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Is This China’s Secret Weapon?

The Blaze – Thu, Dec 15, 2011

Varyag Aircraft Carrier

DENVER (The Blaze/AP) — A commercial U.S. satellite company said it has captured a photo of China’s first aircraft carrier in the Yellow Sea off the Chinese coast.

DigitalGlobe Inc. said Wednesday one of its satellites photographed the carrier on Dec. 8. A DigitalGlobe analyst found the image on Tuesday while searching through photos.

Stephen Wood, director of DigitalGlobe’s analysis center, said he’s confident the ship is the Chinese carrier because of the location and date of the photo. The carrier was on its second round of sea trials at the time.

A Pentagon spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

DigitalGlobe, based in Longmont, Colo., sells satellite imagery and analysis to clients that include the U.S. military, emergency response agencies and private companies. DigitalGlobe has three orbiting satellites and a fourth is under construction.

The aircraft carrier has generated intense international interest because of what it might portend about China’s intentions as a military power.

The former Soviet Union started building the carrier, which it called the Varyag, but never finished it. When the Soviet Union collapsed, it ended up in the hands of Ukraine, a former Soviet republic.

China bought the ship from Ukraine in 1998 and spent years refurbishing it. It had no engines, weaponry or navigation systems when China acquired it.

China has said the carrier is intended for research and training, which has led to speculation that it plans to build future copies.

Beijing is believed to be years away from being able to launch and recover aircraft from it as part of a carrier battle group.

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83 comments

No wonder • Madrid, Spain • 5 mths ago
jajajajajaj hahahahahah hohohohohoho that ship is totally outdated!
John • 5 mths ago
In the photo the carrier is doing 26- 28 knots which is pretty impressive for initial sea trials.
Mr.Springfield • Las Vegas, United States • 5 mths ago
Harpoon missles dont cost much.
forty55_ • Washington, United States • 5 mths ago
China is a major world power now and having at least one aircraft carrier is reasonable, even India is having an aircraft carrier being built right now.
thomas • Newark, United States • 5 mths ago
one aircraft carrier the US has 11, try and mess with us.
Gossiper • Ferndale, United States • 5 mths ago
Can we borrow more money from them so we can build more ships to impress them?
Amathiusm • Los Angeles, United States • 5 mths ago
China has existed for thousands of years. Their secret weapon? Outwaiting entire rival empires rise and fall. Numerically they will be around the longest.
JudyM • Gualala, United States • 5 mths ago
Let the USA sell it's mothballed aircraft carrier fleet to the Chinese.
Cardinal • 5 mths ago
Yawn. It's an old, outdated model the Soviets started building, then the Ukranians took it over and mothballed it, and now the Chinese are taking it out for a drive. It's been fully known by US intelligence for years. The Brits are already DE-commissioning ships like this! It's an interesting picture from space, but it ain't news!!
Ian • 5 mths ago
Han Chinese #1 world racists!
patriot • Temple, United States • 5 mths ago
CHINA SECRET WEAPON IS OBAMA
FredC. A • Albuquerque, United States • 5 mths ago
Now it is actually asea. It cost them a pretty penny to get it that far. In exactly one year they will get the bill for twelve months upkeep. Let's see if a satellite can pick up the color change in their faces when they see all those zeros. Welcome to the big leagues China.
lee • 5 mths ago
the somali pirates captured it yesterday.
Kevin • Islip, United States • 5 mths ago
It takes YEARS to build an aircraft carrier from scratch regardless how much man power u have behind its construction. And my my estimations, it would take half a century to put out the # of carriers the US has, at present #s as well as the compensation of future 1s put out by the US. China may have the man power, but we have the tech, Vets, AND war experience needed to thwart any attempt at our sovereignty. They can continue to try and expedite their industrial revolution, but as bad as things are here, they are far worse in China under communist rule and its only a matter of time before the whole thing collapses down on them for their haste and mismanagement of their country and its people...
WeNeedRealMusic • 5 mths ago
A secret? How is it that most of the world knows about it? A secret weapon held by China - oh my. I think their secret weapon is passive in nature and is simply to sit back and watch the US government trash America.
trip636 • 5 mths ago
Good, start patrolling the mid east and world and do some police work inrtead of the USA.
Gverwtfr • Indianapolis, United States • 5 mths ago
and yet japan had these in the 40's? Piloted planes are becoming obsolete. They could fit a lot of advanced weapons on these and unmanned subs as well.
Charles L • Needham, United States • 5 mths ago
We have carriers in mothballs that are centuries ahead of that bucket. When they start training
carrier pilots to land at night in rought seas, then it will start to get interesting.
Glen • San Antonio, United States • 5 mths ago
what if you were the person shot down by a plane launched by this thing, even if the Chinese plane fell into the sea because the plane could not land. think about that idiot.
ALLEN • 5 mths ago
This is old news, read it months ago.

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