Designed based on the Liaoning carrier purchased from Ukraine, China's first domestically built aircraft carrier is likely to enter service with the People's Liberation Army Navy in 2024, according to Kanwa Defense Weekly operated by Andrei Chang, also known as Pinkov, a military analyst from Canada.
Since the Liaoning is currently stationed at Qingdao in eastern China, the article said there is a good chance that China's first domestically built carrier, and the country's second aircraft carrier, will be deployed to Hainan. An aircraft carrier base ha recently been built on the southern island province, though some commentators still question the timeframe for when the next carrier will be commissioned.
It took between six and seven years for the former Soviet Union to construct the Varyag, the carrier that would later become the Liaoning after a complete refit. An additional two or three years were needed for the ship to undergo sea trials. For this reason, Kanwa estimates that China needs at least eight or even 10 years to complete the construction of its first domestically built carrier.After construction of the carrier base in Hainan is completed, the article said the PLA Navy then will have to build a naval air station in the region for J-15 carrier-based fighters this year. This is likely to take between five and six years. The article said that a major problem for the next carrier is that it will have to return to the Dalian shipyard in the northeastern province of Liaoning for routine maintenance, which means a maintenance facility may be needed as well.
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20140503000054&cid=1101
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