The first entirely Chinese-built aircraft carrier is set to start full-scale trials, leaving the port of Dalian at 7:00 a.m. local time this Sunday, according to reports from the Chinese Defense Ministry.
The ship, temporarily named Type 001A, was floated off in April 2017 after almost 4 years of construction.
READ MORE: Chinese Fighters, Bombers Ring Taiwan, Show ‘Upgrade in Combat Capabilities'
The Type 001A was launched in April 2017. The length of the aircraft carrier is 315 meters, beam — 75 meters, displacement — 50 thousand metric tons (70 thousand when fully loaded), operating speed — 31 nautical knots. Chinese media reported that up to 36 Shenyang J-15 fighters can be based aboard.
The new ship will be the second aircraft carrier in the expanding Chinese Navy. The first — "Liaoning" — was built in 2012 on the base of the unfinished Soviet aircraft carrier "Varyag," bought from Ukraine in 1998.