Chinese aircraft carrier unlikely before 2015: US report

London, United Kingdom: According to a report by the US government, China's ambitions to build an aircraft carrier force are unlikely to be realised before 2015. China is continuing work to reactivate the ex-Russian carrier Varyag ''…and interest remains in the purchase of Su-33 aircraft from Moscow.''

The Su-33 is a naval variant of the Su-27 Flanker.  

According to Commodore Stephen Saunders, editor of Jane's Fighting Ships, the refurbishment of the ex- Varyag continues "and it is likely that the ship will emerge from Dalian in the next few years to perform, initially, a training role.''

"It has always been difficult to gauge progress in this project, given the lack of information about the original material state of the ship, but there seems little doubt that refit work is proving to be more technically demanding and time-consuming than originally intended, a situation which many other navies will find familiar.''

Saunders added, "Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that any indigenous programme will have been similarly delayed. As yet there are no firm indications of building at any of the major dockyards and it is quite possible that the initiation of such a prestigious project would be publicised at the time."

Chinese attempts to acquire the Su-33 have been stymied by Russian refusal to sell any more high-tech weapon systems until intellectual property right issues have been sorted out to their satisfaction. Over the decades, the Chinese have faithfully copied and reproduced, even for export, just about every weapon system accessed from the Russians.

A Chinese copy of the high-tech fighter, the Su-30MKK, proved to be the proverbial last straw and had the Russians ordering a clampdown on the export of all kinds of weapon systems to China. This has impacted the Su-33 programme as well.