Chinese aircraft carriers are back home after sea trials and ship-shape for PLA Navy anniversary review, photos show
- Israeli satellite images show Liaoning at Qingdao after refit
- China’s home-built Type 001A expected to join navy’s big show in April
The Liaoning, China’s first operational aircraft carrier, has returned to its home port of Qingdao in eastern Shandong province after a months-long refit and week-long sea trial, commercial satellite images show.
China’s first home-built aircraft carrier, the Type 001A, was also back at a Dalian shipyard on Monday after a week-long sea trial of its own, according to photos posted on Chinese social media.
Military analysts expected the two warships to take part in a review on April 23 in the Yellow Sea off Qingdao to mark the PLA Navy’s 70th anniversary and show off China’s growing naval power.
On Sunday, Israeli satellite image company ISI released a photo, taken on March 1, that showed the Liaoning at Qingdao naval base.
The return was “probably for operational duties after maintenance works at Dalian Shipyard”, the company said on Twitter.
In the image, a Shenyang J-15 fighter with folded wings can be seen on the carrier’s flight deck, suggesting that take-off and landing exercises were conducted after the refit.
The Liaoning – a Soviet-era Kuznetsov-class vessel acquired from Ukraine in 1998 and commissioned in 2012 after a complete overhaul – left Dalian on February 24 after nine months of maintenance and modifications, according to reports by Hong Kong and overseas media.
Meanwhile, photos from social media showed the Type 001A was back in port after a fifth sea test in preparation for commissioning.
In late February, Chinese military authorities declared a “no-go zone” in the Yellow Sea while the carriers went through their paces.
The Liaoning Maritime Administration said that from Sunday until March 6, there would be no entry to an area off China’s northeast coast that would be used for “military purposes”.
Beijing-based analyst Zhou Chenming said he expected the two carriers to take part in next month’s PLA Navy anniversary celebrations.
He said the carriers would “only take part in the naval review” – there would no demonstration of the Liaoning’s upgraded capacity.
Military observers said this year’s review was likely to host more warships from overseas navies than before as the PLA Navy had expanded its international operations and China had built more warships for clients.
Besides the carriers, the parade is expected to feature several new vessels including the Type 055 – Asia’s most powerful destroyer – and nuclear submarines.
In April last year, a review in the South China Sea featured 48 vessels and 76 aircraft including the Liaoning, Type 094A and 095 nuclear submarines, 052D guided-missile destroyers and J-15 jets.
