China’s First Aircraft Carrier…Don’t Panic.
On August 10, 2011, the first Chinese Aircraft carrier embarked on its maiden voyage. This signals a boost in international prestige for China, as well as a big step in modernizing their military. However, I cannot help but read article after article as to how this can be a threat to the United States and its interests. I have read headlines that range from “the end of American naval dominance” to “their aircraft carrier can complete with the United States’”. Lets take a further look at this from a different angle than that of the mainstream media. China’s first and only aircraft carrier, so far, is not a brand new construction. Formerly known as the Varyag, this is a Soviet era aircraft carrier that was purchased by China from the Ukraine, a former Soviet Bloc nation. In comparison to the aircraft carriers deployed by the United States, this is extremely limited in capabilities. The Varyag will only be able to ...