China to launch 3rd aircraft carrier

Beijing, June China has started building the country’s most-advanced large unmanned ship even as it geared up to launch its third aircraft carrier which was delayed by the prolonged Covid-19 outbreak in Shanghai.

Led by the Research Institute of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC), a ceremony was held to celebrate the start of the large unmanned ship project, state-run Global Times reported.

This means that the ship, being the most-advanced of its kind in China, has officially entered the construction phase, the report said on Thursday.

Featuring a high-speed hydrofoil trimaran design, the drone ship is characterised by its high speed, long endurance and fully domestically-developed propulsion system.

In addition, it can independently carry out missions under different scenarios, it said.

Also, China is preparing to launch its third aircraft carrier.

It was due to be launched on April 23, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Day, but was delayed by over two month-long Covid-19 outbreak in Shanghai.

With the resumption of work at the Jiangnan

Shipyard in Shanghai, the third aircraft carrier could be launched soon, a Chinese military expert told the Global Times.

China’s third aircraft carrier was expected to be larger than the previous two carriers, and it will likely use electromagnetic catapults to replace the previous two carriers’ skijump ramps to launch aircraft.

Recent reports, however, said that the speedy launch of the aircraft carriers is resulting in technical and repair issues, delaying their operational readiness.

In April, China’s indigenously built second aircraft carrier Shandong, which was launched in 2019, had to undergo its first maintenance and comprehensive examina