More Details Emerge of China’s New Aircraft Carrier

China’s new aircraft carrier is 315 meters long and 75 meters wide, and its deck is as large as 3 football fields.

The Chinese Navy and China Shipbuilding is now carrying out system debugging and fitting its first domestically-produced aircraft carrier in Dalian, northeastern China’s Liaoning province, Chinese TV stations reported Saturday, according to a report in People’s Daily.

The new aircraft carrier, designated Type 001A has a similar displacement to its predecessor the Liaoning, with thousands of cabins inside of its body, the report said.

After three years of research and development, the country finally succeeded in making a special kind of steel that is needed for the manufacturing of the aircraft carrier. It is so strong that an aircraft landing on it will not scratch it.

In addition to the qualified materials, China has trained 2,400 professional welders who work 24 hour shifts in the narrow cabins to produce the ship.

The bridge of aircraft carrier, where the command tower, flight control office, operations room, and radars are located is said to be smaller than that of the first aircraft carrier the Liaoning, the new one is smaller. The smaller size not only provides a clearer layout, but also provides more space for aircraft aboard the ship.

Previous reports said that the carrier had been equipped with a radar mast and that the sea-trails would be conducted ahead of schedule.