Wubing, who had handled Russian information, had to know more about it.

But Fan Wubing also said very clearly to Chen Guangyi, "Building an aircraft carrier is not a matter of one day or one night. Even if the hull can be easily built, it will take some time to provide support for ship-based equipment and form combat effectiveness. Now you should hurry up and seize the time to arm the Wagliang. At least you will be exploring and training on it first. When my aircraft carrier is built, it will be easy to put into use in time."

Chen Guangyi smiled and said, "I naturally know this. I just want to know when I can use my own aircraft carrier?"

This question is naturally not so easy to answer, but Fan Wubing also knew Chen Guangyi's eagerness, so he replied, "Don't worry, at least you won't be able to retire. As long as you, the naval commander, continue to work, you don't have to worry about not having the chance to board a domestic aircraft carrier in person."

"If it is true as you said, I will be willing to die." Chen Guangyi considered the meaning of Fan Wubing's words, and thought it would be possible within ten years.
Chapter completed!