PLAN’s aircraft carrier plans

China launched its new aircraft carrier on 26 April at Dalian, being the yet unnamed Type 001A. Presently, the People’s Liberation Army Navy ( PLAN) has one carrier in service, which is the Kuznetsov- class Liaoning (Type 001), essentially for training of naval aviation operations. The similar Type 001A, that was unveiled to much fanfare, incorporates a number of improvements, but most importantly is indigenously designed and built. From construction to launch, the Type 001A required just over two years, a notable contrast to the US Navy’s new carrier USS Gerald R Ford, of which construction began in late 2009 with the vessel only now going to sea. The new Chinese carrier is a much less advanced vessel, but reports suggest the PLAN’s next-generation carrier, the Type 002, will be “a far more capable asset, launching its aircraft by catapult rather than a ski-jump”.