

CHINA
China’s first homemade carrier takes to the sea
February 1, 2018 - China’s first domestically designed and built aircraft carrier, the Type 001A Shandong, started sea trails on May 13. The vessel will give China a second aircraft carrier to strengthen its navy as it challenges the United States for supremacy in the disputed South China Sea.
The 65,000-tonne vessel is an improved variant of China’s only operational aircraft carrier, the Type 001 Liaoning – a retrofitted Soviet-era Kuznetsov-class ship purchased from Ukraine in 1998.
According to some reports, the new carrier could be inducted into China’s navy ahead of schedule by the end of 2018.
Graphic News Standards