1 Introduction to the mc
Name: Zhejiang
Class: Zhejiang-class Aircraft Carrier (Type 003 Nuclear Powered)
Commissioned: 2024
Original Speed: 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph)
KANSEN Speed: 65 knots (120 km/h; 75 mph)
Armament:
> 8 × Type 1130 CIWS
> 6 × HQ-10 (18 Cell Missile system)
Air Wing:
> 3 × Shaanxi Y-11 (AWAC & Electronic Warfare aircraft)
> 1 × Shaanxi Y-11b (Transport Aircraft)
> 4 × Harbin Z-9 (Military Utility Helicopter)
> 4 × Changhe Z-18 (Medium-Lift Transport Helicopter)
> 25 × Sukhoi Su-57e (Modified Multi-role Fighter)
> 35 × Shenyang J-16e (Modified J-16 Multi-role Fighter)
The reason why the carrier has Sukhoi Su-57s onboard lies in the current world state. Russia, at the time, was looking to add more of the same aircraft to their own inventory but couldn't afford to shoulder the full cost of such upgrades. The Russian government, therefore, decided to outsource some of the funding by selling the aircraft to interested parties. China, on the other hand, was about to finish its 3rd aircraft carrier (the one above) but realised that its current aircraft wouldn't make the best use of the carriers updated specifications and as such was in the market for a superior multirole fighter. Enter the Sukhoi Su-57, a stealth fighter that suited all their needs and had a maximum takeoff weight that was within the limit imposed by the new carrier design.
The Chinese government quickly ordered and paid for 25 of these planes with an additional 20 planned for the sister ship of Zhejiang (carrier above) and a whopping 212 aircraft ordered for the airforce. This enabled Russia to fulfil its own quota without overspending and by early 2024, Zhejiang was ready for launch, armed with 25 Sukhoi Su-57s as her primary offensive weapons, however, due to war looking more and more likely, China was unable to equip her with only Su-57s in time, even after delaying her launch to mid-2024 and thus had to utilize other planes which were already built to fill in the gaps. That being said, the 25 Sukhoi Su-57's delivered to China were modified to enable stable catapult launches from its carriers. This modified version is called Sukhoi Su-57e and carries the same armament as that of its Sukhoi Su-57 counterpart.
The Shenyang J-16e, on the other hand, was simply a more modernized version of the Shenyang J-16 which saw further improvements to reliability and the refitting of its base so that it was compatible with the new catapult system. Refinements were also made to its radar and missile guidance systems where possible.
Zhejiang which was previously thought to be a dual catapult carrier was, near its final stages, upgraded to a three catapult system to maximize the use of the flight deck and officially entered service for the first time shortly after the outbreak of a small conflict. This is where our story will begin. Hope you enjoy it!
