China s first indigenously built aircraft carrier embarks upon sea trial

BEIJING – China’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier is set toembark on its second sea trial after the 50,000-metric tonne vesselsuccessfully completed the first one, according to a media report.

The outfitting work on the aircraft carrier Type 001A was completedyesterday, making the ship ready for its second sea trial.

The carrier’s first sea trial was from May 13 to 18, and the success of thefirst trial proves that the process could be accelerated, a military expertsaid.

“The carrier’s surface doesn’t show any big changes, and the outfittingwork is primarily for inspection and maintenance. After the first seatrial, the ship’s instruments collected data and information, so itsequipment must be adjusted based on the data,” said Song Zhongping, amilitary expert and TV commentator.

“The carrier can be delivered to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy assoon as possible,” Song told state-run Global Times.

After a five-day sea trial, the carrier had returned on May 23 to theDalian Shipyard in the Northeast China’s Liaoning Province to finish itsremaining outfitting work.

A report from wenweipo.com said the carrier has been moved out from thedock and is ready for its second sea trial.

“Although China already has one aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, in service,it does not mean the second one can skip steps during the sea trials,” Songsaid.

“The Liaoning helps China gain experience in testing a huge warship like anaircraft carrier, so it can accelerate the progress for the next one, butprogress has to be made step by step,” Song added.

The first sea trial results for the ship, known as the Type 001A, have beensuccessful, China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) Chairman HuWenming said on June 21, according to the company’s official website.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) used to lack air supremacy in the SouthChina Sea and on the high seas, Song said, adding that the aircraft carriercould help overcome that shortcoming.

The ship is China’s second aircraft carrier after the Liaoning, and itsconstruction began in 2013.

Boasting more than 12,000 pieces of equipment, the carrier has been made by532 Chinese enterprises including many private firms.

The vessel has more than 3,600 cabins. About 3,000 workers from acrossChina worked on the ship on a daily basis.

Few countries in the world have aircraft carriers. Besides India, the US,Russia, the UK, France, Italy, Thailand and China operate a total of 18aircraft carriers.

The US is the largest operator as it runs 11 nuclear-powered carriers witheach having a full-load displacement of about 100,000 tonnes.