The news revealing China’s third aircraft carrier Type 003 may be ready sooner than projected
sent shockwaves around the world. The country is known to have been rapidly
professionalizing and modernizing its military forces in recent years,
deploying new planes and ships at an alarming rate each year. What’s more, Beijing is putting
a lot of emphasis on its young aircraft carrier fleet in its quest to become a global force.
But then how rapid the advancement of China’s carrier fleet at the present time?
Hello everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Military TV. In today’s session, we are going
to discuss China’s rapid expansion towards its aircraft carrier fleet. To understand this topic
further, don’t go anywhere and stay tuned. Aircraft carries have long become a sign
of superpower defined by countries, especially following the conclusion of the Second World War.
In short, the more aircraft carrier a country has, the more influence and power it can assert on the
global level. For instance, due to prevailing tensions in the South China Sea and Taiwan
steadily escalating in recent months, powerful United States, United Kingdom, Japan and Australia
organized joint training in the disputed area with aircraft carriers and other warships, conveying a
serious warning to the Chinese government. And of course, these countries were able to do that
because they own what we called as ‘naval power’. China, just like any superpower, is serious about
expanding its military might. According to recent annual report on the Chinese military, statement
from the Department of Defense highlighted how Beijing is planning to establish a robust
aircraft carrier strength that will undoubtedly support the country’s dominance in the region,
and also internationally. Another additional information by the Pentagon also mentioned
that the Chinese military is striving to improve its anti-submarine warfare (ASW)
in order to protect the aircraft carriers and ballistic missile submarines that the Navy owns.
Currently, the Chinese aircraft carrier fleet is only comprised of two main vessels.
The Liaoning (Type 001) was formerly a Russian Admiral Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier which
was sold to China in 1998. In 2019, the vessel was put into service. Another one is the Shandong
(Type 002) which was the first Chinese aircraft carrier to be built entirely in China, based on a
modified version of the Type 001 vessel design. In 2019, the ship was commissioned. The third
Chinese aircraft carrier (Type 003) will enter service much sooner than the Pentagon projected,
according to recent research by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
The CSIS was able to monitor the ongoing process on the development of the Type 003
through a commercial satellite on the Jiangnan shipyard. According to the CSIS, shipyard workers
completed the initial installation of all key internal components by installing the engines and
powerplants in the ship. Furthermore, construction on the vessel's catapults is progressing
quickly—the Type 003 is designed as a catapult assisted CATOBAR aircraft carrier. However, the
Type 003 aircraft carrier must still pass a number of key tests. The starboard elevators on the ship,
which are used to transport aircraft from the internal hangars to the flight deck, are still
lacking. Furthermore, the ship's island as well as weapon systems must be installed and tested.
Considering the stages of developments, evaluation made by the CSIS stated that within the period
of three to six months, the development of Type 003 could be finished. However,
much remain as question as to whether it will be ready for operational service by mid-2022, since
the carrier will be required to undergo several extensive sea trials. According to the prediction
of the Pentagon, China’s third and most likely advanced aircraft carrier will be ready by 2024.
That’s all for today! Thank you for watching and see you in the next episode.