Dave Majumdar
Security, Asia
Should Washington and Tokyo be worried?
According to Chinese state media, Beijing’s first domestically built carrier is nearing completion at Dalian.
The vessel—which is expected to become operational in 2020—will be launched soon.
Thereafter, the new carrier will spend roughly the next two years being outfitted with various systems such as sensors and other hardware.
Compared to the Liaoning—which was rebuilt from the decaying hulk of the Soviet Kuznetsov-class Baku—the Beijing’s new Type-001A will be much improved. Particularly, the Chinese have improved the crew spaces—which have never been a priority onboard Russian vessels.
“Unlike the Liaoning (Type 001), China’s first aircraft …read more
Source: The National Interest
