On Tue, 5 Jan 2010 17:41:11 -0500, "vaughn"
wrote:


"Bill Kambic" wrote in message
.. .
I don't think it's possible to have "cheap" experiences with any
carrier. :-)

"Cheap" is a relative concept. Further, the currency involved can be money,
time, lives, etc, etc. Compared to designing and building their own carrier,
China could easily save 10 years by using the Varyeg as a learning experience to
figure out what works (and does not work) for them..

True enough.

Anyhow, Brazil's Sao Paulo comes quickly to mind as an example of "cheap". It
was bought from France in 2000 for a mere $12. Its air wing of used A-4's was
picked up from Kuwait for $70 million.

Well, maybe not so relevant an example. Sao Paulo replaced Misas
Gerais. That ship entered service in 1956. So the Brazilian Navy and
Air Force have some extended experience.

How much does this ship operate? How many traps per year do the
pilots get? Does the squadron stay aboard overnight? Do they do
night ops?

Put another way, is this an operational carrier or a symbol of
national importance?

By the way, I don't know the answer to any of these questions. But
they are legitimate ones.

I don't recall anybody ever worrying that Brazil might use its single carrier to
attack the USA. I doubt that China will do so either.

Last time I looked the U.S. had not extended security guarantees to
any of the territory surrounding Brazil.

Whether or not the Chinese have any long term confrontational plans is
an open question. That they might have a series of contigency plans
would be no surprise (we have them).