China's first home-built carrier sets out for sea trials
China's first domestically developed aircraft carrier left its northeastern port to begin sea trials on Sunday, state media said, the latest milestone in the country's efforts to modernise its military.
The still-unnamed carrier was launched this time last year but since then has been undergoing fitting of weapons and other systems and has not yet entered service.
[...] "Our country's second aircraft carrier set sail from its dock in the Dalian shipyard for relevant waters to conduct a sea trial mission, mainly to inspect and verify the reliability and stability of mechanical systems and other equipment," Xinhua said.
"A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and it can last from a few hours to many days."
Also at CNN.
Previously: China Moving Full Speed Ahead in Construction of Aircraft Carriers
China Launches Aircraft Carrier
(Score: 2) by richtopia on Monday May 14 2018, @06:00AM
Some relevant wikipedia articles:
Overview of China's carrier program: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_aircraft_carrier_programme [wikipedia.org]
The existing Liaoning carrier (Type 001): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_aircraft_carrier_Liaoning [wikipedia.org] This was originally laid down in 1985 for the Soviet navy but the dissolution of the USSR stopped construction, and the hulk was purchased by China. It became combat ready in 2016 with its primary role as a training ship to get the PLAN acquainted with carrier operations.
The carrier from the article (Type 001A or CV-17): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_001A_aircraft_carrier [wikipedia.org] Largely based on the Liaoning carrier with upgraded subsystems
Future designs (Type 002): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_002_aircraft_carrier [wikipedia.org] Little is known. Expected to launch in 2020 and be active around 2023 with a displacement of 85000 tons.
Quick comparison chart of active carriers around the world: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:World_Navy_Aircraft_carries_chart.svg [wikipedia.org]