China is making final preparations to launch its first domestically built aircraft carrier, temporarily named the Type 001A. The Chinese-made vessel is expected to enter service around 2020, joining China’s first and only aircraft carrier, a refurbished Ukrainian vessel known as the Liaoning.
China’s first domestically built aircraft carrier will soon launch in Dalian, Liaoning Province for drills and trial voyages, putting to the test proprietary technology meant to further Beijing’s expansion in the South and East China seas, the SCMP reported. A dock at the Dalian shipyard was being filled with water Sunday in preparation for the launch. The Chinese-made vessel is expected to enter service around 2020, joining China’s first and only aircraft carrier, a refurbished Ukrainian vessel known as the Liaoning.
The new ship, like its predecessor, will be conventionally propelled, as opposed to nuclear-powered, and feature a sloped flight deck known as a ski jump for aircraft takeoff. It is somewhat smaller than the Liaoning, with a displacement of around 50,000 tons compared to around 67,000 tons. The SCMP notes that “from the successful refitting of the Liaoning in 2011 and its commission a year later, China spent just five years to produce the 001A.”
China’s first home-built aircraft carrier awaits launch at a Dalian shipyard
Around 200 visitors and reporters gathered in Dalian on Sunday, expecting a launch ceremony to coincide with the 68th anniversary of the Chinese navy’s founding. The scaffolding around the ship, temporarily named the Type 001A, was removed and the deck was cleared, Shanghai-based news portal thepaper.cn reported, suggesting that the launch date was getting close. However, experts said tidal conditions yesterday were not conducive for a launch to mark the navy’s birthday, and expected a ceremony to take place in the next few days.
According to SCMP, the new vessel is designed to have more space for aircraft than the Liaoning, by some estimates letting the ship hold as many as 36 fighter jets, or 50% more than its predecessor. While the new carrier “differs little from the Liaoning as far as outward appearances go, its operational capabilities are vastly superior, ” Chinese military expert Liang Fang told state-run China Central Television.
