China building third aircraft carrier: think tank
Recent satellite photographs indicate China's construction of its third aircraft carrier is well underway, a Washington think tank reported Tuesday.
ChinaPower, a unit of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, published photos of a large vessel under construction at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai.
The bow and hull are already under assembly, the pictures indicated, and are likely to be the beginnings of the 80-85,000 tonne Type 002 aircraft carrier the Chinese navy has been known to be planning.
‘Visible through the clouds and mist is what looks to be a bow and main hull section of a large vessel,’ ChinaPower said. ‘While details regarding the Type 002 are limited, what is observable at Jiangnan is consistent with what is expected for the People's Liberation Army Navy's third aircraft carrier.’
China's first carrier, the three decade-old, 66,000 tonne Liaoning, was acquired from Russia.
The second, a home-built carrier designated Type 001A and based on the Liaoning's design began sea trials, one year ago.
ChinaPower said that, based on the photos, the Jiangnan shipyard appears to be building a new tower crane, a floodable ship basin and a launching channel to accommodate the huge new carrier.
In a report published online, ChinaPower said the carrier is expected to be completed in 2022.
In January a senior Chinese naval expert said the country needs ‘at least’ three carriers to defend its coastline and global interests. ‘Our country has an 18,000 km (11,000 mile) long coastline. Also, our economy is outward looking and our interests abroad are growing,’ said Commodore Zhang Junshe, a member of the Naval Research Institute.
More from Naval Warfare
-
RTX Raytheon advances with the development of new Barracuda mine neutraliser
The new Barracuda version has been engineered to perform enhanced subsea and seabed warfare missions.
-
US Coast Guard to receive the largest single acquisition funding in its history
The nearly $25 billion investment will cover USCG procurement of cutters, aircraft, helicopters, training simulators and Polar capabilities over the next four years.
-
US Coast Guard enhances Arctic protection with a new Fast Response Cutter
After commissioning, FRC Frederick Mann will operate in Alaska and perform multiple missions.
-
US Coast Guard announces measures to further implement Force Design 2028 strategy
The US Coast Guard (USCG) created new units, including five Programme Executive Offices (PEOs), to facilitate and speed up the procurement of new capabilities.
-
Future of the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke programme remains unclear
The US Navy does not have a precise date for the award of the procurement contract for the third Arleigh Burke-class destroyer despite having the funds to advance with the programme in FY2025.
-
US Navy may look to foreign suppliers to accelerate shipbuilding programmes
The US Navy (USN) is currently reassessing its acquisition efforts and seeking ways to reduce the multiple delays across the shipbuilding initiatives.