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SCMP: After a fourth sea trial, China’s Type 001A aircraft carrier may go into service within months
* Vessel returned to home port of Dalian on Tuesday after spending 13 days undergoing tests in the Yellow Sea
* Naval expert says it may be ready in time for fleet review on April 23
China’s second aircraft carrier has returned to its home port of Dalian after finishing a fourth sea trial, and a naval expert says it is likely to be commissioned in the next few months.
It is the first aircraft carrier designed and built in China, and it returned to the shipyard on Tuesday after spending 13 days off the northeast coast in the Yellow Sea – the longest trial so far, according to Chinese media reports.
The Type 001A, which has yet to be named, was believed to have carried out a range of complex tests during the latest trial, and Beijing-based military expert Li Jie said the testing was nearly finished.
“The vessel has probably completed 80 to 90 per cent of the necessary tests,” Li said. “I think it’s possible it can be delivered by the Chinese Navy Day on April 23.”
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WNU Editor: That is fast. And they do not even have a name for it yet.
