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China officially announces work on the new aircraft carrier Type 002
Author:Mariusz Dasiewicz
The Xinhua press agency reported in late November that the construction of the Chinese "third generation airship" is proceeding as planned. At the same time, it was reported that the second unit of this type (and at the same time the first fully built unit in China) began naval trials. Although information on the construction of another Navy aircraft carrier of the Chinese People's Liberation Army has appeared in the media for a long time, this is the first official confirmation of ongoing work.
An article published by Xinhua on her account on the government portal WeChat did not contain details of a new unit known as Type 002. However, Chinese military enthusiasts and foreign observers have long argued that China has begun to build its third aircraft carrier at the Jiangnan Shipyard Group in Shanghai owned by the shipbuilding giant China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). It is speculated that the ship will be larger and more powerful than the first Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning and the second, yet unnamed unit. Unfortunately, both the CSSC and the press office of the Chinese People's Liberation Army did not comment on the Xinhua reports.
"I think we can say that China has made a breakthrough in the use of nuclear propulsion on large ships," commented on the construction of a new aircraft carrier, an expert in maritime affairs Lie Jie. – Every aircraft carrier is in some groundbreaking areas. The second absorbed and consolidated the technologies used in the first. The third uses an electromagnetic plane launch catapult system. The fourth can be a breakthrough in the area of propulsion units," adds Lie.
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Military analysts speculate, based on a photograph accidentally published by ship-building workers, that the ship will be large enough to get rid of the distinctive "ski ramp" that occurs on the first two Chinese aircraft carriers. This technically outdated element of the structure helps to bring aircraft into the air. Type 002 will probably have a large flat deck with electromagnetic catapults that accelerate heavy combat aircraft to take off speed. A larger deck would also allow the landing of more massive aircraft carrying heavier loads – something Liaoning had serious problems with. This technology will put a new Chinese ship in the same league as American carriers like Gerald Ford.
It is unknown whether Type 002 will be driven by a nuclear reactor, but this seems unlikely.
Signature: km
