TIMELINES OF THE LIAONING AND THE SHANDONG
The Liaoning September 25, 2012:
The Liaoning, refitted and modernized from the incomplete former Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag, was delivered to the PLA Navy as China’s first aircraft carrier.
November 23, 2012:
A J- 15 fighter jet successfully landed and took off from the Liaoning for the first time.
November 28, 2013:
For the first time, the Liaoning sailed through the Taiwan Straits and entered the South China Sea.
July 2015:
The Liaoning conducted its first livefire shooting exercises.
December 24, 2016:
The Liaoning sailed into the West Pacific for exercises there for the first time.
July 7, 2017:
The Liaoning aircraft carrier group arrived in Hong Kong.
September 2018:
Naval aviation forces mastered fighter jet takeoff and landing techniques on an aircraft carrier at nighttime.
April 2019:
A high- ranking officer on the Liaoning announced the carrier was shifting its role from a training ship to a combat ship after a series of maintenance and modifications.
The Shandong December 31, 2015:
The Ministry of National Defense confirmed that China was independently designing and building a second aircraft carrier.
April 26, 2017:
China’s second aircraft carrier was launched in Dalian Shipyard.
May 2018:
In a week- long maiden voyage, China’s second aircraft carrier tested the reliability and stability of its key equipment, including the propulsion system.
November 17, 2019:
China’s second aircraft carrier sailed through the Taiwan Straits and entered the South China Sea for tests and exercises.
December 17, 2019:
Officially given the name Shandong, the country’s second aircraft carrier was commissioned into the PLA Navy in Sanya, South China’s Hainan Province.
May 29, 2020:
The Shandong had been conducting maritime testing and exercises, the Ministry of National Defense revealed.
September 2020:
The Shandong and the Liaoning had completed regular training and maritime exercises respectively, the Ministry of National Defense announced.
December 14, 2020:
State media reported that the Shandong recently completed key training exercises, including maximum sorties and recovery of J- 15 fighter jets.