Page 11 - ADT SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2022 Online Magazine

FAST PROGRESS in China’s Liaoning province.

The learnings from this endeavour allowed the PLAN to inde-
“Today’s progress in building China’s aircraft pendently build its second aircraft carrier CNS Shandong (Hull 17),
carrier fleet would not be possible without which was unveiled in April 2017 and commissioned in 2019. Despite  SHIPBUILDING
the endeavour of the entire country. In just being the PLAN’s first domestically developed aircraft carrier, the
10 years, we have achieved the goal of the Shandong has a basic design similar to that of the Liaoning but with
Liaoning aircraft carrier fleet navigating in the many improvements such as a greater capacity to carry aircraft and
sea with combat capacity greatly improved optimized design of its superstructure. The CNS Liaoning and CNS
and explored an aircraft carrier development Shandong both have a standard displacement of around 50,000
path with Chinese characteristics,” Ma Chao, tons and use a conventional propulsion system.
head of the air support department of the
aircraft carrier Fujian, said during the launch In 2017, PLAN aircraft successfully took-off and landed at night on
of the aircraft carrier in June. As for the new the aircraft carrier Liaoning for the first time. “The breakthrough
carrier’s deployment in the future, Wensheng in night-time techniques and the mastery of night-time landing
said that, “China will select the home port for means we are capable of performing tasks in an all-weather manner,
aircraft carrier Fujian based on comprehensive particularly at night and in complicated weather conditions. With all-
consideration of the needs of protecting China’s weather combat advantages, we will have greater initiative in future
sovereignty, security and development interests, wars,” said Xu Ying, deputy captain of aircraft carrier Shandong. “In
as well as the demands of the carrier’s opera- recent years, our aircraft carriers have achieved leapfrog devel-
tion and the support capacity of the port.” The opment (SIC). It’s safe to say the development path with Chinese
new carrier will now undergo mooring and sea characteristics has been tested with actual results. Now, the range
trials to comprehensively test its overall capa- of missions of the domestically-made aircraft carrier Shandong is
bilities and specific equipment, the PLA Navy also constantly expanding as it rapidly develops. Our first carrier
said. According to the PLAN, the Fujian is be the that uses catapults, the Fujian, is also accumulating strength. We
largest warship built by an Asian nation. believe that in the near future, the three aircraft carriers will show our
strong power at broader international stage,” said Cui Yonggang,
The PLAN has been working to enhance its captain of the Liaoning.
carrier-based naval aviation capability for a
decade now. It started by refurbishing the unfin-
ished former Soviet Navy carrier Varyag, after UPGRADED CARRIER-BORNE FLEET
purchasing it second-hand in 1999 and under-
taking an extensive refit at the Dalian shipyard Carrier-based aircraft are now playing an increasingly vital role in

ASIAN DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2022 | 11