Judging from size, 3rd carrier is conventionally powered, says observer
China's top shipbuilding firm released a photo on Wednesday of what is believed to be the country's first aircraft carrier equipped with an electromagnetic aircraft launch system, with Chinese military experts speculating that China will have three aircraft carriers in the near future.
With the new aircraft carrier in the center and the Liaoning and China's first domestically developed aircraft Type 001A on either side, the photo shows battle groups at sea led by the three carriers as the backdrop at a meeting at the No.701 Research Institute of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), according to the company's WeChat account on Wednesday. The No.701 institute is dubbed the "cradle of Chinese aircraft carriers."
It is widely speculated that China is building its third aircraft carrier in Shanghai.
China's J-15 jet fighters and new type of fixed wing early warning aircraft were on board the mysterious ship.
CSIC Chairman Hu Wenming visited the Wuhan-based institute on Tuesday and attended the meeting, during which CSIC officials and experts discussed the development of China's surface vessels and submarines, according to the CSIC post.
The photo shows the mysterious carrier with a flat deck as opposed to the other two which have jump-rack decks, which makes it possible for it to have an electromagnetic aircraft launch system, Song Zongping, a military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
Judging from the photo, the new aircraft carrier will have a displacement above 8 tons, and together with the Liaoning and Type 001A, China will soon have three aircraft carriers, a significant boost to the capabilities of the Chinese navy.
The Type 001A began sea tests in May, and the Liaoning was commissioned to the China's People's Liberation Army Navy in 2012.
Song added that judging from the size of the ship, the new aircraft carrier will continue to be steam-powered rather than nuclear-powered.
Three catapults on board show that the new ship will be able to launch aircraft faster and more frequently than the previous ones, and therefore will possess stronger combat capabilities, Song noted.
