(Ecns.cn)--Wednesday morning, China's first refitted aircraft carrier left its shipyard in Dalian, Liaoning Province to start its first sea trial, reported the state-run Xinhua News Agency.
Military sources told Xinhua that the trial is in line with the carrier's refitting schedule and will not last long. After returning from the sea trial, the aircraft carrier will continue to be refitted and tested.
Li Jie, senior colonel and researcher with the Naval Research Institute in the People's Liberation Army Navy, speculated that the maiden trial is likely to involve tests of its power, weapons, and control systems, reported the Global Times.
However, as a new-born baby, the rebuilt Varyag has not been given a name yet, and its future commander and equipment have also drawn great attention from military fans.
What to name it?
A public vote was conducted online recently, and the three most popular names were "Mao Zedong," "He Ping (Peace)" and "Beijing."
Zhang Shaozhong, navy major general and professor at the PLA National Defense University also agreed with some of the proposals, saying that China's aircraft carrier can be named after a political leader, like the ones in America with the names of Ronald Reagan and George H.W.Bush.
Li Jie added that names of municipalities are also possible options, since many of China's destroyers and frigates are named after large and mid-sized cities.
Some military fans proposed the name "Chongqing" as the most suitable name, as it is the youngest municipality and the place where the first Red Army was established.
