China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, would be deployed on preliminary trial on the high seas this year before acquiring full combat capability within two years time.
The 990ft Liaoning, named after the province where it was refitted, is likely to have its preliminary trial on the high seas this year, a necessary step before it possesses full combat capability, said ship commander-in-chief Zhang Yongyi.
“Before every aircraft carrier truly matures and becomes capable of fighting in a war, it must go through trials on the high seas,” Zhang, who is also a deputy to the legislature the National People’s Congress, told China Central Television.
The ship is currently anchored at its homeport in Qingdao, China’s eastern Shandong Province.
The Liaoning, formerly known as the Varyag, is a refurbished Soviet ship purchased from Ukraine.
It was constructed in the 1980s for the Soviet Navy but was never completed.
Read the full story at China Defense MashUp